Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-04-02

~ breeze that seemed 10
NNN encourage all nature
>A1@ in drawing long
breath The tired little
country world in which Badger Mcpherson
was o pilgrim and a stranger, became more
lively and aggressive; sounds Of mirth and
1ollity came to him from green farms along the
broad white ribbon of wagon road on which,
afoot and alone. he was journeying. Once IN a
while strains of vocal music, their roughness
softened by distance. came from some one of
the little valleys or hill tops and made him
homesick.
The young man had a long narrow cylinder
under his arm, about the length of Winches-
ter rife. But il was not gun, for ii had no
lock, stock or barrel Neither was 1t a telescope,
although the young gentleman had a scholarly
look 1t was not roll OF manuscripts with
gigantic pages 1t was q parcel OF maps
Badger Mcpherson was a tine-looking, we'll
hmbed young theologue from Minceton. He
was still . Junior. but had studied enough to
compel hIE1 to brace up his health with great
deal OF athletics and resolution He was am
bilious and felt that he had undeveloped tai
ents. il not genius that would burst forth into
An arc of oratorial electric lights Immediately
after his ordination. His primary idea was, of
course, to succeed in winning souls from the
wrath to come, but he had no objection to the
possession OF more or less earthly affection.
In fact. in the pictures that he painted of his
future ministrations there we're good many
worldly successes interpreted He had de-
clded not 10 be an ascetic in any form and had
quite long list OF earthly pleasures on the
program tablets of his mind. not incompati-
bic. he thought, with his divine mission.
One OF these pleasures was that Of flirting;
innocent social amenities he called it. He
had best girl down in Wilmington, Del, and
loved her very dearly: but they could not be
together all the while; he did not know exactly
when they would be able to marry; and. being
moro than usually attractive WHY should he
mt h of 10 20 h. rhars
be thought
Badger Mcpherson was, greatly to his con-
slant chagrin, poor; he had nothing but his
life, and even that was mortgased- He was
making his way through college with borrowed
money, secured from a half philanthropic
money lender, with an insurance policy on
himself.
There were several other students in the col
lege besides Badger Mcpherson who had none
too much spending money; and some not so
needy. who wished q summer business lark
and a slight addition of money to their purses,
and so had been organized. at the beginning of
that summer. The Scholastic Canyassing Club"
This was small devastating army of students,
VINO went through the country armed with
maps Of The United States made. according to
the publisher and the general agent. with a
mlnuteDcss and completeness that topcgraph-
lcal science had never dreamed of before.
These commercial troops marched in parallel
lines through several counties of the state, cap
tnred what unsuspecting farmers theyaould
anu organized their prisoners of the subScrip-
ton list into ''elubs"-each student receiving
commission for every victim he made.
The young gentleman walking down this
particular road had not today done good ten
hours work. although expending so much elo-
quence and erudition that he felt on the verge
Of mental bankruptcy. People did not want
maps just then; the resident population seemed
quite content to stay mentally. well as physi-
cally, within their present environment with
out any reference to other states and territories
He had been asked two or three times why he
dion { work for a living. benevolent looking
old lady had offered him his dinner if he would
saw a cord of wood. Once he had been taken
for a tramp and ordered to move on there,
now. when he tried to enter the gateway to
rural paoobs mansion. He began to have
some more little babyish thrills of homesick-
ness, alternated with defiant flashes of feeling
IN regard to how these people would stand il
whoa they should hear of him as the most
popular pulpit orator of the land He had
procured their addresses, one from another as
be went along, and vowed to some time send
them ali tracts and sermons Cof his own com
position, of course.) until they trembled for
undesirable eternal future-produced partly
by indifference to unknown theological students
and partly by ignorance of the man of the
United States.
As the sun went inexorabiy out Of view he
began to wonder in what house he should stay
all night, or # he should have to sleep in some
unlnterestlng barn, with the permission OF the
IO-SSS, iHlCC anu Insects Within IT. of
the rough, lGIprOyIsed bed chambers of a straw
stack he had been told by several well-to-do
members of the Farmers Alliance that they
were not In the lodging house business that
year; that they didn't ind keeping boarders
profitable; that there was q neat Little tavern
q few miles further on, &c, &c. But his purse
was Light and his heels growing heavier and
heavier, and he determined at last to make a
most desperate effort to assist in getting back
some OF the money laid out on a house roof.
Hfz rr,al IL han. len
grove-sheltered hill Just ahead OF him and
determined to sleep in that abode if human in
genuity would obtain the desired permission
he had his sample case OF maps In a very OBJ
scure recess Of a covered bridge and went with
q refined holiness up to the hospitable- looking
door Of his chosen shelter for the night
A handsome. MISUNDERSTANDING old mastiff
lay on the broad piazza near the steps This
singular cur had none OF the standard accom-
pil-hments OF ordinary bucolic dogs. which are
10 howl wildly at unoffending people passing
the house and to worry every casual visitor
into temporary nervous prostration. This
dog knows That don't belong to his race"
unused Badger. HE recognizes gentleman
wien he sees one" The fine old animal did
not even rise; he twisted friendly. intelligent
eve up toward the young Typographical mis-
sionary As II TO say, Good evening, sir; will
waive the fornality of smelling of and nipping
at your heels. as IL is you. You'll find the peo-
pie OF the house just inside" gave q eiyi. wac
aud half 10 MS tIil and composed himself
again TO canine "reminiscences
Il WAS taking pedestrian tour, have been
bels:ed ard stopped here to see if you could
put me up for the night" THIS little historical
romance Badger recited 20 the courtly old gen
;.eman who came TO the door. and in "a manner
Stat Lord Chesterfield woIld, under the cir
cGnsianees, have found particular fault
with. Ii surprised Badger TO see how fluent
and magnetic he really was with no maps to
cucumber him
Certainly, you can stay, sir" replied the
ed gentleman, with glance at the good
looking young man, anu a confiding air that
cost the young man some feelings OF mild re-
morse, wisei ne thought Of the different recep-
ton he '.ignt meet, If the covered bridge
could run Ia and say word or two.
Certainly, SIR. Your name. please?''
The gay student presented one of his cards.
which he fortunately had with him. labeled
Mr. Badger Mcpherson. class =, Minceton
University and from that time an hon.
ored guest IN 4 very fetching domestic circle.
The family was large, but orderly and re-
hued; the essence of good rules. without their
substance. appeared to magnetic everything.
IL was great piece OF luck. this falling in With
trst-class family, and It's eongeniality rested
him more than he could tell even himself. he
wished there was a relay Of such families all
the way along the line he was - travel But
this seemed imposslDle; IL was the first evening
of the kind he had found in the whole trip.
Vh..c R-flx old 4,