Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1902-11-08
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when the President Of Argo Unlver.
slty told the reporters for the morn.
ina papers that unless somebody adj.
vanccd twenty thousand dollars in the
ncyt twenty.four hours. the mortgage
on the main buildings would be fore
clnscd. people shook their heads and
rnid what they were In duty bound to
say in such a case
Everybody liked President Buckwa.
ter. He was not only mentally well.
poised sort of chap. with some pleas.
ing ideas about hammering sense into
young men. but he exhaled the kind OF
unconscious brotherly love that would
make even theater usher unbend and
look pleasant. The world says nice
things about the fellow who says nice
things about the world and President
Buckwater was such an outspoken be-
lever In the goodness of mankind that
he basked comfortably in his own sun.
shine. These things, however. did not
alter a monumentally ridiculous prop.
osition as a whole. There was no ex.
cuse for the existence of Argo Univer.
! sity, so the people said who figured
that boy in school after thirteen
| years was simply eating his head
on" In the first place. II couldn't even
be rated in the fresh.water class, for
II was out among a lot of cactus and
sage.brush. without so much as an ir.
rigation ditch In sight, and. on a rea.
sonably warm day in summer n man
making his way across the treeless
grounds hardly dared put out his ton.
que for fear II would crack open.
To be sure, the professors VINO had
cast their individual lots with the in.
stitution were loyal to the extent Of
struggling along with low salaries and
consequent shabby overcoats, and
there was no doubling their earnest.
ness and their abiding faith in the ulti.
mate greatness of the University. One
of them. too. had written a book on
sociology or something of that sort,
wich had brought him an offer of a
chair In big Eastern university that
| figured In the Associated Press football
reports. Then the students were in.
tensely enthusiastic, even If they did
not have so much as a glee club. Some
of them punched cows on the range
during vacation, and several did odd
Jobs of laboratory work for the chem.
lists in the employ of the big shelters.
Others worked in the mines, at union
wages, long enough to give them the
wherewithal foi term membership in
a student "prune.club and one or two
of the young women graduates had
gone into politics and had been elect.
ed to the State Legislature. But all
this did not alter the fact that Argo
university had come face to face with
ruin, after a plucky struggle to keep
on the map, and President Buckwater
received twenty.three II told.you.so''
letters In the afternoons mail follow.
ing the interview In the newspapers.
The twenty-fourth letter. however did
not go into the waste basket. II was
a curt note informing President Buck.
water that a check had been drawn
by the undersigned and was ready to
be devoted to relieving the distressed
financial condition of Argo University.
| There was no provision about a like
sum being raised in a certain time.
The gift was unconditional, save that
the donors name was to be kept Sc.
cret. The note was signed by one of
the citys millionaires-a man of whom
reporter had once said: "In the mat.
ter of closeness, Senator Edgren would
make the bark of a tree look like a
Mother Hubbard wrapper"
When President Buckwater strobe
into Edgren & Co.'S office he found the
harsh lines of the Senator's face soft.
ened into something like amiable trac,
ings, owing to the cajolery of a good
cigar. 1t was a condition just border,
ing on good nature, but no man had
ever seen the distinguished capitalist
step quite across the line.
well, Buckwater." he growled. as
the professor sunk into the visitors
chair, where the light was always in
a mans eyes, how is your institution
for teaching intellectual fancy work.
Much better than before received
your kind letter." began the profes
sor, but the Senator cut him short with
another growl.
Don't start anything of that sort
Cut II all out. You know | don't be
lieve in this university business. II
makes a complicated fool of young
fellow who might have been just nat
ural, simple sort of fool to begin
with. But I've had some of your long
haired cattle in my mines and smef