Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1891-05-21

1t would be as difficult to trace thu
friendship of BaSsett and Stevens to it!
origin as to follow the Saco to its secret
fountains in the Crawford Notch. They
had met by accident. Their soft hearts
fused easily; as it happened, they took &
room together where a thousand trivia
incidents of common daily experience
united them with the binding strength
of cable of threads. In the first turb
ulent weeks of the course-once turbu-
lent, that is, now tame-they shouted
scuffled and suffered side by side. Then
quieter times followed; silent hours OF
faithful study, as together they climbed
the sleepy hill of knowledge; a toilsome
progress surely, but what noble sportI
What air we get on the mountains, what
views, what a sense of victory!
Thus their friendship, founded in ma
ture and maintained by virtue, grew
deeper and frmer with time, until from
chatting on commonplace they had come
to speak frankly of third persons, and
finally, after many tests and lessons, had
been able to talk in earnest of themselves,
to entrust each other with their anxieties
and frailties, make their confessions and
each assume share of the others bur-
den, (which" as Bacon says, "tieth the
knot"
Meanwhile the quick years had been
slipping to the rear, and now the end
came to hand. For tomorrow, be it
known, is presentation day, and immedi-
ately following commencement, when
Stevens, as one of the leading scholars of
the graduating class, has place of honor
ON the programme; and he is hard at
work, therefore, this balmy afternoon
putting the finishing touches of elocu-
( tionary grace on his Grafton on 1.-THE
Dangers of Representative Institutions. 3"
Windward had left him early in the af-
! ternoon to meet Mrs Bassett and Florence
at the train For this is a proud season
/ for mothers and sisters, and both these
good ladies had long made their plans to
see their darling graduated. Uncle Tom
had intended to be present also, but he
was now feeling the touch of age and ut
the last moment decided not to leave his
arm chair on the porch.
"But it's no matter" he said to Flo
renee. "You will find the young gen
tlemen attentive and quite willing to
take charge of you, and hear that
young ladies of IS prefer three beaux of
q TO one of r."
"Pshaw!" replied Florence merrily,
''Td rather have you than all of 'em!'
Undoubtedly" said the old gentle
man gravely.S But us against some yet
unknown one of them 1 am not so sure.
Not so sure" he repeated, taking her
soft, fair, fluttering hand in his and
stroking it fondly. "Well, my darling,
enjoy your youth, bat remember that
pretty cheeks and blue eyes have often
made their owner very miserable, and
will you, unless you keep a kind, true
heart"
Uncle Tom did not often moralize,
and his sermons were always short, but
they had way of reaching the heart
that clergyInen might have studied to
gain.
But, not to inger under the spell of
Tom Bassett's tender. friendly, search
ing eyes. though all loved to, and owned
their charm and yielded to their power
thus it was that the two ladies, mother
and daughter, came alone.
Windward met them at the station
and escorted them to the hotel. And
then, of course, their first sightseeing,
after Just glance i'll the glass, was a
visit to that wonderful room and that
wonderful chum.
81 declare, here they are nowy" ex-
claimed Stevens, as his ears caught a
confusion of happy noises and the I'M
familiar rustic of skirts on the stairs, and
pop! the manuscript vent into drawer,
and slam went a closet door, that like
charity and our hats, covered a multi
tude of sins. All of sudden, and quite
too late for remedying, it occurred to
Peter that the room might be neater;
but he had scarcely time to blush before
in tumbled Windwsrd, all aGlow with
happiness, and close at his heels, tho
ladies.
"Well, here we are. Pete" he cried;
and then, remembering his manners, he
translated his greeting into the formal
phrases of society: Mr.. Stevens, my
mother and my sister Florence"
Then he, too, seemed all at once to
feel some cUnpunctions, and turning to
his mother, whose kind face wore an
amused look, he exclaimed: This is
our den. Not so. very pretty, that's
fact, but, like the homely girls, it's saw
full good and real attractive when you
get well acquainted"
THAT will never have to be said of
you," thought Peter, looking at Flor
ence: wishing he dared to say so, and
not conscious that he had said so very
plainly with his eyes, and that her
bright smile was his reward.
This, then, was sister Floy-that little
girl, that Miss, who had sent them
sweetmeats and toy lambrequins for
brackets, aid wrote the demure, precise
letters W1ndward had often read ex-
tracts FRONT He perceived that for some
years he had been laboring under mis-
apprehension, and he now-was a compe-
tent witness to the truth Of Windward's
once or twice repeated remark that
''Floy did not take good picture" No;
the photographers can now register to
the one-twenty-thousandth part of sec
ond, they may take the vibration of the