The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1880-10-28

10.
black curls that covered his head, and
asked, In a voice that struck me as being| q
uncommonly low and soft;
DO you know the gentleman that has
just passed."
"No,"I replied, Get am a stranger
here this is my first day, and I am not
acquainted with any one" "NsE. sa'
Then we two should become nc.
quainted by. all meats, for we are in the
same fix. My name, is Leslie Barton. %
he said, holding out his hand, which. 7
noticed, was white, soft and -shapely.
And mine Is Carl -" said, as
took the prohered hand, ...-.n.a ,.-rf
just then the cadet I had before OBJ
served entering the college came out
and brushed against Leslie Barker in
passing. Such o look Of mingled hate
and disgust as came; over his face I hope
never again to see on human counte-
nance. L saw his small white hands
chnch till the nails were buried in the
flesh. he stepped back as suddenly as
though some loathsome reptile had
touched him., and heard him 1nutter
between his clenched teeth:
"Ourse HIM, he does not recognize
me, and it Is we'll for him that he does
not. But, remembering that I was
standing near and must have heard his
remark, he turned toward me, and, see-
ing the look Of surprised inquiry upon
my face. ne said
That fellow reminds me very much
OF person once knew"
Ihe remembrance is not O. yery
pleasant one, should Judge, from the
look you gave him az he passed" T re-
piled, laughing.
10 this he made no reply, and in q
few minutes bade me good evening and
walked into the building.
MY curiosity was excited. I felt as-
sureu that Leslie Barton knew this man.
and that he had some reason for HATING
MN with all the strength Of his fierv ma
ture. wondered why it was that he
nau endeaVored to lead me to believe
that he had only recognized q resem-
Diance to some one he had once known.
The more thought about it, the more
deeply interested became. What puz
Hled me most was that the stranger had
looked directly into Leslie Barton's face
as he passed him, and [ could detect no
sign OF recognition on his part. There
was mystery about these two, I was
satisfied, and I determined, if possible.
to discover what it was.
During the following day the different
classes were organized for the term, and
the cadets assigned to their rooms. Two
boys occupied each room, and, as every
boy had the privilege of selecting his
roommate, 1 sought out Leslie Barton,
and, on the strength of our slight ac-
qualntanco, asked him if he would oc
.cupy the same room with me, He
seemed surprised at my proposition. and
informed me, rather haughtily. that he
mad made arrangements with Col, W
the commandant, to have room entire.
ly to himself.
Very we'll, I replied, turning away.
put he laid his hand upon my shoulder
OBTAINING me for moment, as he said
l am sorry I cannot room with you,
but always prefer room to myself.
Wen be good friends, though, won't
Certainly" replied, for I had taken
strange interest in this pale-faced boy.
~, L was assigned to room with Edward
walton, an overgroWn, good-natured
sort of fellow from Mississippi. who
had attended the two previous sessions
at the University. He knew everyone
connected with the college, from the
head Professor'down to the old negro
VINO attended to the building.
One day, about week after my arri-
val, was standing in the hall, in COM
pany with Ed, when the cadet who had
so sc exclted my curiosity on the day I
hrst met Leslie Barton passed.
inquired. '..'. -, -"
"Oh, yes; that's Oscar Phelps"
school here p'' ~ '~-1>'9
,oat He came in at the beginning of the
last session. Why?"
Nothing, only he seems pretty old
TO be attending school. Do YOU know
much about him p .
every little. He's from New Or
leans, L believe, and from the way he
spent money when he was here last year
he must be pretty wealthy. That's
about oil 1 can tell you of him. Fact
is, he is queer kind of a cuss, who has
very little to do with the rest of us fell
lows" ,.----~ .,-o-~v
And that was all I could learn about
Oscar, Phelps. I made inquiry of sew.
eral other boys, but none OF them
seemed to know more about him than n
had already learned from Ed. asrFT g I'd
The more I saw of Leslie Barton the Z
better I liked him. Hewas of q modest. d
retiripgl disposito and while he had
no intimate friends among the boys, yet
they were all ready to declare him ga
real good fellow-a little queer in his
notions, but good one, nevertheless"
There was one thing that struck me as
peculiar, and that was tina the never re-
! ceiyed or wrote any letters, or ever
spoke of his home or relatives. One
day asked him which State he was
from He replied that he had lived in
SO many different States that he claimed
any and all of them as his home. And,
as i saw that he waa very ralnntant