Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1901-04-17


very deep. Why, you're regular saint
yet compared with me and lots OF the
other fellows. I want to tell you !
don't think any the worse Of you for
telling me. I'd thought a good deal
worse Of you If. you'd kept still and le'
some one else do the telling. You needn't
worry about me. I understand all
right"
Edward never said word as he
shook Willis hand. he was still in the
valley Of humiliation, and while Pres
toms frank statement relieved him OF
part Of his feeling, he still felt too hum
BILE and sober over it all to make any
promises for the future or ask his
roommate to show any more confidence
in him until time should prove that he
was worthy of it.
The whole affair left both Of them
more thoughtful. There was this Diff
ference: Edwards thoughtfulness staid
with him as days went by. Willis
was apparently the same careless, hap
py.go-lucky fellow next day that he
had always been. Only, Edward had
again seen his deeper life and knew
that it was there in spite of appear
ances.
So with the beginning of the new
year Edward Blake, college student,
faced new possibilities. He did not
even make any resolutions. He simply
faced white page, and without def
nitely saying that he would or would
not do certain things. he felt hopeful.
When, the afternoon of the next day,
he had gone to see Freeda and had told
her all about it, and she had received
it all Is he knew she would. he came
back 70 his room simply saying to him.
self that he needed to learn great
deal and that he ought to have enough
sense to know what his college educa-
ton was for.
He was not church member, and he
had never called himself Christian.
He had, however, always believed In
prayer, and on that night following
his talk with Freeda he prayed before
he went to sleep, and his prayer took
the definite form Of asking that he
might find honest employment enough
so that Freeda could go back into the
hall. He could not make himself re-
alize that it was the right thing for her
to be working her way through. 1t
was all right for a boy, but a girl was
different.
January came on, and the college
term opened with the growing excite
ment Of the Cuban matters, and there
was more than one exciting debate
over different phases Of the question
in the debating society to which Ed
ward belonged. All through the COL
lege feeling ran high against Spain.
Edward spent good deal of time
studying the whole subject. He ran
sacked not only the college library,
but all the available libraries in the
city for information, going back into
Spain's history from the beginning.
The more he studied the subject the
more deeply interested he became. He
also took up the more involved Ques-
ton Of International law and the rela-
tons that different countries sustain
ed to one another. He had one or two
discussions with Willis over certain
points concerning the questions of in
reference and arbitration and had no
difficulty in getting the better of him
in argument. Willis did not know any
more about the subject of internation-
al law than Logan, the man of all
work about the college, but every hint
of possible war walked him up out of
his usual Indifference
''Tell you. Ed," he would say, 81
wish there would be a war. I'm tired
Of Greek and Latin and chemistry and
mathematics and all this everlasting
pegging into the old books. If war
breaks out, I'll enlist so quick that
mother can't help it,
TO BE CONTINUED.