The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1880-03-04
hundred dollars to defrav the first years
college expenses of his old classmates

son. ....,......... ,...r,-.s --.t.
'' You are stranger to me, SIR" said
my travelling companion. at this point !;
''but think you will appreciate the feel
ing with which poor Mr.. Blake stood in
his bare and dingy study in the old farm
parsonage, holding that letter in his
hand, and lifting his faithful eyes in
thankfulness to God" p
I" Yes replied. "Williston did just
the right thing, too. And how was it?
help?'' ------z.a.-
My acquaintance looked away from
me at the rich country through which we
were passing. Then he said: ''
"Sam Blake was good-natured,
obedient fellow enough, and was greatly
pleased to have the expense of his first
college year taken off his fathers shout
ders; but his sense of duty didn't 90
very far. The Rev. Mr.. Blake bought a
new coat, and Sam entered Harvard that
fall; and there matters stopped for a
while. s
ga freshman has great deal to
learn, as you know; but l think the
chief thing Sam learned, that term,
was the great difference there is be-
tween Harvard and little village like
Elmbank, and the great difficulty, of
working and playing at the same time.
Here he had society meetings to
attend, and rooms of his own, with a
chum, where good deal of smoking
was done by himself and his friends.
And then there was baseball, into
which it appeared indispensable for the
honor of the class that he should enter
actively, on account of his strong legs,
wonderful wind and ground batting.
"He could not refuse to 90 to the
theater occasionally with his richer
companions. Sam took natural inter
est in the society of young ladies, too,
and had to give up some time to its cul-
tvation. He also thought a moderate
amount of practice in the gymnasium
was desirable to prevent his health
from breaking down under the confne-
ment of study. &c., on the whole, the
actual work that he did in the college
course>was not very extensive.
| 'sThis didn't seem to have any bad
effect till well along in the winter, when
the habit of Sinking work had grown
so strong, without his noticing it, that
he fell easily into reading novels
when he ought to have been in the reel
tation room. Gymnasium, theater, bill
lizards, smoking-and / am afraid
must say little drinking = frittered
| away his time. =
"One horrible snowy, sleety morn
ing, when he had got up too late for
prayers, the postman brought him a
note from the Faculty : an 'admoni-
| tion.' -- - so
"He dropped the pipe he was just
lighting and bolted off to. recitation.
But he beaded Immediately and that
discouraged him. An -e-,,-...s....z- q
"He soon began to make light of the
warning, and did himself no credit in
his studies. Though he managed to
squeeze through the examination at
the end of the freshman year, he came
out far down toward the foot of his
"He wasn't quite contented with
himself and thought he would try to do
better the next year. But during the
journey home he recovered his usual
spirits.
"When he walked up the village to-
wards the parsonage farm, he was think
ing that-since he was sophomore now
he would buy the knottiest and big
gest headed cane in Cambridge when he
should go back there And what do
you suppose was the first sight that met
him at home?
1t was his father out in the field, dig
cling for new potatoes, his coat off, and
his specialized face perspiring!
"The sight struck shame into the
boy. He vaulted the fence, and, run
ming up with hardly a pause for greet
ing, cried: . G
$50, father! let me do that! don't
like to see you at such work.
"Mr.~Biake stopped and looked earn
estly and rather sadly at him. q
"'Well, Sam, I think that's about as
good "How-do-you-do?'' as you could
have offered me. There's something
right about you after ALL a.s--
cit hadn't occurred to Sam that there
was any doubt on that point before. He
blushed as he asked
"'Where's the hired man?' q
"I'ye discharged him. / can't af-
ford one at present, my son. was the an
swer. q
"Sam was rather puzzled, and began
to reflect. b.. :
"They went into the house, and there,
when the minister reappeared after
making his toilet, his son noticed that
he wore the old shabby, shiny coat. At
this he was more than ever astonished.
''The supper, also, notwithstanding
that it was the first night of the prodi-
gals return, was very meager Not
single extra luxury was on the table,
and Sam observed that his father and
mother took no sugar nor butter. His
own appetite began to fail at seeing this,
and his perception was sharpened ac-
cordingly. He was now aware that his
father looked very thin, as well as sad.
Suddenly he laid down his knife, and
exclaimed to his sister Katy H
"'S Sis, what does all this meanp-t
this going without the hired man, and
starving yourselvesp'
Ellis sister looked at him, then
glanced at Mr.. Blake and her mother,
and made no answer. r... ..--....-