Barre evening telegram. (Barre, Vt.) 1898-19??, 1901-06-03

the college,, just the same as Il young
man in society outside of a college
community. and still go on his way
preparing for his life work, not hinder
ed or embarrassed by the fact Of his
feelings. but rather helped by them
In all frankness, Blake, ! myself feel
as If. generally. in coeducatonal insti
tutions like Ours the lrF' SAIL and
thought ahUut snriors lovelna fing the
better The students are here t. study
not to court one another, rs u rule
But In case of an honest. sincere at.
tachment that comes as naturally to a
student as 1t might come to any other
young man anywhere else In the world
l do not feel as if my business was to
advise him to crush it out Let him
be man in this experience, as in any
other. Now, want to say honestly.
Blake, you have not been a man so far
In this matter. You have dropped your
interest in your studies; you have let
your feelings harm you instead of help
you. Am right about thatY"
Eyes. sir; I'm afraid you are" replied
Edward in low tone again.
"Be man about It, Blake. IL your
feeling is worth having, II it is not SIM
ply sentimental fancy for a face or a
manner. If 1t is something you ought
not to be ashamed of, let it make bet
ter man out Of you: better not a
worse. student; better. not q worse.
child of God"
The president rose as step came
down the stairs. and Mrs. Preston
knocked at the door. III there is any.
thing l can do for you, my boy" said
President Royce, going up to Edward
and putting hand on his arm, "you
know ! am at your service"
"Thank you, sir; you have helped me
already" said Edward. and then he
opened the door. and Mrs. Preston came
in. She simply repeated her message
concerning Willis and soon went out
with the president.
When they were gone Edward Blake,
college student, did some really serious
thinking. The presidents talk had
cleared up the atmosphere good deal.
He was able to see some things more
clearly. AS he sat by his desk, going
over the conversation he had just had
with the president, he felt the force Of
his argument. lie was not SO much in
| love, or rather he was not feeling to-
ward Miss Seton in such way, that
he was insensible to any and every
form of counsel from another person.
| cd n
things the president had said, but he
understood his position. on the whole,
very clearly, and the more he thought
of it the more lie respected it.
AS he sat by his desk he opened one
of the drawers in it, and, after lifting
off some papers that lay on the top, he
took out a photograph Of Miss Seton.
1t was. to tell the truth, very poor
picture and, to tell the truth again,
Edward had actually taken it out Of a
book that Ida had left in the parlor of
the hall one night while Edward was
calling on Freeda. Ida had charged
one of the other boys present that even.
ing with taking the picture, never
dreaming that Edward Blake, the un-
dcmonstrative, had taken 1t. There
was a scrap of Miss Seton's writing
with the photograph, that Edward had
found In the hall also, and he placed 1t
alongside the photograph and looked
gravely at them. Then he put them
back in their places in the drawer and
shut it up. and after moment he rose
end walked up and down through the
room.
The boy was actually at one crisis Of
his life There are more crises In every
young mans life than he himself is al
ways aware Of. But Edward probably
realized this one with more or less I'M
Outstanding of its gravity. 1t Is not
easy to state just what his final resolve
was in so many terms. 1t is perhaps
enough to say that he realized the fool
ishness Of allowing a new and growing
passion to spoil his college course. and,
even more than that possibly in the
end render the life Of another person
unhappy, or at least throw an element
into it that would hinder its free and
natural development.
This much can truly be said for Ed
ward, at this place in his college
course. He went out the next day and
began his work under different i'm
pulses from what he had felt for long
time. He had conscious feeling Of
dread at the thought of meeting Miss
Seton in the laboratory that afternoon.
almost as if she had been present dur
ing the presidents talk, or at least had
been where she could hear it. But he
was relieved to find that she was just
the same. and he discovered that he
was able to meet her and talk with her
in freedom from embarrassment that
Of late he had not been able to assume.
1t is not the place here to tell what
Edwards whole experience was In the
matter, nor how the interview with
the president shaped 1t all for him as
the year went on.
1t Is enough to say that he had the
manliness to 60 on with his studies in
his old time spirit Of vigor, and If, as
the days went on, he found no lessen
ing of his feeling, but perhaps deep
ening Of 1t, he realized that the feeling
was not spelling his life. That much
no was Mt least conscious of, and even