Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1897-10-04


his magnificent stature, in his agility
and his athletics. He mounted him
on the finest horse to be had in that
part of the country-and wore shah
by uniform himself all winter. He
read with him for two hours daily, and
was well pleased when the boy remem-
bered just enough to give his CONVEX
sation peculiarly brilliant turn. He
argued great things from this when
Alexander should go to school. But
when he went to school, Osborne saw
the truth.
"Alex, the account of you is very
bad. You've barely scratched through
on two things, and you've failed on
mathematics altogether. I've told you
that mathematics is the test at the
Point" Osborne admonished.
ooh! come, say; let up, Herbert.
I'm trying to learn this piece" He
picked on with beautiful absorption at
the guitar the lieutenant had given
him.
"Put up that thing and listen to
me-"
Alexander obeyed, as all men did
when Osborne willed.
81 am going to get you into West
Point at twenty When I say l am
going to do it, you know it is going to
be done. Don't you? None of it depends
on you except the study. l can't make
You drink, but I'll take you to water
and keep you there until you find it
will be easier to drink. You can go
back to the ranch if you like, but I'm
not afraid you'll like. [ don't want to
treat you as small boy unless you act
the part OF one. You can learn, and you
must learn, or the theatres will stop,
and the hops will stop, and the guitar
will stop-also the tennis. You have
been cutting time, but hence
forth you will study four hours day
and will sit with you to help you and
see that it is done"
SO fou" hours out of every twenty
four Osborne put to the use of teach
ing one who did not wish to learn.
Density can be bored through with
patience. 1t is the india-rubber of
indifferent cleverness that resists.
After some of the struggles Osborne
would lie awake for the rest of the
night from sheer nervousness. The
boy slept with unruflled brain. The
lieutenant almost came to forget the
girl. But never quite. A letter
would come when Alexander was most
inert, and Osborne would stare straight
in front of him and grit his teeth, and
fln,. +l,nE 81
both sides of his nature thwarted and
cut back.
But he had his reward. Alexander
went into the Academy Mt twenty. He
was the hanlsomest and most popular
cadet in his class-and he failed in the
first year.
Just how such things are done no
one is ever quite sure; but in Os-
borne's case it must have been sheer
force OF determination. Alexander
was reappointed, and he himself was
made instructor at the Point
8 He stood over the cadet with the
singing lash of his ambition; and
Alexander was graduated fifteen. Os-
borne unwisely took some credit to
himself
Nonsense" said Alexander, "Td
have done it alone. The first miss
was only bad luck; don't think it's
your circus"
'It doesn't make any great differ
ence whose circus it is, so that you
come out all right. I'm only glad
you're getting some ambition"
ambition be hanged! It's the one
word i'll your lexicon I'm sick of the
sound Of it. 1t is the sin by which
the angels fell. Look out you don't
fall, angel brother"
'Im not likely to fall, but shouldn't
mind it, if it put you on a mountain
height"
"No heights for me. L can't breathe
rare air, answered the younger.
Now, in the course of army events
it came to pass that strange fate
made Alexander Osborne second lieu
tenant in the troop of which his broth
er was first lieutenant. And the first
lieutenant continued his ambitious
goading. Alexander was independent
at present, and resisted to some pur-
pose He would not spend his nights
in study and his days in wire-pulling.
The War Department did not reward
that sort of thing, he said; it was ac-
tion it approved. Wait until his time
of action came-then he would satisfy
his brother.
And the time for action did come.
But the action was disappointing.
They marched 200 miles, and then
marched back again. Alexander com
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