Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1895-10-17
A TRUE EN.DEAVoR.
nv y. n. "A. eooDALE.


II sha'n't try any longer; it's no
use" said Franlx, passionately.
!. Albert only screwed up his mouth in
his characteristic fashion, as if he were
having struggle with himself not to
speak too quickly; perhaps it was so.
But after little space of silence on
the part of both boys, he looked keen
ly at Frank with those beautiful
'brownscyes of his and said said, quiet
ly: IT never can find any chance to
stop trying"
Frank laughed, forced laugh that
sounded as if itwouldi be rather easier
to cry.
well, can; I've got good chance
now" fs,-...
Albert shook his head, close-cropped
and brown. "'Twon't work, Frank.
Come along and have game Of ball;
you'll feel better Tomorrow"
The. two boys went out together.
They had been lingering in the school
library; but Frank Alcott was too
much out of sorts for wholesome sport,
and he started home in mood half
morose, half reckless.
He was a moody boy, that cannot be
denied. With less self will and more
application he would easily have led
his class; for he was a boy of fine nat
ural abilities, the first TO understand
and the last to forget any new prin-
ciple or important fact brought up in
study His mother was widow, only
too anxious for his real good; perhaps
that anxiety did him harm by making
too much of both his faults and his
virtues. She was too openly distressed
when anything went wrong, and on
these occasions Frank was very apt to
go from bad to worse.
Albert Hardy was the oldest of eight
children, and, naturally, when he was
not in charge of one or several of his
brothers or sisters, he. was left some
what to himself. He had, besides, an
even, thoughtful disposition, slow to
take or give offense. Frank Alcott
was high spiritedfand sometimes over
bearing, and made few friends among
boys. While everybody liked Albert,
therefore, Frank was both feared and
disliked, but between themselves there
was the best possible understanding.
Albert trudged home with his books
over his shoulder, not caring for the
ball game, since Frank wouldn't play.
poor fellowr' he saidto himself, II
must contrives some way to help him
out of these scrapes"
You see that the 'scrape" was no UNI
usual occurrence.
Miss Atwater was the history teach
er. She was tall, dignified person, in
gold glasses, with light hair neatly
crimped and parted above a--rather
high, straight forehead Exact and
precise in all her ways, she liked exact
statements and exact knowledge. Now
Frank Alcott had true love of the
study of history; he had an unusual
knowledge of the subject, too, for a
boy of his age, as he had read a con-
siderable number Of imp6rtant his
toriealsworks in-the fine library left
HIM byS hfs fatlser& But with vivid
imagination and unusual power of gem
eralizing, he cared more for the large
effects than for detail. He grasped
firmly the real connections in the story
of the nations and loved to dwell upon
the growth and development of
govern ments and institutions; but
he was Indifferent to the dates
of battles, or of the birth and death
Of any promine MT man. Miss Atwater
did not see that this interest made him
her most promising scholar; she
found him lacking, too often, in the
precise information which she re-
quired, and she did not hesitate to re-
prove him severely for Incidence and
carelessness. Nor was this all He
had habit of asking questions and
bringing up subjects for discussion in
class entirely outside the set lesson,
though connected with it or naturally
suggested by it Miss Atwater detest-
ed these unexpected questions, which
she was not always prepared to an
swer, and condemned all discussion Of
principles as ''troublesome interrupt
ton. 1t happened, therefore, that al
though history was his favorite study.
and he was conscious Of, deeper and
more thorough preparation than most
members Of the class, Frank was doing
himself no credit in it, but, on the
contrarysiwasl repeatedly marked as
having failed, and amari1cd,,as it APP
peared to him, most 1hnjustlya ~
There was irritation "a bothlsides
AS !, have said, his temper was by no
MEANS perfects and dhisyvexation over
some Of the rulings Of his teacher was
quite too manifest. Perhaps nothing
makes it harder to do right than feel
ing that you have done wrong and
that the person whom you offended is
making the very most of the offense
On the day in question Miss Atwater
had repeated to the principal On inn
pudent remark of Frank which had