Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1894-07-12


were to go up for examination. while
se we're in the country, / climbed
up to the top of d barn they were
building, and somehow tumbled
down in my usual unlucky way.
They thought was dead; but had
only broken two ribs, one leg, and
cut a nasty cash on the top Of my
head. / was dreadful mad when l
woke and found how / was patched
up. for l knew how disappointed
they would all be in me. had
made so many promises about keep
ing out of mischief and trying to
act grown up.
Mike wsS just an angslsto
me that whole winter, and Will did
sllendidly at college. Perhaps my
being confined to the house was the
reason he walked straight. 1t was
then he commenced cumming with
Ned Greenfield. Ned was q good
sort of fellow, but he was spoony on
Aunt Mike at first. Actually asked
her to marry him when he left col
lege, before me. She wouldn't
leave me, and l couldn't leave her,
so when Ned couldn't hold in any
longer he spoke out before me, as l
said. / had turned my head away
to look at the children outside, and
he commenced; told her he loved
her madly. that his life was worth
less to him without her at his side,
and all that bosh. l thought l
should die laughing; l stuffed my
handkerchief into my mouth, and
the corner of the afghan, and still
/ shook SO l wonder they didn't
notice. / didn't dare to look at
them.
When Ned stopped to catch his
breath and start afresh, Aunt Mike
spoke; she told him she was glad he
had given her his love, for he homo
ed her and ennobled himself. But
it was not the affection he would
one day give his wife, who would be
much nearer to him in years at least.
Then she told him she was nearly
forty years old, old enough to be
his mother almost. That seemed to
stagger him for moment, and then
he started again about his love. /
couldn't help roaring then. He
crossed the room to my lounge, and
said, You beastly sneak, if You
could stand up I'd thrash you with
in an inch Of your life!' and then
marched out of the room looking
like a thunder cloud. A long time
afterward he apologized to me, and
told me that Aunt Mike wrote him
beautiful letter that effectually
ended his making love to her. The
other day he said he thought Bessie
was growing to be like her Aunt
Mike. / grinned, and so did he,
and said that was why he liked Bes-
sic so well.
1t was to be expected Ned would
be a little shy about coming to our
house again. but the stiffness wore
away, and we were as jolly as ever.
The follows in his class were n pref
ty gay crowd, and most of them had
plenty of money to spend. As VIII
was so much with Ned, he associat-
ed with his classmates to a consid-
cradle extent. He spent all his al
lowance and borrowed of Ned and
of me: Aunt Mike found it out,
and gave him some money and "a
good talking to. For little while
he was pretty careful, and then he
got into debt. SO Aunt Mike made
him go right to father. Father, of
course, could pay his debts easily;
but Willis allowance was an ample
one, and ne must learn to manage
his own finances better. He got
into other scrapes too, and came
very near rustication. He was up
before the faculty, and admonished
that unless his department and re-
citations were greatly changed he
would be suspended for the next
offence. Father had just paid his
debts and started him again for the
third time. He promised faithfully
to study and try to behave, but he
was in with this wild crowd and
there wasn't much hope of his doing
well till he left them.
The Glee Club gave a concert in
the town hall, the last of the season,
and we all went to it, and then
afterward there was a reception at
the presidents house to introduce
new professor of bellies lettres.
We didn't go to that, for l don't
care for such, and Aunt Nix had a
cold. Next morning the whole