Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1898-02-03

year it happened.
Briarwood was not exactly in our
crowd, you know. but we all came
from the same fitting school, and so at
first we saw good deal of him. l
remember went over to his room
that first evening after he was settled
and found him sitting in his big arm
chair before the open fire. He
jumped up quickly when I came in
and laid something slyly onthe man
telpiece. 1t looked like photograph,
and I began to blow him about being
homesick so soon and asked If he was
looking at mothers picture.
He flushed up quickly and said it
was nothing to be ashamed of if it had
been his mothers picture, but that as
it happened it was no such thing.
Then he changed the subject and asked
how liked the room.
"Have you noticed my desk?" he
asked, pretty proudly. 81 bought it
of Thorne, the fellow who had this
room last. He was first marshal last
class day and first-rate fellow, too, l
Judge. Great, isn't it, Stockholm"
roll-top, with brass knobs and all that.
He unlocked and rolled up the top for
my benefit.
"Thorne gave me the key himself,
with his alumnus blessing, today" he
said. ''and when I asked if finding
was having he laughed and said l was
welcome to whatever [ found In the
old ark, for he was pretty sure there
was nothing but undergraduate dust
in the cracks.
''But you did find something after
all?" asked quickly, for though he
is a good lawyer now. he never could
keep a secret in those days.
"Oh, well, not much, he said, care
lessly; but 1 saw him glance toward
the mantel. / guessed in a minute
what it was, and before he could stop
me sprang for the photograph at
which he had been looking when l en-
tered. He jumped up angrily. "Give
me that photography
"Oh, no! SO it's girl, is it? And
mighty pretty one, too"
The girl was evidently tall and dark,
with a splendid figure, a strong face
almost masculine, but perfectly feat
ured-and great big, dark eyes full of
fun. She had huge shade bat hang
ing by it's ribbons and was smiling 50
as to show the prettiest teeth l ever
saw.
"Thorne was lucky fellow. l
wonder-ah, here's name on the
back" I went on, composedly. "'Rose
Thorne.' Pshaw! So she was only
his sister! What faker'
Briarwood had the picture by this
time and after putting it away in the
desk turned upon me Indignantly
again.
'You had no business to meddle
with it," said he.
''She's sumner, II answered, "and
if finding is having Briarwood, ad-
wise you to hunt up the original pretty
quick, old man.
With this parting shot l hurried
out of the room, lodging the curve on
a Greek lexicon that came tumbling
after me. After that 1 saw more or
less of Briarwood, principally less, for
he soon grew too popular to stay i'll
our set. He was easilythe man of his
class and no wonder, for take him all
around, he is about as fine chap as 1
ever saw.
1t was one evening along about the
first of June, 1 think, when one of
the fellows-Goodrich, expelled the
year we graduated-came running
into my room all out of breath for
laughing and threw himself into my
chair, SO weak he could hardly speak.
"Oh, it's the rich joke on Briar-
wood" he gasped at last; "it's the
photograph he always carries around
with him-'Rose Thorne'- oh, my
eyeG' And he exploded again. "That
picture-it's Thorne's own photo, taken
last year in the Pi Eta theatricals.
Here's duplicate of it. i found it in
Van Ruyter's room today" And he
pulled out of his pocket another like
ness of the fair Rose Thorne.
The joke was too good to keep. The
idea of dignitied old Briarwood being
in love with another fellow-a shaven
and bewigged "Rose" blossoming on
| the Thorne tree!
"And he carried that thing around
in his vest pocket next his hearth
roared Goodrich. 81 saw it the other
day at the gym. Oh, the soft meat!
He'll never hear the last of this!"
Then we concocted the fine scheme.
We agreed that the crowd should meet
around at Briarwood's rooms some
evening, quite accidentally, and man
age to bring 'Rose Thorne" into the
talk somehow, till he fred up, then
we would give it all away and explain
that his lady-love existed only as a
strapping alumnus, and the joke would
be on him for the benefit of the whole
college. For we planned to get yer.
sion of it into the "Lampoon," with
portraits.
We set one night just before class.
day for our seance, and all the boys
promised to be there to see poor old
Briarwood through with it. Well, sirs,
that evening Harry was in his best