Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1880-02-28

after that exchange of conf ience
felt happier. But among the va
rious incidents of the evening, this
one almost passed out of the min
isters' mind by the next day, when
he started for Elmbank.
"Speedy as his return was, how
ever, something meant for him
had got to his destination before
him. Ii was a letter. Taking 1t
up, he br,ge open the envelope,
and found inside a few words from
Williston, with 81 check for Eve
hundred dollars to defray the first
years college expenses of his I'D
classmates son.
"You are a stranger to me sir,
said my travelling companion, a
this point; "but | think you will
appreciate the feeling with which
poor Mr.. Blake stood in his bare
and dingy study in the old farm
parsonage, holding that letter i'm
his hand, and lifting his faithful
eyes in thaEkfulness to God"
"Yes," / replied. Williston
did just the right thing, too. And
how was il? Did the son show
that he deserved the help ?,
My acquaintance looked away
from me at the rich country
through which we were passing.
Then he said:
Sam Blakelwas a good-natured,
obedient fellow enough, and was
greatly pleased to have the ex.
pense of his first college year
taken off his fathers shoulders;
but his sense of duty didn't GO
very far The Rev. Mr.. Blake
bought new coat, and Sam en-
tered Harvard that fall; and there
matters stopped for while.
ga freshman has q great deal to
learn, as you know; but / think
the chief thing Sam learned, that
term, was the great difference
there is between 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 chum, where a good deal
of smoking was done by himself
and his friends. And then there
was baseball, into which it ap-
peared indispensable for the honor
of the class that he should enter
actively, on account OF his strong
legs, wonderful wind and ground
batting.
"Fe could not refuse to go to
the theater occasionally with his
richer companions. Sam took
natural interest in the society of
young ladies, too, and hau to give
some time to its cultivation. He
also thought moderate amount
ofpractice in the gymnasium was
desirable to prevent his health
from breaking down under the
confinement of study. So, on the
whole, the actual work that he did
in the college course was not very
extensive.
"This didn't seem to have any
bad effect till we'll along ia the
winter, when the habit of shirk-
ing work had grown SO strong,
without his noticing it, that he
fell easily into reading novels
when he ought to have been in
The recitation-r0om. Gymnasium,
theater, billiards, smoking-and |
am afraid I must say little drink
ing-frittered away his time.
zone horrible. snowy. sleety
morning, when he had got up too
late for prayers. the postman
brought him note from the Fac
ulty--an 'admonition.'
HE dropped the pipe he was
just lighting and bolted of to re-
citation. But he beaded imme-
diately and that discouraged him.
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 class.
HE wasn't quite contented with
himself and thought he would try
to do better the next year. But
during the journey home he re-
covered his usual spirits
when he walked up the vii
lage towards the parsonage farm,
he was thinking that-since he
was a sophomore now-he would
buy the knottiest and biggest
headed cane in Cambridge when
he should go back there. And
what do you suppose was the first
sight that met him at home?
ut was his father out in the
field, digging for new potatoes, his
coat off, and his specialized face
perspiring!
"The sight struck shame into
the boy. He vaulted the fence,
and, running up with hardly
pause for greeting, cried: