The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1879-07-04
A SECOND TRIAL.

1t was commencement at G. Col
lege. The people were pouring into the
church as / entered it, rather tardy.
Finding the choice seats in the center of
the audience room already taken, press
ed forward, looking to the right and to
the left for vacancy. On the very front
row of seats found one.
Here little girl moved along to make
room for me, looking into my face with
large gray eyes, whose brightness was
sOftened by very long lashes. Her face
was open and fresh as newly blown
rose before sunrise. Again and again l
found my eyes turned to the rOse-like
face, and each time the gray eyes moved,
half smiling, to meet mine. Evidently
the child was ready to make up'
with me. And when, with a bright
smile, she returned my dropped hand
kerchief, and said, Thank your we
seemed fairly introduced. Other per-
sons, now coming into the seat, crowded
so that we soon felt very we'll acquainted.
There's going to be great crowd"
she said to me.
EYES," replied; "peOple always like
to see how school-bOys are made into
men,"
Her face beamed with pleasure and
pride as she said:
my brothers going to graduate; he's
going to speak. I've brought these
flowers to throw to him."
They were not greenhouse favOrites !;
just old-fashiOned domestic flowers, such
as we associate with the dear grand
mothers; "but," thought, "they will
seem sweet and beautiful to him for lit
tie sisters sake"
THAT is my brother" she went on,
pointing with her nOSegaV.
1.-THE one with the light hairn asked.
ooh, no." she said, smiling and saking
her head in innocent reprOof; mot that
hOmely one with red hair; that hand
some one with brown wavy hair. His
eyes look brown, too, but they are not
they are dark blue. There! he's got his
hand his to head now. You see him,
don't your
In an eager way she looked from me
to him, and from him to me, as if some
important fate depended upon my iden-
tifying her brother.
81 see him." / said. "He's a very
gOOd-looking brother"
Eyes, he is beautiful" she said,
with artless delight; land he's so good,
and he studies so hard. He has taken
care of me ever since mamma died.
Here is his name on the programme. He
is not the valedictorian, but he has an
honor, for all that"
saw in the little creatures familiari-
ty with these technical college terms
that she had closely identified herself
with her brothers studies, hopes and
successes.
"He thought, at first" she continued,
"that he would write on the Romance
of Monastlc Life"
What strange sound these long words
had, whispered from her childish lips!
Her interest in her brothers work had
stamped them on the child's memory,
and to her they were ordinary things.
"But then" she went on, ''he decided
that he would rather write on Historical
Parallels and he's got real good ora
ton. and he says it beautifully. He has
said it to me great many times. /
most know 1t by heart. OH it begins
so pretty and so grand. This is the way
it begins" she added, encouraged by the
interest she must have seen in my face:
"Amid the permutations and cOmbina-
lions of the actors and the forces which
make up the great Kaleidoscope of his
tory, we often find that turn of Des-
tiny's hand"
"Why, bless the babyr' 1 thought
looking down into her bright, proud face.
can't describe how very odd and elfish
it did seem to have those sOnOrous words
rolling out of the smiling infantile
mouth.
The band, striking up, put an end to
the quotation and TO the condolences.
AS the exercises progressed and ap-
preached nearer and nearer the effort on
which all her interest was concentrated,
my little friend became excited and rest
less. Her eyes grew larger and brighter,
two deep-red spots glowed on her cheeks.
She touched up the flowers, manifestly
making the offering ready for the shrine.
'Now, it's his turn" she said, turning
to me a face in which pride and delight
and anxiety seemed about equally min
gled. But when the overture was played
through, and his name was called, the
child seemed, in her eagerness, to forget
me and all the earth beside him. She
rose to her feet and leaned forward for a
better view of her beloved, as he mount
ed to the speakers stand. knew by
her deep breathing that her heart was
thrObbing in her throat. / knew, too,
by the way her brother came up the
steps and to the front, that he was trem-
bling. The hands hung limp; his face
was pallid, and the lips blue as with cold
felt anxious. The child, too, seemed
to discern that things were not well with
him. Something like fear showed in
her face.
bewildered, struggling look came into
his face, then a helpless look, and then
he stood staring vacantly, like a SOM
nambulist, at the waiting audience The
moments of painful suspense went by,
and still he stood as if struck dumb. l
saw how it was; he had been seized with
stage-fright.
Alasl little sisterl She turned her
large, dismayed eyes upon me. "He's
forgotten it,' she said. Then a swift
change came into her face; a strong, de-
terInined look; and, on the funeraI-like
silence of the room, broke the sweet,
brave, child-vOice:
Amid the permutati0ns and combina-
tions Of the actors and the forces which
make up the great kaleidoscope of his
tory, we often find that u turn of Desti-
ny's hand"
Everybody about us turned and looked.
The breAthless silence; the sweet, child
ish voice; the long, unchildlike words.
produced weird effect
But the help had come too late; the
unhappy brother was already staggering
in humiliation from the stage. The band
struck quickly up, and the waves Olive
ly music were rolled out to cover the de-
feat
gave the sister glance in which /
meant to show the intense sympathy
felt; but she did not see me. Her eyes.
swimming with tears, were on her broth
er's face. I put my arm around her.
She was too absorbed to heed the cares,
and before could appreciate her pur.
pose, she was on her way to the shame
stricken young man sitting with face
like statues.
When he saw her by his side, the act
face relaxed, and quick mist came into