The record-union., 1898-10-18

the doctors mind his absolute ignorance
Of the paper which he had never seen.
] Stapleton followed it with an equally
fervid affirmation Of his entire and sole
connection with the business.
| Boys" said DR.. Hartman gravely,
Il believe you both. Some one has
done this to hurt you, Wilson, and has
meanly tried to use S.apleton 1 re-
member that the examination paper
which l sent to the printer by the boy
in the house here was lost by him. He
told me he stopped at the pond for a
swim and when he got to the printing
office the paper was gone. He went
back to the pond, but could not find it
there. Now can't you think of any one
who dislikes you, Wilson,"
! Wilson had been breathing quickly.
| Yes. What day did the boy lose the
paper?"
Last Thursday, about half-past
nine
| Then I'll bet you it was Chauncey
Brown" exclaimed Wilson excitedly.
1T may not be. But he is the only
one l know who has any spite against
me. 1 was elected to the ball nine in
stead OF him, although he worked his
best to have me kept out. Thursday
morning 1 was doing something in the
shop and saw Brown go down the
road leading to the pond. This was at
quarter to ten. I noticed the time
because I thought ha would have to
take quick swim to get back for
school. l was surprised to see him
come back in hurry soon after, too
soon to have more than gone there and
right back. 1 thought he had prob
ably changed his mind. Now, I be-
lieve he found that paper, put it in my
desk and wrote that note to Stapleton" !"
You must be right" exclaimed Sta
pleton. Shake hands, Wilson 1t
| put us both in a nasty box
DR.. Harrison asked Tom to give him
the anonymous note, which he did. He
enjoined perfect silence on both the
boys. One thing that Wilson insisted
on, to which the doctor agreed, though
both he and Stapleton declared it un-
necessary, was that an entirely new set
of propositions, as different from those
that had been prepared as possible,
should be made out for the examina-
ton. Otherwise Wilson fatty refused
| to compete for the prize.
The Gordon prize that year for the
/
taken by two boys, whose merits were
so nearly equal that either none or
two had to be given. They were Will
son and Stapleton. There was joy in
both families, because in addition to
this honor, DR.. Hartman made ring
ing speech about the miserable trick
that had been essayed. He spoke of
the conduct Of the two winners and
said that at the request of Wilson, the
name Of the boy who had so disgraced
| himself was withheld out of regard
for his family.
Tom Stapleton told his mother that
day Of his rescue from Myrtle Pond by
| Howard Wilson. 1t was strange the
part Myrtle Pond played in this whole
! business Of the Gordon prize. That
high-born but worthy woman forth
with put on her bonnet and without
saying a word to Tom, sailed grandy
down to the Wilson house, insisted on
giving Wilson pere a check that lifted
| the mortgage clear off, and instead of
trip to Washington the two boys had
six weeks vacation in Europe that
| summer at her expense. She felt that
| II her ancestors wouldn't have acted in
| that way, she would go down to poster
| ity as an Improvement on them. She
| certainly obtained the hearty approval
| Of her Hopedale contemporaries, which
was just as good as posthumous glory.
| BY John j. a'Becket, in Atlanta Con-
StitutiOn