Virginia gazette. [volume] (Williamsburg, Va.) 1893-192?, 1899-07-01
THE ONE REAL TEST.
THE sports were over and three men
had s,ill couple Of hours 10 wait be

station platform was not inviting. and The \
cld-fashioned village i'm absorbed shem.
There vas but one man seated before the /
huSe open fireplace when they entered. Ne I
wss a m,ddle-sgcd man. dressed in back (
aua had dark. pOctical eyes. lie moved /
courseouSiy 20 make way for the three
friends he bad hrigh, pant tAnkarc b,
his side for purposes Of rsfercnce. and he
smoked a new ehurchwarden clay.
For tune ne snoEed IN silence. taksng an
occasional dTaug0t from the tankard beside
him. but seemingly paying no attention 10
the three friends for whom hs had made
NON Al the fre. he seemed iosssin has own
reflections entirely.
The thrce men reSaricd him with some Gu
mostly as they ordered their drinks and t
their cigars. Then they discussed the sports
and the time for the quarter. which had been
/ good. Il showed, one Of them observed. that
TSnson vas undoubtedly the better nsn.
Pardon ne" the stranger observed. re-
moving The churchwarden from his lips,
but surely il only showed that he was ,he
Superior in running the ouarssr--zot TIA; he
vas The better man"
The first speaker laughed. but answered
little contenptuously: Certainly. /
didn't suppose that It showed TIA, Tiuneou
uH- morally better or that be vas quicker
over the sticks"
4 see. sad she stranger, "thst you think
me psdsntic Really. 4 IA net unnatural.
, Bat was thinking Of an extraordinary test
which has Just come 20 an end, and was 80
tended 70 show which Of Two men really vas
> n all respects the better. IL lasted for three
year,
-TAree years. asked another Of the
friends
Three long consecutive years." He tltct
p % ais tankard. wiped his mouth and ~
sumcd. Not one word Of it ever gos iuts
the papers. Very few people knew snythin.
about a. I got % hear Of Il because one o
the competitor. George Shadwel, was ul
cousin Ny own name - Saadwell too Re
. sides. knew the ADJ who was the cause o
il all Il Was the strsnsest thing ] eve
/ heard q IN my LIE"
- IL ats not a secret should think Il inter
csting 20 hear about IL.
"It's 10 secret lie Walked over 20 th
bar window and handed IN his tunkarl,s
De rcp.euishcd- I'm tell you about % vhc
J. I've got thls reflled ] suffer terribly frVr
thirst so times. ard this - one % my ba
DAYS lie returned 20 his place on the 50
tis md began:
Ny cousin. George Shsdwcl, ard Horber
Euceh-idre were both fair specimens
goo. aI-rcunS men In looks, position o.
tune. physique, abilities anyone would hay
- said that they were as rear equal a. trc
could possibly he. Yet when j. came 20 81
test az which I have spoken. my cous'
George Won 10 out OF il3 items on;
which the tex was composed. X can
about 10 this way. They were both in Jos
with the same lady. The lady made the
both come 20 her one afternoon, and to
them fyankly that she would marry Al
better ran. and 20 find out which was a
better man sic had made out a real ties
ID consisting Of rs competition Both ms
hzd 70 swear thai they would 50 thruu.
al the competitions; othcrwiss. Of cours
4 Herbert BracebridEe wCuld have gwen = I
long before u came 20 an end. Many 90 Il
-. tcs.s were quite ordinary The hrst o'
- was test % ueucrv. Ihey had 20 lea'
the first book Of 'Aeneid by heart. 30
did % iu eracsiy tire same time. b
Bracebndge made two mistakes iu repeats
- IL, and my cousin George Or,y made OF
- Thus vas the more extraordinary becau
my cousin George didn't know = word
latin II another q the events be was ha
4 dicappc1 in exactly the same way. II
vas a swimming r1ce, and George had ney
aS learnt % SWIM. OF course. BE would Ia
taken lessons and trained for 10. bat no
r.
Ir. event was 20 be. A. soon a. they We're q
% they had 20 begin j.. He 60; shLli
manual on swimming, studied che theory
=. ~ be was going down 10 the swlnmi
baths, mastered u completely, and Won
bead"
~. ~What sort Of time cid your cousin ma
ia the athletic events"
re well. there was only ere race put do
n Tor them; that was from the Marble Al
VI 20 the TOP OF the Matterhorn. George
IN The quicker @ the two hansoms and ma
tanned MS lead throughout. X was n
thing Bracebridge almost overhauled
- a. the end. and he only won BY about 20 m
utes don't know the time that IT TO
l.. nor, am sorry 20 say, have got the ex
measurement Of the only jump which :
had 20 try-a deep jump. fancy . :
fom q second-story window 'ato str
Therc sgain Bracebridge had bad luck b
a snen Did u, brt Brzcebrdge broke his
That. q course, meant that be had not 4
itquite a. well a. George. There was dr.
to- inz competition, bu. that was very hoi
-. affair. A gift il that direction las aiw
- ben II our family. George was q be
X. sesad and perfectly sober a. the finish
starvation competition was interesting.
They bad 10 fat for q week, and the
0se who lest least eight Won George WOE
AZ ounce"
- George seems % have had eli the lus
Not sil--nos absolutely all lie won
but be lost one--the last one"
- At any rate. he had al the luck he W
a.. ed r. the score ended Il2 20 J. he
proved 70 be the better man; and ! Fupl
ESS ~ tins time he has married the LADY,"
a, No" said The stranger. with sigh. Dr.
- irr ne farkard and rising 20 60. The
. HUNDRED and thirteenth cOrnrefit.oD va