The Van Buren press., 1879-01-25
" I'll do it I"

rated when they got there, for Jenni
was in higher department than jim
could enter This was the first term th
latter had ever begun with a determimina
ton to learn. That he was now so deter
mined is proved by the answer he gave t,
his teacher on the first day of school
when she asked him, among other things
what he wanted to do; it was this: 81
want ter get ter know ez much ez Jennie
Long does"
How did he come out Well, he wen
to school every term for three years. HI
studied evenings, and all the time wher
not at work, during vacations. B,
incessant devotion to his booke through
those three years, e-aas aole to master
all the textbooks used in that insttu
ton. For the last two terms of bis
course, he was member of Jennie's
classes. He graduated when she did
and, in most OF their joint studies, was
marked several points above her.
How did Jim think he came out
Going home with Jennie that last day
after school had closed, he repeated the
words Mr. Long had spoken. three years
before "Y'aint nowhere side NV her."
and he thought they were truer now than
ever.
Had the "want ter git ter know which
he began, given place to want be likely to
be satisfied?
If Jennie had been aware that her own
views concerning the result of their riv.
alry-if it was such-coincided with
Jim's she probably would not have ex-
pressed herself as she did to her mother
that evening, when the two were alone.
81 suppose said she, she thinks he's
done wonderful thing, but ! don't. If
| had studied and studied as he has,
should have been far ahead of the great,
great giant But OF course l don't care a
tig about it. mamma"
Whether Jennie's remarks indicated a
happy frame of mind or not, might be a
question. But without question she
used happy word when she spoke Of
Jim as a giant, for he was mighty
youth. Jennie was really petite. She
knew it; tut it did not trouble her that
those girls who were familiar with her
called her Little Jennie Long,
Jim knew that he was of great stature
for his age; and was little sensitive on
that point. don't think he fancied
being called "Big Jim And it may
have been his aversion to that name that
accounted partly for his blushing so deep
ly one morning of his last term. when
he had taken his seat at the opening of
school. Some mischievous youth had
which faced the seats---and written in
such large hand that every scholar
could read it from where he sat This
is copy of the lofty verse that the
teacher hastened to erase as soon rs she
discovered what the scholars were laugh
ing at:
"But one dares write what every one knows
that several little fellers fret.
Because chance they never get
To talk and walk with Jennie Long.
Who hinders them? Big Jim-the strong,
He comes with her; and with her goes
And thinks she wants him to, s'pose,"
When Jim's eye caught that, his face
turned very red, as red as Jennie's.
The youth that wrote that poem "dar-
ed to write it, but he did not dare to
make himself known.
or course it was nothing but "boy's
play but Jim felt that he was near
enough to being man to look at it from
a mans stand point. And looking at it
in that light, he thought it proper to tell
Jennie that night when they went home
that he was very sorry that some mean
fellow had annoved her in such way !;
that he would find out the puppy who
wrote the stuff and give him sound
thrashing
But Jennie, to the surprise Of jim,
could not see wherein she had beed in
jured to an extent that demand any such
course as he proposed to take. And she
dissuaded him from his sanguinary pur
pose. Not easily however, but by ar
guments made in an earnest manner and
urged more and more strongly, until he
was conquered.
Without meaning it, perhaps, Jennie
said some things, before they reached
her fathers door that we're calculated to
mislead jim, as to the place he occupied
in her thoughts. 1t was nothing posi-
lively encouraging but something that
came nearer to being that than anything
she had ever before said to him. OF
course it must have been unintentional,
for nothing in that line was repeated
during their walks to and from school
the remainder of the term. And when
the term closed as was said before, Jim
felt that she was farther from him than
ever. He saw with the clearnes of vision
that is characteristic of young men in
his state of mind, the hopelessness of
any attempt to make himself her equal in
any respect, and then acted as u youth in
his circumstances usually does. He in.
tended to remain with Mr., Long until he
was of age, for he knew he could be Of
great service to the farmer in the two
years that intervened between the pre-,
sent and that time. And he wished to
repay the latter for his kindness to
| him.
| For the first few months of those two
years, he was apparently quite self pos
sessed in his association with Jennie
But that is all that can he said TO his
credit. He broke down-utterly sue
cumbed-before six months had passed,
proposed; and-told Jeunie he did not
blame her for not caring for him, and
hoped she would forgive him for offering
such poor creature as himself to one
like her; that he could not help it; that
he felt that he must know what he was to
hsr, and now he did know.