The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1896-02-09

Copyright 1886. by j. r., Crockett.
NO, father" said Billiam, with de-
cision; Il am not half good enough to
make a parson of. You must give the
living to Harry. lie will make a first
rater He is all the time mousing
about among books!"
Billiam and his father We're standing
together ia the rectory garden, which
looked over the beautiful vale Of St.
John Hellfellyn slept above them,
stretched out like a lion with his head
low between his paws. The lake glim-
mered beneath all, dreamy in the light
midsummer haze. Bees hummed In the
old garden, and the flowers on which
they made themselves drunken reeied
and shook with the press of the revel-
lers.
The old rector Of Applethwaite was
dead. This day Of midsummer had
been his funeral day. An old man full
to the brim of years and dignities, he
had lived all his life under the wing
Of his brother, the Squire, rooted safely
in the family living, dining every Sun
day and Thursday at the Hall, and
reading his 100 sermons in rotation
as settled and regular as that of the
crops. But now the old order was
changed, and, according to the Squire's
proyidential arrangement, the new or
der was to be-Billiam.
His real name was William, with
something very distinguished after it,.
Yet nobody thought Of calling him
anything hut Billiam-exc only the
Squire, when, as at present, Billiam
and be differed in opinion. Then he
said, "Nilliam Reginald Setoun Orm-
ithwaite, will you dare to disobey your
father?" And Billiam hung his head,
for he knew that a day was coming
when he would.
At school he had been called Biliiam,
for the reason that "a yorker is called
a Yorker" because it was obvious
that he could be called nothing else.
The boy whose Latin verses he did said
to him, "Now go on, old Biiliam, hurry
up! / want to 90 out to the playing
fields to smite that young toad, Scott
miner, for making faces at me and
making me laugh in chapel" So to
save time, Billiam gave him his own
copy of verses, and saw the plagiarist
pass to the head Of the form next day,
on the strength of Billiam's iambics.
Yet that boy never even thought Of
thanking the author and origin Of his
distinction. Why should he? 1t was
'only old Billiam"
BilIiam also failed in gaining the
love and respect of his masters, to the
extent which, upon his merits, was his
due. For one thing, he was for ever
bringing all manner Of broken-down
sparrows, manned rabbits, and three
legged dogs into the school-and, il
possible, even into the dormitory
Then smells of divers kinds arose, and
bred quarrelsome dissensions of very
positive kind The house master came
up one night TO find Billiam with an
open knife in his hand, driving fcrcely
into "a throng of boys armed with
cricket bats and wickets. Whereupon
he promptly dashed at the young des.
perado, and wrestled the knife out oil
his hands.
''Do you wish to murder somebody?
cried the house master, shaking him
Eyes" said Billiam, stoutly, IF Low
Their throws my white mice out Of the
window"
No further proceedings were taken
because, upon examination, Billiam
proved to be scored black and blue
with the wiclxets Of his adyersaries
He was, however, from this time forth
given q bedroom upon the ground
floor. with the little court in front
which looked upon the laundry And
here Billiam, still unrepentant, was
allowed to tend his menagerie in peace
provided always that it did not entirely
destroy tie sanitation Of the school
But when the governing committee
came 10 inspect the premises, the head
master carefully piloted them past the
entrance of the court wherein dwell
RiIiam, keeping well to windward o.
it.
Anybody else could have been
promptly expelled, but Billiam faith.
or was very important person in
deed, and the head master had known
him intimately at college. Besides, nc
| one could possibly have expelled Bill.
liam. The very ruffians who whacked
him with cricket bats would straight
way have risen in mutiny.
By-and-by Bi)liam's father tried him
AT Oxford, but, though Biliiam staid
his terms, he would have none Of IL
So when the rectory fell vacant, II
seemed all that could be done to make
arrangements by which Billiam would
succeed his uncle The Right Honor
| able Reginald Setoun 0rmithwaite
Billiam's "pater," saw no difficulty in
| the matter. He had been at Eaton and
| Christ church with the Bishop oi
Lakeland, and the matter lent itself
naturally to this arrangement. Every
l BODY even remotely eonnected with the