Richland beacon., 1880-05-15
FIRST AND LAST DlGGlNGS.

What is this dilapidated old book
An heirloom?' asked my friend, who
for the last half-hCur had been looking
over my library.
"oh, no. replied, "that is no heir
loom, but something which l prize as
highly as if could prove that it came
over in the May flower. If you would
like, will explain it to you. Draw up
your chair" ! SAID. taking the book,
"and if, in my own interest. l get tire
some, stop me, beg of you"
al have always called this my Col
= lege Register In my sophomore year
/ conceived the idea of keeping in my
room this book, in which asked every
body coming to see me for the first time
to write their name, with the date. My
friends were not bored but once, and, if
the writing of their names caused them
a little annoyance at the time, Gm sure
that if they knew the amount of pleas
ure the possession of their autographs
has given me since, they would feel
amply repaid. A good deal of fun was
made of me at the time, but that has
all passed, and the book remains the
most powerful reminder of my college
days When'I look at the names of the
good fellows written here it sometimes
seems az if I was again a student, with
no care but that of preparing my reci-
tati ms for the next day. But enough
of that; let us get to the inside. Open
81 anvwhere--familiar names are on
every page.
"George H. Adams, January Is,
1885, he was fine fellow, son of a
widow, living in town. He worked his
way through coilese, and had hard
time of it, but he succeeded, and is now
a successful business man IN the south
ern part of the State.
"Louis NJ. Huntington, March 8,
1847.' never knew him very well, for
he never came to my room but once.
He wasa handsome, fascinating fellow,
always favorite in society because OF
his easy, graceful manners and his fine
voice. / have often wondered what has
become of him, but Ihave never been
able to find him out. as l lost sight OF
him very soon sitter we graduated.
"Leonard Meredith, February 26,
1886 That name deserves more than a
passing notice; his life and mine have
been most strongly linked together.
"In the same building with myself,
in fact directly over my head, there
: roouAed young man whom / had seen
in the recitations and in the halls of Oul
building. He WAS called Meredith by
the instructors, and that was all knew
of him. However, / liked his looks
and determined to know more of him
So, one evening l went to his room, un
der the pretext of borrowing something
he received me in most cordial man
ner. and readily loaned me what asked
We easily dropped into conversation
and he was 30 entertaining that / re
NAMED an hour or more. Whenever
spoke, l noticed that he kept his eye
fixed upon my face-large. deep brown
ewes, with an earnest eager look in them
I Indeed, hiB whole face expressed al
earnestness and determination whicl
Won me completely. told him that
Tpeoned. right under HING and aske'
, dim t6 stop In any time when he wa
going by.
W." After waiting for him month,
> .determined to try again. was receive'
IN the same cordial manner as before
and when asked him why he had no
been .tosss me, he frankly confessed tha
he vs.iaftaid of meeting crowd of fe
lows there, which he always avoided,
possibles 1 talked with my other class
mates about him, and they all said tina
thevShad had an experience very sim
lar 10 mine.
"I had also noticed that Meredith
although quite talkstive wnen / wa
vi{h MIN Alcne, became suddenly yer
quiet if another person joined US.
Attributed this popularity to diffidenc'
hut I coon found thst l was most con
nletely mistaken. for Leonard was a
rNys At his ease, and although BY n
means forward, he could not he calle
di6ident.
HTbe more knew and saw of LeoI
ard Meredith the more liked him, an
finally on February 26, 1846, he can
70 NV room and wrote his name the
In nv register From that time we b
r'a acain9 better acquainted, and he used
. core to my room often when he kne
HAT I was alone. On one of the eve
ines when he was with me he told n