The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1902-01-17

! EDWARD BLAKE: COLLEGE Student. /
BY CHARLES M. SHELDON
COPYRIGHT CO..
CHAPTER Iv-oe ntinued.
Author of 0In Steps," "Mcom Kirk" vThe Philip
"Rober Hardys Seven Days"

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 q 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 10 see Freeda and had told
her all about It. ana she had received
1t all as he knew she would, he came
back to his room simply saying to HIM
self that he needed to learn a great
deal and that he ought to have enough
sense to know what his college educa.
ton was for.
lie was not church member, and he
had never called himself a Christian.
He had, however, always believed in
| prayer, and on that night following
his talk with Freeda he prayed before
, lie 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 /. was the right thing for her
to be working ber way through. 1t
was all right for 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 a 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
SPANS 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-
lions that different countries sustain
ed to one another. He had one or two
discussions with Willis oyer certain
points concerning the questions of in
reference and arbitration and had no
In argument. Willis did not know any
more about the subject Of information
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 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."
Wouldn't your mother be willing to
have you go"
81 could talk her over all right. can
prove to her that the Spanish can't hit
barn door at ten PAGES, and there's no
danger. Just nothing but fun and glo.
ry."
81 guess you would find that there is
something more than fun and glory in
any kind Of war. General Sherman
ought to know, and he said that war is
HE'LL"
Cant be any worse than comic Sec
tions," replied Willis carelessly, for If
there was anything he hated it was
mathematics. I'D sooner walk up to
loaded battery than go up to the
blackboard with one OF those test prob
lens that old Quad always gives me
to solve. Guess he'll be glad to have
me go to war. | know lots of times he
would be glad to shoot me If he could
do it without being arrested for as.
sault."
The month Of February came on, and
Edward still could not find anything to
add to his work so as to increase his
income. Freeda was still doing the
work in the professors family, and ev.
cry time Edward went over to see her
or talked with her as they met in the
college class rooms she insisted that
she was perfectly able to do it. Ed
ward thought he could detect q worn
and anxious look about her, as If she
was trying to do too much, and silently
and doggedly he determined that the
minute he found more to do Freeda
should return to the hall.
He had been out one afternoon look
ing for something down in the city and
was detained very late at one place.
where he was finally disappointed in
not getting what he had expected. AS
he came along the main street past the
newspaper offices he saw a great crowd
about them and went over to get the
news.
1t was the evening OF the 18th of
February, 1898. The startling news
had just flashed over the country of
the sinking Of the Maine. Edward