The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1901-08-09
FIVE'S ENGAGEMENT.

"D-nr' said the president of the c. u.
3. c. -Four members of the crew spoke
ut greater length but to the same effect,
and after the rest of the crew except
Five had grunted assent the president
looked disappointed at the want of orig
inality Of suggestion exhibited. and re-
marked that it was all very we'll, but
something must be done.
Five was not present. He had gone up
to his bedroom, and his conduct was un-
der discussion. Five had roWed we'll in
the trials" had improved in practice
after Christmas, and been really uncom-
monty good during the early part of
training; On London water he had gone
to pieces as rapidly as he had come on,
his rowing had lost life his time was
execra Bile, and the hard work, which had
compensated in early days for an admit
ted roughness Of form, was conspicuous
ly absent. Matters had come to a crisis
during that days practice, and it was no
joke for the president to be told, as he
had been. by the coach that unless he
could find another Five at once he might
regard the race as lost, or rather given
away: The men in the middle of the
boat had all seemed so safe that there
was &c one in training who could replace
Five in anything like satisfactory man.
ner: indeed. there was no one who could
be named. trained or not, who was fit to
occupy his thwart.
II suppose you know why he is so rot
ten.' said Seven, in a thick. tentative
voice. He was nervous young man.
very big and strong, but new to the boat.
and from an obscure college of no social
Know exclaimed the president. 'Of
course don't: if I only knew might do
something. He had considerable conf
dence in his own powers, as be6tted a
man who had rowed in two inter univer-
sity races already.
but l know growled Seven; he
himself endowed with more knowledge
than his fellows. but as everyone was
silent he had to 60 on.
Hes in love, you see,' he began. not
quite sure whether he should have men,
toned such distracting topic to a crew
in training.
I'VE know that said Cox. "He's en-
gagged to be married: fancy a chap of his
age going to marry" Cox had recently
taken his B. A. degree, and was to steer
for the last time; he was more than 3.
and sometimes looked quite wrinl:led
rouno the eyes at breakfast time, while
Five was known to be barely p.
But he amt" said Seven quite rough
iy-he came, you observe, from college
VI 10 SOclal StanOlng, the girl mas
chucked him; written to say she'd like
him as a brother. But l fancy she
wouldn't take him as brother for long:
she likes presents and so on, and Five's
beastly hard up. He had to take his
watch to his uncle last time he stood her
and her mother supper after theater;
she's not particular where she goes Carl
ton, Savoy. anywhere. but she likes to be
we'll done: and the watch was a sort of
keepsake from his ancestors"
$50 he took it to his uncle?" put in the
president.
HE means he pawned it," said Cox.
thoughtfully; he rarely spoke to people
like Five and Seven. except to call at
tention to the time on the bow side. bnt
he had listened attentively 'The beg
gar ought to row all the better for be-
ing out of NESS" he added, after a
pause. II suppose he thinks he's got 4
broken heart and all that kind of thing:
that's the way with calf-love."
Cox was believed to have had q very
desperate love affair with the daughter Of
the tutor under whose care he had sought
to bridge the gulf that is filled between
a studi0usly-neglected education at Elton
and matriculation at Trinity. His COM
panions did not allude to it; they turned
to him for advice as to one whom ex-
perience had rendered wise and whose
cynicism awed them. He had learned.
or at all events believed, that his FIRST;