News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1900-09-12

bh TO all appeals ana arguments Ed
ward returned few words. He grew
more stolid and unyielding with every
effort to move him. Dignifed seniors
filed up to his room. men of influence
in athletic circles. and they all filed
down again, furious and bitter that
freshman off a farm should refuse to
uphold the college in its pet contest
with the university. Willis put In a
daily remonstrance, and q serious
breach seemed widening between the
roommates in spite of their good under
standing of little while before
When the eyentful day came. the col
lege sent down the best man they could
get as substitute for Wallace The
game was played with ring of blood
around the moon," to quote Willis, but
the university won by six points, and
the college almost to man blamed Ed
ward Blake for the defeat
1t seemed little strange to Edward
in the next few days that followed that
his purpose and motive were not more
7 clearly understood. But Hope college
80 NANNb bAhlS w 40 at a hCLJ lON punt VI
life in Christian way. 1t would be
unfair to say that Edward received no
encouragement whatever from the bet
ter element of the college. But it Is a
painful truth that at that particular
time in the history of the college it
lacked the distinct manly type of
Christian scholarship and leadership
that it shortly afterward began to en-
joy.
1t was during this particular expert
ence, through which he passed with
considerable bitterness, that Edward
came to know a far different life in an
other direction, the final results of
which led to changes In his personal
character that were farreaching in
their seriousness and meaning.
. Willis had kept up running fire Of
sarcastic comment on the football cpl
sode until Edward had begun seriously
to think of making change in his
room. He had felt disappointed in Will
lis. The revelation of his deeper life at
the time of the paper route affair had
pleased Edward greatly. 1t seemed to
him, however. that since the defeat of
the team by the university Willis had
grown unnecessarily critical. and his
tendency to fast habits had never been
more marked or more distasteful
One evening early in December, just
before the holiday vacation, Edward
was somewhat gloomily attempting to
study and brooding over his expert
ences. He did not expect to go home
for the holidays, on account of the ex-
pense, although he had saved up a lit
tie out of his work, to which he had
added by extra jobs about the build.
ings in one way and another.
Willis had been very quiet for Ion
ger time than usual. At last he broke
the silence by rising and going over to
Edwards table.
Say, old man?' He spoke in kindly
tone that Edward could not help no.
ticing We've had this gloom turned
on about long enough, don't you think
Pshaw! You're no mind reader. !!
think a good deal more of you for not
playing. What difference does it make
what | say? Come. What you need
is little fun once in awhile. You
study the very insides out of the old
books, and what good does it doI If
you come out at last as valetudina-
rian or something like that. what good
does ii do? All the men that graduate
at the head of their classes either die
soon after they get out of college or
/ they are never heard of anywhere
afterward All the famous men are al
ways dull and embarrassing in col.
lege. | tell you | don't want to GO
into obscurity the way most of the
brilliant scholars go. I'm taking all
the precautions l can to avoid their
fate. Tell you what, Blake, you shut
up the old books tonight and go down
and take in The Pace That Kills.
It's jolly farce, and you need good
laugh. Come on!'
what kind of show is it,? asked
Edward reluctantly. He had never
been to the theater, and Willis, who
went constantly, had never before ask
| ca ulIH W gu DCCduSe ue udu IedSOL
to believe that Edward would not &C
anyway. Besides, with more thought
fitness than Edward had given hin
credit for, he knew that Edward would
not go to entertainments at another
persons expense and could not AFFORD
to go often at his own.
"Oh, it's a farce. There's no sens
in it, but it makes no difference
There's lot of pretty girls and some
pretty fair tumbling and trapeze work
but the fun is in the old tramps ant
characters that get caught robbinG
henroosts and all that sort of thing
I've got a couple of seats in the par
quet, and Barnes was going with me
but he's sick and can't go. Come on
Have some fun just once"
Willis reached over the table gooC
naturedly and shut Edwards book up
Edward hesitated minute, but lie wal
really curious to see the entertainment
and he had not been out anywhere ex
cept to a literary society since he en-
tered college. Besides, he was 50 re
lieved to have the good will of hi
roommate again that he felt ashamed
to refuse his invitation in spite of lit
tie uneasness about the character of