Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1886-04-30

she had any chance to 90 back again, and
was made ready for tennis party ut Mrs.
Fishers. And now it is that, strictly
speaking, this story begins.
George ClipSham came home to dress
for dinner. He stopped moment, and
took down the CyclOpedia to look at the
account of the Cattle of Bennington. For
he had been turning over speech he was
to make at the Grard Army gathering,
and he remembered that Plunketts moth
er was Il Stark. He wanted to make a
good allusion to Molly Stark and her wild
owhood. But rs he passed his desk, he
took this fatal calendar, which guilty
Gertrude had not had time to hang on its
peg. Clipsham hung it up without
thought, but did look, to see to his amaze
ment that the Grand Army dinner was
done and gone yesterday. The calendar
said he was to dine with the graduates of
the Western Reserve College to-day.
Lucky did not fire the Battle of Ben
nington on Them" said Clipsham to him
self. "But what will Plunkett say ?"
The truth was that Clipsham had this
dreadful cold which you all had And
just as you and declared that he would
90 to Florida another winter If our lives
were spared, Clipsham had determined.
Handkerchiefs HIS was bankrupt i'll
buying them. Hearing? He had been
stone deaf all the week. He did not cough
very badly, but the "cold" was just on
that juncture of the pharynX with the
larynX, where it is 50 uncomfortable to
have it, He had stayed at home the day
before and nursed it-glycerine and whls-
key, taken with very small. spoon was his
remedy-and he had persuaded himself
that he could go out to day.
To tell the whole truth his sister Prue
had had pea soup and salt goldfish for din
ner yesterday, and the children had been
very noisy. Clipsham had determined to
Tha % So lp had determined
to dine with the Grand Army to-day, and
now the calendar said the Grand Army
dinner was done land gone" NV ell, "
said Clpsham to himself, Il could not
have spoken aloud anyway. And should
not have heard word they said. Western
And he went on with his dressing, and
thought over some old Harvard stories
which would do to tell the Western Re
serve grf duateS.
AS he went out furred and even yelled,
and with those horrid Arctics on, which
made him limp with pain, Prue met him
at the door.
Dear George, you are not going out
with that dreadful cough. Why, | was
sure of you. have asked Mrs. Oliphant
and the BryceS to meet you, and have
such lovely pair OF canvas-backs."
Geo ge intimated that he did not hear
her. Prue shouted her bill of fare, physi-
cal and metaphysical, into his ear;
George was sorry. But he was all ready.
And to the hotel dinner he went, and left
those canvas backs behind. Prue's would
be warm, alas And at the Hotel Jeffer-
son-that was more doubtful.
The walters all knew George toa man,
and he was shown to the reception par
lors instantly. The reader understands
what George did not-why third of the
guests We're in uniform. OF course they
were. For it was the Grand Army of the
Republic. But George, who thought ii
was the western Reserve dinner, was
surprised that the college men wanted to
bring out their old blue frocks, and bright
buttons. But that WAS all right" he
laid, "if they chose to- Oddly enough his
guests, and Clipsham slipped into his
hand the note of apology he had written
Plunkett Slipped it into the little pocket
of his uniform coat, and found 1t there
two years afterwards when he dressed
for the same anniversary again. Cllp
sham mumbled an apology to Plunkett, &c
which, almost of course. Plunkett in shak
ing hands with half the soldiers of the
State, did not hear
Clipsham is a bright man, and one would
have said that he would have caught the
thread of the occasion earlier than he
did. But he did not hear one word IN five
that any one said As for the uniforms
I All lllt WORTH hHONS lldl HNc-SIAlHo vi lllt
college men in the West served in.the war
Besides, they had introduced Clipshan
to Prof Smidgruber who had Just arriv
ed as the agent from the government OF
Hesse Cassel to study Western education
Clpsham was interested in the savant ant
they talked very earnestly, the savan
speaking directly into Clipsham's ear.
So it was, that when Clipsham got
card at the dinner table from Plunkett
/ who nrpSl1inU which said " y III
next" he knew that now was his tim'
| to speak. without having known much o
what had been said before him.
And IA very good speech it was Not ont
word about the war, or the bird of free
dom, or the American soldier, or Mol.
| Stark, rs there would have been hat
/ Clipsham understood the truth, that h.
was speaking to n Grand Army Post. In
stead of this he spoke with serious feeling
on the work which educated men can rem
| der in any community. What he hat
been saying to the German, he now salt
aloud There is the secret of Il goo'
speech. He spoke to the men before hin
as if they were all scholars, all men o
conscience, and all leaders in the Villages
or towns where they lived. He told som
good stories, he made some good jokes
but his speech was not in the least CON
monplace, and 1t ended with very seriou
pledge as to the duty they would all d
for the country.
1t was received rapturously-yes, wild
ly. Indeed as the reader will understand
il was better received than it would hav
been by the graduates, whom Clipshal
, thought he was addressing. Every on
of these good fellows was pleased, thu
one of the most accomplished men in Tan
worth spoke TO him as an equal wit
equals. They had only too much of SO
der talk, and were glad to hear SOM