Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1885-07-26
MRS. WILKINSON (;
HELPING A FRIEND OFT or
TROUBLE.
prom cornhnl.I

II so often happens that some chance
association Of ideas swskens the most
unexpected echoes in our memories, re-
stores TO us our youth. our boyhood,
our childhood, and not only enables us
70 recall something that took place IN
those far-away days, but actually liits
MS for moment or two out Of our pre-
sent into our past selves, so that we
feel as we once felt and see as We once
saw. until the vision fades and leaves
us with queer, painful sense OF loss.
suppose everybody experiences this
sensation occasionally. IL came upon
me very strongly one evening when |
was sitting in the house, listening TO
Pole. who had embarked upon one Of
his deliberate attacks on the Home
Secretary. Pole was humming and
having good deal; frequently ne
paused for some seconds. trying to find
The word that he wanted, and more
than once, failing to End it, he went on
quite cheey(ully without it. He was
not in the least embarrassed by his
lack Of eloquence /; he had general idea
Of what he meant to express, and that
was enough for him; every now and again
he looked at the Speaker with a kindly
Measuring smile, as who should say
"Its all right. Only give me time and
I'll get through this thing somehow" l
knew he would get through II somehow,
ard also knew that there was pitial'
ahead Of him into which he was morally
bound 10 tumble. And sure enough, ne
did tumble into il. He tumbled into
IL so 10 speak, with q crash which pro-
vokcd some dcrisive laughter from the
opposi,e benches whereupon the ora
tor. who is always ready to do justice
To- Joke, even when he doesn't under
stand il, began TO laugh too, and then
those about him were infected by his
untimely merriment, and so by degrees
Tie entire asSemblage, without distinc-
ton Of party, became cOnyulsed.
II was at this moment that the House
of Commons suddenly disappeared from
nv sight and was replaced by another
chamber and quite different occupants.
IL is a long, low room, panelled with
old black oak its benches are filled,
not by legislators, but by school,
bows. Of whom | myself am one.
Another boy is standin. up, book
in hand, constituting Homer. Mr..
Speaker is represented by gen
tleman in cap and gown who is turning
line after line of the Had out of literal
into respectable English. This, at least,
is what he thinks he is doing; but in
reality he has got little too far ahead
and is taking the literal reading for
granted, in a certain impatient way that
he has so that the ostensible translator
has only to catch the words as they fall
and repeat them rapidly in order to be
spared all personal trouble and respon-
sibility.
".Thus he spoke, and hurled his
srear,' =" murmurS the master.
" Hurled his SPEAR" echoes the boy.
"'Nor did he miss him."
Nordidemissim."
Well" says the master, looking
up with a dawning suspicion, "what is
that"
What's what, sir?"
"What is nor did he miss him Y"
A pause; and then" First aOrist,
sir, responds dear, old Pole triumph
antly. " from nordidemizo." He always
used to be called "dear, stupid old
Pole" in those days. believe there
are people who call him so still. And
yet don't think he ever quite deserved
the epithet Of stupid. lie didn't take
the trouble to learn his lessons when he
was a boy; he doesn't take the trouble
to master the details of subject now
but lie is so perfectly goOd-humOred
and so imperturbable that he always
has his wits. such as they are, about
him, and it is difficult to make him look
foolish. In later years have known
him, under pressure Of emergency,
show an ingenuity equal to that which
he displayed in the invention of that
amazing verb, and with happier re-
suits.
| returned to actualities from my
brief excursion into the past just in
time to see the right honorable gentle
man, the Secretary Of State for the
Home Department, rise TO crush the
honorable member for Md-WesseX.
He could not order Pole to write out
the lesson three times in Greek and
English, but such punishment as he
could inhict he did. His sarcasm was
tremendous his illusions to the ex-
traordinary ignorance of the laws Of
the land which seemed to prevail
among those who were liable TO be
called upon to administer the same
were Of kind to make members of the
unpaid magistracy blush for their or
der and when in feeling accents he de-
precated the wanton waste Of public
time entailed by such speeches as that
to which the House had just listened,
am sure we all felt that the complaint
was for once not an ill-founded one.
And Pole sat with his hands in his
pockets and smiled and did not care
two straws. If Pole can go on not
caring like this. shouldn't be sur
prised 10 hear of his obtaining an un-
der-secretaryship one of these days. To
be sure, he will have to make haste
about it for, alas it is something
more than a quarter of a century since
the verb was discovered.
Pole and had been friends--more OF
less fiiends--all our lives. There had
been long periods during which we had
seen little or nothing Of each other,
and latterly We had met as a couple Of
middle-aged men do, who have each his
own affairs to think about and have
half forgotten that they were once boys
together. But on that particular night
l felt very kindly toward my old school.
fellow. He had unconsciously given
me back few moments out Of the good
days that ! shall never see again.
thought ! should like to have cha
with him, and | was glad when he join.
ed me later and, passing his arm through
mine, said we would walk homeward
together, as it was such q fine night.
IL appeared afterward that he had
something TO say to me, but didn't
L.