Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1891-11-27

When a man in impecunious circum-
stances acts in manner somewhat
unusual, he is straightway dubbed
crank; if, on the other hand,
a man of means is guilty of the
sclfsame actions, he is termed mere
ly eccentric. Maj McCalligan's bank
account was large enough to allow him
to be called by the longer and more
euphonious appellation, and persistent
enough in his oddity to keep the sib-
liant word continually upon the tongues
of the people unluckily obliged, by
stress OF circumstances, to dwell inside
the corporation of the populous college
town. The major had settled there
long before any great barracks of
school building had been erected, be-
fore the noise and confusion consequent
upon the arrival of hundreds Of manner
less youths within the town-youths
who laughed law aIsl order to scorn,
and had since filed the majors nights
with u hideous unrest. That he, the
hero of hundred battles, should be
routed by such an enemy to his peace,
that he should pull up stakes and fly be-
fore so pulling, so inane n foe was as far
from his thoughts as that the majors
ire was that adversary's chief JOY. In
every way possible, innocently or
maliciously, these tormentors sought to
arouse the majors wrath, de.isting
only when they had won for themselves
the dear delight of seeing his quick
Irish blood fly TO his scowling brow,
and hearing his quick Irish tongue
berating them with the choice invective
he had, with seeming forethought, gath
cred for such occasions as these in his
native land.
In the college town, therefore, the
major had remained, pestered and en-
joyed by youths who grew to manhood,
graduated, and, as the years flew by,
began sending on second editions OF
themselves to their beloved Alma Mater.
During this passage of time the
majors sister-the sole idol of his heart
had married and after several years of
married bliss, had found herself
widow, with two little children to care
for. Although she realized their great
need of her, and fought bravely to live
for their sakes, her efforts were of no
avail, and each day saw her more and
more the shadow of her former self In
vain her brother tried to comfort her
the fond heart was broken, and before
the winter frost had melted above the
grave wherein lay all her hopes, there
was another mound To be covered by
the soft white mantle of the snow, and
the major, filed with that mournful
tenderness felt only by lamenting Irish
hearts, led the two little ones back to
his own fireside, accepting them as u
sacred legacy. He gave them his name
and his undivided care and attention,
and ioyed in the sense of his ownership
of two charming children, who were
now as much his own as though he had
suffered sleepless nights during their
infancy, and been fretted by wife Of
his choicc-for the major was not
marrying man, and the thought of an
outsider woman at that-coming into
his irresponsible bachelor existence,
and laying down any sort of law, or
challSing any sort of mark for him to
toe, was n maddening one.
But even sacred legacics can be, at
times, trying. Not that the major had
had the fact borne in upon him, as it
were, until the children were well
grown, Teddy had started to college
and joined the rabble, and Kittie had
shown n decided and unblushing pref
erence for a certain sophomore whom
he had caught on his way back from
stolen visit to Teddy's room sliding down
one OF the pillars that supported his (the
majors porch, aud whom he had there
after forbidden tug premises;