Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1894-02-22
A COLLEGE STORY.

II AOIIlIlLNiI ~ LOIe L,
One evening not many years ago George
| Wilson made his way through one of the
side streets of New Haven His full name
as it appeared in the catalogue of the uni
vcrsity, was George Ellis Wilson of smith
vile, Pa He had just eaten supper at the
"GommOns,' and leaving the other fellows
had hurried down the walk between "thc
old brick row and the new dormitorics.
across the busy streets and down this lit
tie lane till he. game TO dimly lighted
secondhand boo& store. Here he stopped
and looked in the windows They were
! filled with old books. vit4B rprisingly low
prices pinned ON them, and steel cugrav-
ings of Washington and Jefferson that
doubtless had been the pride of some patri-
otto home, but now looked hyspecked and
bedraggled enough After pausing at the
threshold long enough TO shake the snow
! from his coat he entered. out from be
hind the stacks of books that filled the rear
: of the store came little man with long
beard, round shoulders and a very old and
dusty coat that came down below his
| knees.
GLOW do you do. sir? 4 stormy even
| ing" he said to Wilson as he climbed
upon chair to turn the gas a little higher.
''Nely,' replied Wilson. and without
more ado began to examine the books
around him. They were stacked up in
the greatest confusion. Bookcases were
full, drawers were ftl, and greaC piles
in the corners reached almost to the
ceiling. The air of tha room had the
misty odor peculiar 10 old books, and
the little old man who kept the store
seemed to have absorbed some Of the mus
ty learning of the shop, such scholarly
stoop did he have and so dusty were his
clothes. An effort had been made to sort
some of he books. and over several shelves
was hung the label "Rel. ious, and over
some Others "Greek and Latin while in
the extreme corner We're "lransatiuns.n
Wilson eyed these last suspiciously, for
he had 'bOned' his way through prepar-
atory school, and he had made up his
mind not to 'horsc' through college.
Turning to the Latin looks. he looked
them through till he came to copy of
Horace, somewhat the worse for wear. but
still Serviccakle. The little old man mean
while was trying to bring some order out
OF II confused heap of magazines piled upon
the floor. Wilson glanced over the pages of
the Horace, and deciding that it would an
sWer his purpose paid the old man b cents,
put the book i'll his pocket and went ont
INTO the street. Going back TO his room
III "North Middle" he took OFT his coat
and threw it on chair, with the Horace
still i'll the pocket. The next morning he
got up late, and in his hurry TO get to
breakfast put on the coat just as he had
left it the night before. At chapel. how
ever. during the long prayer. while the
president was implorug blessing, for the
nj IL.
Wilson would have little Thought him
self included, he pulled ont the Horace
and looked at the fly leaf, There were
two of the initials Of the former owner.
W. b., and his class, -. The last name
had been carefully scratched out. Tn in
tho corner here was II note, evidently writ
ten during some recitation 80 Years before.
"Can yoU tutor me an hour in trig. tomor-
row." BY the time that Wilson had, OBJ
served tins much the prayer was ended
and the president was walking down the
middle aisle, while the seniors, in accord
ance with II custom handed down from
long ago, We're making prodigous bows as
he passed and falling in unceremoniously
behind him.
Pocketing the book, Wilson returned to
his room, and after a few preliminaries
began to get ready to study He put on
his slippers and study coat pulled out a
Latin dictionary and opened it, and then
went to the chair on which his overcoat
lay and got his Horace. Then he put his
feet on the table and was ready for work.
The lesson assigned was he first two odes.
No one can study book, however. until
he has thumbed it over and over and made
himself familiar with it, The first thing
Wilson did, therefore. was TO glance over
IN Of Ia Loo, Il
OF fellow its former owner was. On the
fifth page he saw something that attract
ed his attention Written in a mans hand
in rather small characters, as though the
writer would not have it too public. and
on the inner page of the leaf WAS the name
Mary. Smiling to himself Wilson turn
Ell on. Nothing else noteworthy appeared
TIL he came to what was evidently n very
difficult passage on the iifty-tirst page. for
the leaf was badly worn and soiled, and
written in the same hand rs before were
the names "Mollic' and "Mame." Get
ting more familiar evidently" solilo-
tulzed Wilson rs he turned on. lie found
no more writing, however, except an oc-
casional repetition of these names and now
and then the meaning OF . word written
in between the lines.
Wilson turned to the first ode and work
ed steadily over the dictionary for two
hours. Then he kicked his slippers across
the room, threw the study coat on the bed
and pulling ON his shoes and coat started
for the recitation room. The professor was
William b. henderson, bnt the boys al
ways called him Billie behind his back
ana occasionally some one made IA slip and
called him Billie ia his face He was very
serious, seldom known to smile and "A reg
ular grinder Stories were abundant
about some love affair that he had while |
II student al Yale. and of grl whom he /
had been engaged to who left him for "A
weather man and Il trip 10 Europe But I
stories about college professors are com |
mon, and no one pays much attention to |
them. No one supposed that Billie Hen
derson could ever have Thought much of /
anything except Latin
The ueu were seated in the recitation |
room ically, and Wilson bad "A
back seat. More than once he found cause
TO be thankful that his name began with |