Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1879-02-04

almost hate her. He did not answer
back, but the look be gave her kept her
from ever repeating that taunl; and also
from forgetting that she had once made
it.
Yet he continued to be the same care
less jim up to this winter morning. But
when Mr.. Long had administered his re-
...' f.f returned To the house to brush
e. 'ne7' r. u his clothes. the youth fell
into + oiouui 1edilalion, out of which
he came ni'h h ii ,cula,ion:
an do iit'
When The next term OF school began,
there were two scholars from Farmer
Longs.
Jennie and jim
They went together; hut separated
when they got there, tor jennie was in q
higher department than Jim could enter.
This was the first term The latter had ever
commenced with determination TO
team. That he was so determined was
proved by the answer be gave his teacher
ol the lirsl day Of school, when she asked
him, among other things, what he wanted
to do; i, was this:
Il want ter get ter know as much as
Jennie Long does"
How did he come out? Well, he went
to school every term for three years He
studied evenings, and all the time when
no, at work DUNG vacations. BY inces-
SAINT devotion 70 his books through those
sbrco years, he was able TO master all the
'eS, books used ia that institution For
the las, tao terms ot his course hv was a
mcuber # Joauig's classes lie gradu-
a.ei whga she did aud, in most OF their
i'in, sig'ies. vas marked several points $
above her
How dii jim think he C me out? Going
home with Jennie tha, last day. after
school bal closed, he repeated the words
Mr Long had spoken three years before :
" Aint nowhere side Nv herr aud
thought they wero iruer now than ever
Had the want ter gi: ter kuow," with
which he began, given place to a want
less likely to oe satisfied p
II Jennie had been aware that her own
view concerning the result OF their riv-
a'ry-it il was uch-colncided with
Jim'-. she probably would no, have ex-
pressed herself a. shc di'l 10 her mother.
that evening, when they were alone. Il
suppose" said she, "he thinks iha, he's
done wonderful thing; bat 1 don't. II |
had studied and studied sud studied as
be has, should have been tar ahead OF
;hc great-grca,-giant. Bot ot course
dan't care hg about T.. u.mma.'
Whether J-nnie's rcmqb. indicated a
h4rpY frame Of mind or uot. might be -
question. Bu, vi;hou, question she used
very happy word when she spoke of
Jim ss giant Tor be was mighty
youth Jennie was really petite. She
knew i, bu, it did not trouble her that
those girls who were familiar with her
called her Little Jennie Long,
Jim knew that be vas of great stature
fer his sge; nud he was a liule sensitive
on that point. don't ,h;ok he fancied
icing called big jim" And it may
have been his aversion to that name that
partly accounted Tor bis blushing so
deeply one morning Of his last term,
when no had taken his seat at the open
ing OF school. Some mischiovouS yonth
had written Il stAnzs on the blackboard
which was on the wall that faced the
sesls-and written ii in such a large 1d
,ba. every scholar could read it fom
where be sat. This is a copy OF the lofty
verse that the teacher FASTENED 10 erase
as sbe discovered what the scholars were
laughing at
But one dares 10 writc-what everyone knows
That several htt!e felers fret,
Because a chance they never get
To walk and talk with Jennie Long.
Who hindcrs them Big Jim-the strong
He comes with her; and with her goes
Aud thinks she wants him to, s'pose."
When Jim's eyes caugh. that. his tace
turned very red, rs red as-Jennie's.
Theyou,h that wrote that poem dared"
to write il; but he did not dare to make
hiuse'f known.
OF course it was nothing bu. boys
play, bat Jim felt that he was near enough
to being a man to look at it from a mans
standpoint And looking at it in that
light nc thought it proper TO tell Jennie
that nig ht when they went home that he
Was very sorry that some mean fellow
had annoyed Der in such way, that he
would find out the puppy 10 wrote such
stuff and give him SOL thrashng.
But Jenrie, to tn 1rprise of jim,
could not see where she had been in-
Jured to The extont demanded any
such course as he proposed TO take. and
she dissuaded him from his sanguiuafy
purpose. Not very easily, however, but
by arguments made in an earnest man.
ner. and urged more and more strongly,
until he was conquered.
Without meaning ii perhaps, Jennie
said some things, before they reached her
fathers door, that were calculated to mis-
lead jim, as to the place he occupied in
her thoughts. 1t was nothing positively