Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1895-10-05

you have mercy T. Then he began
to tell her what a good boy he bad
always been, and how he had always
gone TO church, and how fond his
mother was of him, and that was the
pride and ambition of his family,
and similar rot, showing how CON-
p!etely scared he was. "Just think
what this means to me-" he conclud-
cd. "If I'm fred from college, I'll
never come back. I'll be disgraced
for life. All my prospects will be
blighted, my life ruined, and my
mothers heart broken
She gave little hysterical sob, as
if the strain was too great for her.
"Yes, for your poor mothers sake,
yes, goln she exclaimed.
"Oh, thank you with all my heart
Ny mother would, too, il she could
know. | don't deserve to be treated
SO we'll. shall always think of you
as my merciful benefaciress. l can
never forgive myself for causing you
pain. Oh, thank you."
What happy stroke of his to cali
for mercy in his mothers name.
This was an appeal that touched a
responsive chord in the heart OF this
pure woman before him that neither
apology or pleading could soften.
Perhaps the name called up to her
some vision of her own dear, sweet
faced angel mother, now no more.
What msttered the how and the why /?
He was free again-that was enough
tor him!
Buckley, the sophomore, who had
strobe into that room so manfully,
in the full pride of his sophomorish
strength and orange and black,
grovelled across the room and out
of the door, then tiptoed his way
down the hall stairs, silently pulled
back the latch of the door, and sneak.
ed off like dog with his tail between
his legs.
The outside air did him good and
by the time be reached his impatient
classmates he had thought up afairly
good lie about the freshman being
i'll, quite seriously ill, and about his
stopping to look after him a bit,
which they admitted was the only
thing to do under the circumstances,
though it was blamed hard lines, af-
ter all the trouble they had taken.
tBetter luck next time, Buck they
said, and went to bed.
BY the ten o'clock mail next
morning Buckley received letter in
astrange hand writing. Itsaid: "Just
as tall woman looks short in mans
makeup, so does a short man look
tall in womans makeup, and you
should know that blondes are hard
to recognize in brunette wigs. /
could have done more artistic acting
if you had come up earlier, when l
had on my full costume. You ought
to know that a real girl wouldn't
have behaved quite that way. You
see you still have number of things
to learn even though you are soph.
Sort oil hard luck, all this, isn't it,
old man? Hoping that the rouge
will wash off your lips and that you
will learn to forgive yourself, am
your merciful benefactress, II. G..
Valiant"
This is the freshest thing l ever
heard of.
There was q z. S. which said
"Whether or not this thing gets out
rests entirely with you and your haz-
ing friends"
Of course it did get out, as all
things do; but Valiant was not
bothered again by sophomores,
though he ought to have been hazed
up and down and inside out and cross
wise by the whole college.
You can see him if you attend the
next production of the dramatic as
sociation.-From princeton Stor-
les"