The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-12-13
At Morris
 ] junction

when | stumbled on the comfortably haated ears that cold night at Morris function. I expected to be on my way fo RoonyiIIe in twenty minutes In fact I had a hope that no time would be lost at Morris Junction, for Morris Junction is desolate place.
 Inst a word to describe Morris Junction. There is a box-Iike railway station, three eection houses, a country store and many dogs. Its name, in large letters adorn- ing the gabIed roof of the little. station house. is the biggest, most impressive thing about Morris Junction
 The train to Boonvilie was three hours and forty-nve minutes off its schedule The operator told me this just as though he thought. it would bring joy to my heart to spend three hours and forty five, minutes in Morris Junction. I shud- dered. but there was consolation in the grateful stove, whose red heat nlumi- mated the dingy waiting room which served passengers of high and low de- gree
 AS I entered the waiting room I was followed by three passengers. compan- Ions in misery, who had heard the infor- mation ruthiessly imparted to me by the operator I had seen these passengers on the train. but they did not interest me. They Interested me now. would have been interested in an Apache Indian. was alone in Morris Junction.
 My companions sized up as soldier by his uniform, collegian by his fresh face and fraternity pin, and deputy eheriff or other officer of the law, be- cause a pistol was strapped about his waist.
 Fully twenty minutes we sat about that stove without word passing. This became irksome. got up, opened my bag, drew forth bottle and passed it around. Almost any man will take drink under stress of circumstances. That bottle settled it. We were introduced, and after each of us had expressed his opin- ion about the railroad company. we reached the ''that-reminds-me" stage.
 A Poker Games at College.
 'Peculiar kind of thing happened this year at school" said the college man. who was on his way home for Christmas, when I had finished one of my stock J poker yarns "There was a man in our rlass-Im junior-the youngster went on, with some swelling of the chest. This fellows name was McLaurin. He'd only been in college year, entered as a soph and was decidedly older and more ma ture than the rest of the fellows. Mo I.aurin studied like a theolog, and the old boy was knocking nls classes cold. Nc seemed to be a pretty bright chap, learned quickly, but always held aloof from the rest of the boys. It was an- other case of the hard worker trying to make his way through college. He wasn't a popular man; had no intimates and few friends with the single and great exception of Jack Ramsey. the most pop ular man in college. Ram is left-haif on the football team. third base on the base ball nine, president of the class, and leader of one of the big cotiilion clubs Ram took fancy to the older man. Opposites attract, you know.
 At the beginning of this year. although he could have had any manin college as d room mate, he went and asked McLau- rin to share his comfortable quarters
 When you visited their den. Nc was always at his books. while Ram was studying football signals or getting strength sleeping. They got along to- gether admirably. Ramsey helped Nc ]. clean the room and acted toward him as if. he'd been half on the team.
 About three weeks ago, the men could easily see that McLaurin was troubled. When not attending lectures or study ing, he walked restless about secluded spots of the campus His clothes were never fine. but in December, he was still wearing a frayed summer suit. his shoes were almost worn off of his feet We all knew that McIaurin had applied for outside work in the town repeatedly and had failed. Ramsey recognized the condition of his roommate. He tried to cheer his chnm up and made him re- peated offers of loans The fellow was too proud to receive them.
 Saturday two weeks ago, Ramsey went