Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-03-16
NOW FIRST PUBLIsHED.l
By ]. MARsDEN SUTcLIFFE,
ENTITLED
NANCE OF AN INSURANCE OFFICE,
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
his life for his country and his Queen at the
call of dutyS"
Exactly so," said Wharton. 81 am of
Horatius' mind:

| call of duty?"
Exactly So" said Wharton. 81 am of
Horatius' mind:
And how can man die better
Than facing fearful odds,
For the ashes of his fathers,
And the temples of his Gods?"
"Horatius was an old Pagan, I" westlake
replied, sententiously; and then murmured
to himself, strange that mankind should
find delight in butchery."
Chow horribly you talk" cried Whar-
ton, warmly. "Butchery indeedp' And
then he began to troll forth in rebuke the
old song, "Ye Gentlemen of England"
''Do shut up that caterwaulling," West
lake said irritably. s'See the rocks are off
JOIN the concert for very envy
Come, no more of this, Lowndes said
in an authoritative tone. "Our..friendship
will be handed down to future Harrovians
as a kind of sacred tradition. 1 won't have
ii spoiled by jarring note the last night
we shall spend together till heaven knows
when"
"HeighoW cried Westlake, ''that brings
us back to the point whence we started
When shall we three meet again?' Now,
Pierce, none of your stale quotations." he
added, with good-natured, but menacing
look, as Wharton, who had risen from the
tombstone on which they were sitting,
struck an attitude which threatened a con-
tinuation of the witches dialogue in
Macbeth"
"All right, old fellow, you shall have a
monopoly of quotation for tonight, then. :"
"And 1 will take you at your word, 4"
Westlake replied. And forthwith he be-
gan in rich, musical voice, trembling with
scarcely suppressed emotion, to repeat the
lines written by Lord Byron on the spot
where they were gathered, beginning with
Ye scenes of my childhood, whose loved recol-
lection.
Where science first dawn'd on the powers of
reflection,
And friendships were form'd too romantic to
last.
The eyes of all three were moist when
Westlake concluded his recitation, which
he delivered with exquisite feeling and eff
feet The past, as in moment, was light
ed up in the memories of each: the future
so unknown, oppressed them with its min
gled hopes and fears. Only consider their
situation. The long happy years which
they had passed together, the warmth of
their friendship, the close of school life and
the near approach of the hour for their sep
aration, the uncertainty of their meeting
again, the unknown possibilities of good or
evil lying within the reach of them, the
pathetic lines they had just listened to, re-
peated with passion Of fondness and re-
gret which vibrated in every tone of a finely
modulated voice, the softly dying light of
summer evening, the sleeping dead be-
meath their feet; and, having considered all
this, do not charge these lads with being
sentimental; un-English, or unmanly ii,
before they turned away from the place
consecrated by so many touching memories,
they took oath and swore that though seas
should hereafter roll between them, and
many years slip by ere they met again,
come good fortune or ill-luck, they would
be true to the memories of the past and
loyal in friendship to the very end of life.
The moon rose fair in the heavens and
filled the plains below with her soft, SHIN
mering light, before they quilted the vener-
able churchyard; and, ere they went, they
bound themselves by solemn VOW, sealing
their compact by strong hand-clasps, that
they would note the hour when each sue
ceeding moon would reach her full, take
out their watches and wait for it, and then
they would think of each other, and of
this last night of their school-life spent
together in the churchyard of Harrow on
the Hill.
Was theirs an instance where
Friendships were formed too romantic to
last?