Middletown transcript., 1881-06-10
Written for the MTddletown Transcript.
A GREAT MISTAKE.
BY ROSE RED.

The sun was just casting its last
golden rays over the thriving, bustling
town Of Riverton as the evening train
steamed up to the depot. From it
stepped youth of apparently sixteen
years, and young and very pretty girl
Of about the same age. The boy flor
such we may call him) was tall, slight
and graceful, with blue eyes, brown
hairand pale, intellectual countenance !;
not handsome, but very progressing.
The girl was small and quite fairy-like
in figure, with glossy black hair and
large bright blue eyes, full of mirth
and animation.
Il am very sorry to trouble you,
said she to the young fellow; "But do
you know how far from here is the
'Riverton Academy? 1 am going
there as a scholar and l think the
principal must have forgotten to send
a conveyance to meet me. "
II am going there myself as stu
dent, = said the boy in very pleasant
voice, and as this is my first visit to
Riverton am as unacquainted with it
as you are, for which am very sorry"
At this iuncture light wagon, driv-
en- by smiling Irishman, drove up.
''An faith, . said Pat, making a very
polite bow, ''an are yez the young liddy
and gintleman what's to go to the
academy I has come fur your
thrunks wild the wagon and yez are to
walk, as its only half moile, an yez can
surely walk that. There's the cupola
yez can see right farninst them tress. -
'sWell we are the persons you mean, +"
said the youth. "You will find our
trunks in the depot and we will walk
on. Turning to his companion he
said: Gas we will have to walk we
may as well be friendly and walk along
together Z
'sOh yes,'' said she, we must be
friends as we are going to be school
mates, and hope we'll see much of
each other, in study hours any how.
I suppose we must introduce ourselves.
| am Marion Weston. =
'tAllow me, +" said the youth, with a
profound bow, "to introduce myself as
your humble servant, Ernest Walling,
Of Chesneyville, and I hope we will be
excellent friends. y Thus introduced,
with pleasant chat and friendly man
ner they walked up the street of the
pretty town. They arrived at the hand
some structure of the Riverton Acad-
emy Just in time to be shown to their
rooms, and then down to supper. The
young ladies boarded in separate
building from the academy, and were
only seen by the boys in study and reci-
tation hours therefore Ernest Walling
did not see his fair friend again until
the next morning. He ate his supper
feeling very lonely and homesick. The
table was crowded with. boys of every
description, who stared at our friend in
a very disagreeable manner, and it was
with feeling of great relief that he
arose from the table and went up to his
dTeary little room, which he shared
with fast young man, somewhat older
than himself. This young man, whose
name was Brown y came up to bed
and found poor Ernest (big boy that he
was) crying on the bed, very homesick.
Brown began to tease and ridicule him,
and finally brought from its hid
ing place a jug of cider which he offered
to Ernest, who refused, and Brown
drank it all and became so drunk that
he upset a pitcher of water over Ernest
and drenched him. The water was
cold and the day being in September
was also quite chilly, and Ernest went
to bed very uncomfortable to dream of
fair Marion Weston.
In the morning, upon entering the
school-room, all the scholars were as
sembled, and among them Marion Wes-
ton, who bowed and smiled to Ernest.
On opening his Latin grammar he found
in it little bunch of forget-me-nots,
tied with a blue ribbon. He knew
whom they were from, and put them
in his button-hole, and he wore the rib
bon there many days after the flowers
withered.
The days passed rapidly and the
friendship IF Ernest and Marion grew
stronger and stronger. But this friend
ship was destined to be broken by a
meddlesome girl named Annie Col
ton, who was very much in love with
Ernest, and availed herself of everv
opportunity to be with him. She wrote