The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1899-03-29
10NFESSONS0F 4
COLLEGE WIDOW
COPYRIGHT. 1899, pr JANE MARLIN.

(From the Owi.)
You have, perhaps. heard the liquid notes
If the melodious chimes upon the old ivy
covered chapel.
Dear chimes, when you ring out the first
oour OF the morrow, shall be SO years
old. Fifty! All mel! Time was when that
seemed very old, but tonight as / glance
back it appears but a few short years,
while my glass tells me that do not look
day over 30. and.I feel younger than ]
did at 20. What a belle / was in those
days and how "Frisky' Lamb laughed as
we sat under the trees this afternoon and
recalled the happy hours when he was an
under classman at the college, and the
most popular girl the country round!
Dear "Frisky!" Can I ever forget the
day that papa entertained the governor! OF
course he was delighted at the prospect
of so distinguished guest. and we were
all warned to be upon our best behavior.
Two days before he came "Frisky'' called.
a1d begged him to give me some of his
Old clothes for my needy poor. Glad you
asked me-" said he. Eve a nice warm
top coat that l have outgrown and it will
be just the thing for Nose this winter I'll
look it up and send it around
Well, the morning of the governors visit
a boy arrived with an overcoat, which l
received, thinking it was from "Frisky'
Its a sharp morning." said I, land l
will run right down to Moses with it SO
that he can wear 1t out to see the parade"
l QaSCeneO u Tue Olu LumDloQ-OOWn mouse
Moses called home and told him that I
was to ride in the carriage with the gov
ernor, and he must cheer and give the COL
lege yell as we went past. Moses could
only gasp his thanks before l was gone.
The band and militia were drawn up be-
fore the house when / returned, and before
1 was dressed heard papa storming
round, loudly calling for me, while the
band wildly played Hail to the Chief"
Tying on my hat. l rushed down to find
the whole household in state of the
widest excitement, for papa's brand new
Oyercoat, ordered for the occasion, was not
TO be found. The maid returned from the
tailor's saying that it had been sent home
some two hours before, and tina. the presi-
dents eldest daughter had taken 1t from
the boy. Then what 1 had done dawned
upon me. and 1 nearly choked with sup
pressed laughter. had given his coat to
Moses. OF course, ! denied all knowledge
of it, there was nothing else for me to do
just then, for the band was still footing
Hail to the Chief" and the governor and
his wife were impatiently pacing back and
forth in the drawing room. Papa, his eyes
blazing with wrath. for he suspected me of
some sort of conspiracy, put on his old
brown overcoat with it's faded velvet COL
lar, and Offering his arm to Mrs. Heath,
followed the governor and I to the car
riage.
AS we drove across the green 1 espied
Moses, very, very drunk, clinging fondly
to the old liberty pole, his hat upon the
back of his head and papa's coat hanging
down from his thin shoulders.
Later when We were all gathered at
lunch, the door bell rang vigorously and
after a great deal of loud talk in the hall,
the maid came in and told papa that the
village constable Was in the vestibule and
demanded to see him Immediately. Fairly
livid with rage, he went to the constable,
who stood in the door with poor old Moses
in handouts, and beside him, upon the
floor split up the back and covered with
dust, lay the coat.
Il hope as how you'll pardon me for in
truding Oh you at dinner mister president,
but 1 jist rested this ere man for bein'
drunk and disorderiy and tndn' that he
had on a coat with your name on it, and
hearin' as how you'd lost one this morn
ing, I brought him round for you to prove
your property, then I'll lock him up
80 that is what became of my coat. You
miserable theft" shrieked papa Take
him away Constable Warren and the coat,
too. AS usual, it's zone of your beggars,
Louise" turning TO ME, for l had followed
him out Of the dining room. Il wish you
would stop bringing those wretched
creatures into the. house, some fine morn
ing we will wake up to find our spoons
missing" and with "a whitening look he
went back to his guests. f-Of course. I
caught it later on.
That same night ''rrisky'' appeared with
d
laugh over the affair down by the willow.
remember it SO distinctly because
"Frisky' told me then how he loved me
and asked me to promise to marry him
when he should have graduated and made
a start in the world
Marry you, 'Fr!sky.' Why it's too droll
Don't YOU know that I have taken a SOL
cum oath rot to marry until l have had
LOO proposals. 1 shall wait for and accept
the Tooth man."
We'll, answered Frisky, shall be
nat man. you may depend upon it, and
he left me at the door with very deter
mined lock- upon lis face.
l didn't see anything of him in his SEN
ior year, he was most awfully glum and
studied harder than EVER, which wasn't Very
bard, for to be perfectly frank "Frislly
wasn't very much of student. 1 did no:
mind, for pretty "Polly" PARROT and
"Chippy'' harrington were devoted, and
after them came ''Tousey' Colt Of the foot
hall team and several others, all the
dearest, sweetest boys imaginable
l think that 1 was little bit impressed
with polly PARROT, though sister Anna
declared it was his yacht, a lovely little
boat which he christened the Louise" il
honor of me. He gave pretty dinner
aboard her the day of the christening, and
all the spring took me for daily sail That
winter l accepted an invitation for the
prom from "Chippy' Harrington and
Polly was cut up about it that he
;r.ver called again and the next season
ne. painted out my name on the yacht AID
called her the "Elita," for Elta Earring
ton my rival and quite the prettest girl
in New Hampton. 1 was dreedfuly hurt for
a time, but there were others, and Polly
Rogers took me driving several times
week and !'c had the most stunning Gap
c,oi in Ncw Hanp T.
1 met "Chippy" Harrington in Boston last
month. What a fascinator he is! I never
see him but we recall our visit to Phila-
delphia for the Centennial Papa, sister
and I went down for two weeks during the
summer vacation and met "Chippy'
there viii lots of other old college boys.
One night "Chippy arranged to give papa
and us girls a serenade, and as there
were over thirty fellows in the city, they
hired band. Papa was most awfully tired
and cross and we. knowing nothing of the
serenade persuaded him to go to bed
early feeling sure that once he got to sleep
with his deaf ear uppermost, he would be
safe for the night, and we could entertain
Tom Nixson, an old beau of sisters.
Well, Tom had just arrived when "Chip
py'' rushed in and announced the SER
enade and, as he did so, we heard the band
ND the street and the college calls Of the
students What was to he done? Papa was
fast asleep and we didn't like to wake him
and have him find Tom Nxson with us, for
he had never forgiven Tom for tying a
young lamb to his desk one morning before
he met his class in ethics.