The Kootenai herald. [volume] (Kootenai, Idaho) 1891-1904, 1896-08-08
A SECOND CHANCE.

Crawford passed under the porch of st.
Boniface with hope and purpose in his
sturdy heart.
Though it was still the Easter vacation,
his friend Lyman was up" reading for
his final schools. There were, besides,
several old Radfieldians also up" in me
university for a similar purpose, and Jack
felt that If he could satisfy old 'Dicky'
Blades, the senior tutor of st. Boniface,
that he was a fit and proper person to
enter the college, his first visit to oxford
would be extremely pleasant.
He was directed by the porter to college
hall. where he found some 20 other men
waiting. In a minute or two the senior
tutor arrived and handed each paper;
and for the next three hours naught was
heard but the scampering Of busy pens
or the muffied sigh of him who was
haply "stumped"
Now, the candidates had two papers in
the morning and one in the afternoon,
leaving the books" Chat is. the two
Greek plays and the Latin aOuthor) and
the remaining paper for the following
morning. On going over the results with
Lyman in the evening. Crawford made
out that with the exception of a shaky
prose" he had done as well as he could
have hoped for. His fate. therefore. en-
tirely depended upon his proficiency in the
set subjects. Now, the system pursued at
St. Boniface is as follows The men are
examined in their books viva voce Two
Of the dons sit at the high tables during
the last paper and take the candidates
one after the other in alphabetical order
sometimes after the next, please" man
ser which obtains in a barber shop. The
two examiners in question were "Dicky"
Blades himself and one Knyvett. the
junior fellow of st. Bonface.
This young don had only been elected
the previous term, but owing to the unex-
pected absence of the junior tutor he was
intrusted with the task. Crawford came
third on the list. He devouty hoped that
he would be taken by Blades, a CHEEKY
kindly old boy, who, by reason of having
in the misty past rowed once in the ST.
Boniface Torpid" kept a tender place in
his heart for the not too clever athlete
knyvett, on the other hand, was the typi-
cal smart young "sprig"-the man who,
in a system of open competition is pretty
sure to win his fellowship and express re-
greet thereat ever after. With grim fore
bodings Crawford watched his thin lips
as toying with his eyeglass he listened
10 the luckless boy before him laundering
through difficult passage. His forebod-
ings were realized. Knyvett had rush
ed his man long before his more easy
going colleague had got to the second au-
thor Crawford heard his name called in
sharp academic accents, and approached
the table with trembling at the knees
and vacuum below the third button OF
his waistcoat, which he had not expert
enced since his first match against the
n. c. c. He sat down and took the prof
fered volume, plain text OF a Greek
play.
Now. Jack crawfords acquaintances
with the classics did not resemble Mr..
Weller's knowledge OF London; 1t was
neither varied nor peculiar. He had got
up most OF the difficult passages in two
plays; but, alas! he soon discovered that
the mechanical system OF gong over
AnLc rrffb o-f. l.
as an actual acquaintance with the Ian
guage. The particular passage at which
ne was put was extremely difficult, and
crawford was person who needed time
Tor reflection. He commenced, made
mistake, was sarcastically interrupted by
his examiner. got hot and fiurried. lost
his head, made "pi' OF the illustrious
dramatist he was tackling. Why dwell
on the painful scene? The thin-lipped
don, who had never handled an oar or a
cricket bat, who spent his undergraduate
days in snug, self-complacent solitude
had about as much sympathy with an
athlete as would an oyster He enjoyed
the futile struggles of the painting giant
before him. and kept up a playful stream
OF sarcastic comment. Certain passages
in Virgil Crawford succeeded in trans
lating-in sense. but when he returned
TO his seat he felt his certain destiny was
plough"
NfSANNe was the CONSTELLATION among the
old Radheldians when, later on Crawford
told the story of his disaster in Lyman's
rooms.
1T is a deuced bad business Jack"
said his host, dejectedly. From what
you say and from what l know of that
dirty little Sammy Knyvett, you're a safe
plough. There's just ghost of a
chance. told old Dicky Blades all about
you, and that you were the best public
school bat of the year, and it meant hsv-
ing another Boniface man in the varsity
eleven, and l know, If he could. he'd let
you through, especially If by doing so he
would annoy Knyvett. You see dear old
Dicky likes his glass of port and a story.
and good fellowship with a small "f) in
the common room, and IL rifles him to see
the little prig slipping his toast and water
and sneering at everybody who lacks
what he calls 'cultchaw' All the same
1 don't see how we can go behind Kny-
vetts decision. Luckily. l have to go to
him at with a Greats essay so I'll
mention to him casually that you didn't
do yourself justice. They won't put up
the list OF the successful men until mid
day tomorrow. and perhaps he may see
Knyvett about you"
This seemed but a slender thread of
hope to cling to, and Jack Crawford,
though grateful, was none the less plung-
ed into despair.
Hang it all, Jack" cried Lyman. in
despair, don't look so mopy. Come, let's
have jolly evening, anyway. There's
no hall tonight, as there are not enough
men up. So all you fellows come and
have cold supper with him at and keep
old Jacks courage up"
Fortunately for Lyman's project, the
senior tutor did casually inquire how his
school fellow had Jared. and the astute
scholar at once replied that Crawford was
a slow-brained man, who would probably
have done much better had he been eX-
amin Oh on manor and that Mr.