The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1896-04-24
CHAPTER TX.
Plot AGAINST THE UNIVERSITY.

CHAPTER TX.
A PLOT AGAINST THE UNIVERSITY.
Lawrence Bangs had been reading
from the works of Quintus Horatius
Flaccus, gentleman for whom he en-
tertained, in his customary state of
mind, the most cordial sentiments On
this occasion, however, he laid down
the monument more lasting than brass,
and scowled at it in dark and menac-
ing fashion.
It was eleven o'clock, and that was
very early hour for Lawrence to cease,
studying; but he had less appetite for
study on this night than any other that
he could remember. The truth is that
he had reached crisis which usually
comes much later in the college
life of a thoughtful man, that period,
to put it plainly, when he first
realizes that he does not know as
much as COW. The information of a
COW, regarding that sphere of life to
haustive, and eminently satisfactory to
herself. She has learned to chew the
cud, an operation which yields greater
contentment with less visible result,
than anything else in the world. To
the college professor is often granted
an almost identical blessing, but it is
different with the student He will
certainly feel. now and then, desire
to do more than chew the cud; he will
wish to swallow it. In other words,
he will desire to make an end of some
thing, not merely by laying it aside,
but by getting the whole of 1t. And
he can't do it, in his line of life. Not
one educated man in thousand
really knows very much about the
alphabet. He cannot give its full his
tory, nor suggest a truly valuable I'M
provement upon it, nor even say it
backwards without making mistake.
When the student finds that this is
true of everything which he had pre-
viously thought that he knew, he may
very naturally feel desire to turn to
some other pursuit in which the
triumphs are speedy and final. He
will find such pursuit right under
his nose. He will see that the man
who makes home run with the bases
full, exhausts the possibilities of the
situation, SO that anything which he
or anybody else may do afterwards,
will be, at best, no more than repeti
ton. And though the finest player in
the world may scarcely hope for SO
much glory as that, there are lesser
achievements which have the same
agreeable quality of completeness, and
are nearly sure to come.
Lawrence's thoughts took such q
course as this while he sat scowling at
his book, and when he had reached the
point to which the reader has been
brought, he lifted his gloomy eyes from
good old Horace and fixed them upon
Paddy O'Toole. The hour which was
early for Lawrence wasslate for Paddy,
who was ordinarily asleep by ten. The
sight of him at that moment would
naturally have led one to believe that
the youth had been kept from his
bed by multitude of the most agree
able thoughts He sat in big arm
chair with his head thrown back, and
smiled at the ceiling.
"What are you thinking about, Pat
riclx?" asked Lawrence.
Nothing" answered Paddy, with
the utmost cheerfulness.
"But, great heavens, man. Your
| mind couldn't have been an absolute
blank"
Don't you fool yourself about my
mind" rejoined Paddy. sit seems to
worry you a big lot, but it never
bothers me any,"
"You were thinking of something
| agreeable" said Lawrence, positively.
''Your face showed it."
| Paddy rubbed his head doubtfully.
| ''Well," he admitted at last, 81 was
feeling pretty good"
| 81 perceive the distinction" said
Lawrence. 1.-The point is well taken. 1
would like to feel better and think less
myself. would like to change places
with you, Patrick"
"Do you mean that you'd like to play
ball?"
"Well, if it comes to that, would;
though that was only a small part of
my thought on the matter"
Paddy slowly and gently pitched an
imaginary outcurve.
'You can't" he said. "It isn't in
you"
"You might teach me-"
mot in thousand years." said Pad
dy, promptly.
"I don't believe it. It is incredible
that you should know anything that
I can't learn"
Paddy did not respond. The idea
failed to appeal to him. Lawrence
tried another line of approach.
SIS there anything in my life," he
asked, '"that would make you wish to
change with me?"
Eyes, there is," responded Paddy.
."You go to places that I'd like to go
to. You. see all those girls any
time that you want to. Say, they're q
great crewl They got hold OF me out
on the field, and 1 never struck any
thing like it in my life. Say, they just
talked the ears off of me, and they can
do it again any time they're ready. 1t
was great"
"You enjoyed their conyeHation9"
"You betl 1t was up to the limit.
But I didn't get shoY. I Iconldnt