The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1883-11-11

be president of the college or Of the United
States. do not think they would have con
ceded that there was much difference In the
two positions. I felt that / would be dis
graced II | did not meet their expectations
By one Of those condolences which seemed to
follow our fortunes, Lucy made a long visit
home when | was teaching in Wilmington.
She was one OF my pupils. She was a quiet
little lady, and hardly spoke a loud word.
that I remember, all winter"
"Did you try to talk to her, TimothyF
asked Mrs. Pember
81 do not claim that l did" answered
Tompkins. 81 was studying hard to keep up
with my class, and that was the reason. But
| wish l had paid more attention to Lucy
Cary that winter. / would not have you
think there was anything particular between
Lucy and me, 1t was not that
1--WE will think just what we please in
corrupted Mrs. Pember, in a serious tone.
"Well,n continued the narrator, ait would
be absurd to suppose there was any such
thing"
There was a long pause. 'You had bet
ter tell the rest OF the story, Timothy" said
the old gentleman, persuasively.
YES, l WILL" responded Tompkins.
after | came back to college 1 got along
better than before / had taught. The money
l received for teaching helped me, aud
another thing aided me. The folks in vii.
mington found how a poor young man
works to get through college. Some OF Us
used to live on a dollar a week apiece, and
board ourselves in our rooms, down there in
the buildings aud We were doing the hardest
kind Of studying at the same time. We
would often club together. one doing the
cooking for five or six. The cook would get
OF without paying, 1t was one OF the most
delightful things in the world 10 see u tall,
young man in a calico dressing gown come
out on the green, where we would be playing
football, and make the motions OF beating
an imaginary gong for dinner. In order to
appreciate it, you need to work hard and
play hard and live on the slimmest kind OF
New England fare. But there is one thing
even better than hat. ITO experience tho
most exquisite delight ever known by a Bur
lington student, you ought to have an Uncle
Jason. While | was teaching in Whining
ton, my UncleJason, from North Elba, which
was close by, came there. When he found
out what an important man 1 was, and
how | was fighting my way, ha
sympathized wonderfully. He was on
good terms at our house, but he
called at my school, and almost
cried over me. Ho was not a man of much
learning, but he looked upon those who were
educated as a superior order OF beings 1 was
regarded in the neighborhood as a sort OF mnr-
tyr TO science, a genius who was working him
self to death. l was the only public man ever
produced by the settlement up to that date.
II WINS part of the religion of the place to look
upon me as something unusual, and Unclc
Jason shared the general feeling. / could see
as he sat there In the school-house observing
the school that he was very proud OF me. Be-
fore leaving, no called me into the entry and
gave mi a two-dollar bill. 1t was generous,
for he was n poor man, and had his wife and
children to support. 1t brought the tears to
eyes when he handed me the money, and
told me l was the flower of the family, and
the pride OF the settlement. felt as If would
rather die than fail of fulfilling the expecta-
tions OF my friends. There was great delight
in it, and 1t was an inexpressible joy to know
that my relatives and the ~neighbors cared so
much for me.
"To comprehend this thing fully, Mrs.
Pember, you ought to be in college, and when
you are getting hard up, and are no way but
to leave, get letters, as l did from Uncle
Jason, with five or six dollars at a time In
them. Such a trife would carry you through
to the end of the term, and save your stand
ing in the class. II you were a Burlington
college boy, while you might be willing to do
part this life In an honorable manner, you
would not be willing to lose your mark and
standing as a student. You would regard the
consequences of such a disaster as very damag-
ing TO your character, and certain to remain
with you forever.
81 may as well say, while 1t is on my mind,
that ] do think this matter of education is a
little overdone In this part of the country. A
young man is not the centre of the universe
800 A.U- -
graduate, and 1t is not worth while to scare
him with any such idea. The only way he
can meet the expectations OF his friends, under
such circumstances, is to get run over acct
dentally by the cars. That completes his
martyrdom and affords his folks an oppor.
tunity to boast of what he would have been II
he had lived"
''Tell us more about Lucy" said Mrs. Penn.
Der.
Eyes, certainly, " replied Tompkins. "Lucy
had a wonderful idea OF poetry and writing.
1t is really alarming to a stranger to see the
feeling there Is up here in that way. The
impression prevails generally that a writer Is
superior to all other people on earth. l no
member to AVE heard that one OF our class, n
year after we were graduated, started a news
back here about ten miles, ON the bank
of the Onion river. He might just as well
started 1t undor a sage bush out on the
alkali plains. He gave 1t some queer Greek
name, and heard hat the publication was
first semi-weekly, then weekly, and then very
weakly indeed, until it came to n full stop at
the end of six months. 1t would nave been
ridiculous anywhere else; but being an at
tempt at literature, l suppose it was looked
upon here as respectable
"And did you use to write poetryP' queriod
Mrs. Pember.
mot to any dangerous EXTENT replied
Tompkins. l do not deny that l tried while
in college, but l reformed when l went west.
/ think Uncle Jason always had an idea that
il might be better for me to be Daniel Web
ster. He stood by me after l left college, and
for three years l continued to get those let
tens, with s. or 50 at a time In them. They
kept me from actual suffering sometimes, be.
fore l got down Off my stills, and went
to work, like an honest man, in the pork
BUSH ess. .
81 thought You were going to tell us some
thing about that GIRL suggested Mrs. Penn
Der.
Eyes, | was rejoined T~ompkins. when
| saw Lucy here, four years ago, in the gal
lery with the singers, l felt as II 1t would be
impossible for me to face her and talk with
her. She would not nave known me, for one
thing. When 1 was n brown-h haired boy,
making poetry, and being a martyr, and do.
ing serenadlng, and living on goldfish and
crackers and soup, | coul meet Lucy with n
grand air that made her shudder; but as
sat there in church, gray and worn, l dreaded
to catch her eye, or have her see me. Al,
though there was not three years difference
in our ages, yet it seemed to me that / was
very old while she was still blooming. Then
there was the feeling hat 1 had not become a
great poet, or orator, or anything really
worth while. On the contrary, l was Just
nobody. 1t seemed like attending my own
funeral. l felt disgraced. or course il wal
not all true. I had been a good, square, hon
est, Woodworking man.
"Yes, you had indeed, Timothy" assented
Mrs Pember. with an emphatic o