Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1900-12-06
: CHATTER III.
In Touch with the Thirteen.

In Touch with the Thirteen.
1 found life at Oxford very pleasant,
although at first it was passing strange
own age, and / was at a considerable
disadvantage, for my ways were not as
their ways. and while I might have
held my own when the foiis or gloves
were to the fore, i was, SO to speak, en-
rirely at sea on the river, and all
abroad on the football or cricket field.
Thanks to Mr.. Travers' able teach
Ing. / found my work cas- enough; but
as / had no ambition to excel in the
schools, and, indeed, no great ability to
do SO had / wished, l contented myself
with Just sufficient reading to pass my
exams. I made very few friends, but
among them was a young Irishman OF
strikingly brilliant parts. a scholar of
the college to which / was attached,
and one who was looked upon as likely
to distinguish himself in the final
schools. He worked very hard, but
such leisure hours as he INDUCED in
were spent, for the most part, in my
company, and SO intimate did we be-
come that / went with him to his home
in the Midlands during part of my long
vacation.
Not wishing to cumber the narrative
with descriptions of persons who play
but minor parts, I shall not further de-
scribe my friend, young O'Brien, and
he would not have been mentioned at
all but that 1t was owing to my visit to
his people that 1 heard something of
my fathers college life, and the man.
ner in which it ended, and, what was
still more remarkable, his uncle was
the first person from whom / heard my
surname. / a been in the house but
two or three days when I became con-
scious that this uncle was watching
me very closely. In the midst of a
meal, IL ] turned to him Unexpectedly,
] would find him regarding me intent
ly, and at last. n evening In the
smoking-room. perhaps because I
showed that his scrutiny was apparent
to me, he told me the reason.
do you know, Tremayne, you re-
mind me very much of a man I knew
at Cambridge a good many years ago.
Strange to say, you have some of his
little mannerisms, and, as / remember
him, you are strikingly like him. His
name was Robert Tremayne Morton.
1T Is possible that he could have been
a relative of yours?"
He may have BEEN" I said: "but 1
have been abroad so much that I could
scarcely tell you. off-hano. Who my
relatives are. How long ago is it?.
"Oh, let me see. II would be about
twelve years ago. Morton was a fine
fellow. and everyone expected him to
do well; but he vanished at the end
OF the summer term, and the curious
thing about Ii was that four or five
men went with him. We never heard
what became of them, but some time
afterwards particulars came to hand
of the deaths of two of the men who
left at the same time as he did. One
of then was found at the foot OF a
cliff in South Africa, and the other
died at some town in Spain in a rather
mysterious inner He was stabbed
in h streets, / fancy, though IL Is so
long ago that l almost forget the facts.
and-ah, yes, l recollect-they found
some cards. or dice, or something con-
nected with gaming upon him. Dear
me, now, What a emo 1 have!'
You may be sure that / was deeply
interested in his "reminiscences for, in
all probability, the Robert Tremayne
Morton, of whom he spoke. was my
father. 1t was only natural that 1
should resemble him in build and fea-
lures. and it was very likely that I
had acquired such peculiarities of
n as were noticeable in him when
he was my age, n that they should
be accumulated in my case by reason
of my long and close companionship
with him..
did you ever hear I asked, in as
steady a voice as I could command,
why these men left college in such a
strange way? Were they ~rusticated,
or had they given the authorities Of
tense in any way?"
"Weli, I could never get at the truth
of the matter; but / believe there was
some row or other in one of the mems
rooms: but whose rooms they were or
what 1T was all about, / could never
discover. There was one man among
them who, apart from what he might
have done at college, was intended for
a diplomatic career. He was of very
good family. and his name was-was-
wait a m~omcnt-ah, yes. His name
was Rupert Starlight. He was sup
posed to be the best man OF his year,
Royce. his tutor. made certain that
he would be Senior Wrangler."
what sort of a man was he?" I
asked.
Rather dark. medium height. with
f~eatdres-but. there. I can't
particularize. it's 80 long ago. and
NN#N2 WNYNN4MtM MN.WHNN MMa