The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1886-11-13

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| staircase, l rushed out to look for them,
/ But it was in vain that | rushed hatIess
wildly hither and thither. l could find uoth-
ing, and suddenly rose from my knees, in
! which position had been cropping under a
/ bench, to find myself face to face with Pro-
! fessor Tolston, who, in company with the
illustrious Professor Delta Gamma, of
Yorke, and the no less illustrious Dr.
/ lambda, of Gall, had come out to breathe
| the morning air.
Good morning, my dear young friend.
| good morning." said DR.. Tolston, cordially
Studying botany, ! suppose! Professor
| Delta Gamma, Professor Lambda, allow
me to present to you the best Greek scholar
in Mindton University" And as both
gentlemen cordially shock hands with mo
he added; ''Our young friend is the author
of the translation"
ut is daring thing to attempt to trans
late Sappho " interrupted Professor Delta
Gamma, rather gloomily, l thought
MANY illustrious men have failed in
! such an attempt" struck in Professor
Lambda, like tragic chorus. Bnt he
added, more graciously: 81 am to read
your translation aloud, young gentleman,
and shall endeavor to do it Justice"
| bowed in silence, and to my infinite
relief the distinguished trio withdrew, Dr.
| Tolston looking back to tell me that there
was an examination at hal ipast eight. and
! that it was now nearly eight. But never
| theless | fastened home and wrote TO
| Laura as follows:
| NY PRECIOUS DARLINC:-T obey your com
mands. and return every thing belonging TO
you except your letters, WI CHI will send
later. do tn because ] can not render you
other than blind obed ence If you told
me TO cut my heart out, or to jump into the
crater of Vesuvius, should do it with equal
readiness. Bat do not condemn me unheard.
have done nothing unworthy of you, moth
ing to displease you, and now as ever wor-
[ sh you and you alone. Ever your devoted
gkf7S4 wretched CRY
left this note and package at my aunt's
gate as | rushed to my examination, and
when two hours later, emerged from the
ordeal flushed but triumphant, was met
by my father who with icy GOODNESS hand
ed it back to me-
Father" l exclaimed, eagerly, "what is
the matter!" But my honored parent
looked at me with an unrelenting eve and
rejoined:
''Do you mean to trife. sir?''
'No,' | rejoined. But what does it all
mean' Except for running up the bill
know that was wrong-but, except for that,
what have donel It"
I'VE will talk of this later sir" inter
rupted my father, sternly. For young
man to attempt to raise money on the let
tiers of his beGrothed wife,
The letters OF his hetroth9d wi'c' re-
peated. Father, tlpS3 20 Ems were written
two years ago, wIl9 Laura was in Eu-
ropen
For the frs time my father 10 ,'seIa1 m,
as il | were not bSolu tely devoid of every
good impulse, and for the first time he
delgaei to speak in a tone not of assertion,
but OF inquiry.
What does it all mean" he asked, CON
fuscdly.
That is just it, father Do find out what
it all means. | swear to you except for
the florists bill, have done nothing that
you would disapprove of. And | will sell
the gold watch Grandmother gave me and
the morse you gave me to pay that"
You shall have an opportunity to clear
yourself, ii you can do 50, when the Com
mencement exercises are over" returned
my father, more kindly.
AT this point we were obliged to separate,
to take my place with the graduating
class and he to go upon the platform with
other dignitaries. The great hall-Guy
Hall-was filed to Overlooking, but l saw
nothing but Laura, dressed in white and
sitting between her own mother and mine,
in perfect nest of bouquets. Her beauti-
full face was as cold and expressionless as
marble and desperate determination to
win her if died for it nerved me to a
fictitious GOODNESS which carried me tri-
umphantlY through the duties of the
morning.
Briefly, I carried off all the highest
honors, and though after the degrees had
been conferred many people left the hall,
a largo portion of the audience still re-
my place in my gown and cap; Professor
IolSton rose in his and explained how a
certain sum had been bequeathed years
before for the be5towal of medal upon
the student who, taking an extra Greek
course, should produce the best versified
translation Of one of the models of an
tiquity. Warming with the subject, he
went on to explain how the other students
had wearied aud dropped out of the race.
how his Young friend had toiled most
nobly and made splendid progress how he
had not examined the translation. because
there was literally nothing to compare it
with and how his highly esteeme ed friend
Professor lambda would now proceed to
read it.
| saw the light cleaning across Laura's
disdainful profile; | saw my dear mother
nervously burying her face in her bouquet;
| saw general movement, felt all eyes
bent upon mo. Then Professor lambda
pulled out his pocket-handkerchief, pol,
ished his Eyeglasses, settled them on his
nose untoided my manus2rlpt, cleared his
throat, and in a peculiarly musical voice,
and with so perfect an enunciation that
each syllable fell distinctly upon the ear,
read; MY Own Adored and Worshiped
One"
There was slight movement of surprise,
instantly suppressed. DR.. TOlstOu leaned
forward with an anxious look and | stood
firm in my place, though with a strangely
confused sensation in the head. The clear
tones proceeded with pitiloss distinctuess.
why are you so cruel to your slave, my
precious, lovely darling, my life, my soul
my heart of hearts, my own, own Laura -
Here the learned professor stopped con
fusedly, and litter, which had already
begu to make itself audible, deepened
into a roar of laughter, which rings in my
ears yet.
81 thiuk our young friend has made a
mistake" observed Professor Lambda,
glancing lower down the page.
THE wrong ma luScript," began DR.. Toll
ston.
go on! go onr' shouted a hundred
voices; and then came another roar of
laughter, and thunder of applause, while
| saw Laura rise and leave the hall ac
companied by my mother and aunt. Still
stood motionless and unable to speak or
move. l was, in truth, very i'll, though l
did not know it, and as i'll Il dream | heard
Dr. Tolston say "You inclosed lettor
instead OF your translation" while | still
stood and stared like an idiot, and -nother
surging wave of laughter seemed to carry
away the little sense had left. did hear,
though, that odious Professor Delta Gamma
observe with n chuckle: "Our young
friend has produced a specimen of Lauraic
meter" and l heard the subdued but
upctuous laughter of the dignitaries on
tho platform. Tlsn, in the midst of the
jeering and confusion, left that accused
hall. tore down the street, tiercely ex-
tracted Alexander Dugald from among his
hot Nod 20 a h|Na.A hi inn To