The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1898-01-01


have been old. This building is owned
by some church corporation which
furnishes students with rooms in the
old shack at miserably low rates.
But more miserable than all else are
the rooms; these are devoid of furni-
ture, save rickety old table, a chair
and a rusty stove with a crazy pipe,
some dry goods boxes and a broken
looking glass. The decorations were
the work of spiders and flies of genera
tons gone. The windows, for the
most part, were minus glass and stuffed
up with copy books and old paper.
Here Harvey was located. Just across
the way was the local chapter of his
fraternity. Little did his wealthy
brothers think that the TRAMP Law"
as they called him, possessed their
most sacred of secrets, knew their grip,
had memorized their ritual and was
indeed brother in good standing.
1t was the night of the junior hop.
Across the campus the gay young dan
GERS assembled from all parts of the
country were whirling enmeshed in the
mazes of the waltz.
1t was just midnight; Harvey had
put in hard night over still harder
lesson in common law pleading. He
crossed the floor to the window. The
dingy old building shook in the wind
that moaned bitterly out of doors. He
brushed aside the frost from the pane
and looked in silent meditation toward
the scene of gayety and grandeur. He
reflected on his own position; thought
of time when he was part of a SINH
lar gay assemblage, and how now he
was poor and more miserable than the
coachmen that were knocking their
heels together without.
He sat down before his dim fire, and
thoughts of another junior hop came
to him. He was back again in the
good old days; Bessie was by his side;
he saw her tender eyes looking into
his; she seemed just as she did that
night in the conservatory when, for
the first time in his life, he felt the
warm and gentle pressure of the hand
of the woman he loved. His heart
beat lively and his body thrilled
through and through.
Strange it is" he said to himself,
''that beggar dares love-" AS the
blaze dimmed and the Goals blackened
he thought of his career, of his wealth,
his life, his adventure and, last of all,
his poverty. "Such is life," he said
to himself. "Why not write story
about it all? It seems more romantic
than real anyway. People would read
it and be interested in the characters
they can never know, and besides, I
need pair of shoes and new coat
badly"
A few weeks later in Sunday pa
per there appeared most interesting
college romance about the junior hop
in Ann Arbor.
A pale and sickly newsboy was vain
ly trying to sell his wares in crowd
ed parlor car. Travellers fatigued
with long and hard journey, and
chilled with the cold even in the car,
were not interested in the paper, and
only one was affected by the pale look
upon the face of the poor and thinly
clad boy.
This was a very handsome young
lady; she was tired with her journey
and seemed weary of the world. She
purchased all the papers because she
pitied the boy. She looked them over;
her eye CHANGED upon college echo.
She read the story, for she used to
know college girls and fellows, too,
for all that.
The story finished, the paper at
her feet, this very handsome young
lady unconsciously lent a charm to
her beauty by the tear in her soft blue
eyes.
The next day shortly before noon
there was light step upon the dingy
old staircase that led to Harvey's
room, and there was light rap at the
door. Harvey, thinking it was his
washwoman, called out, "Come in, but
L have no washing for you to-day"
The visitor came in, and Harvey looked
up; he almost tainted, for before him
he saw his sweetheart of other days,
Bessie Hill.
I have just received letter from
Harvey to-day in which he says: s'In
this mail you will receive'a printed in
vitation, &c. Well, old man, the af
fairs to be in Boston, so as all the fell
lows can be there, and it is special
request of Bessie's that you be the
| best man. "-Cincinnati Commercial
Tribune.