Waterbury evening Democrat., 1904-09-09
The Mountaineer' $
 Dream
By HUGH A. c. WALKER

IT HE air of sleepy quiet which had
 brooded over the little valley town for year had changed to buzz of excitement. Commencement was on again at Watauga college; the town was full of enthusiastic alumni and visiting friends from every corner of the surrounding country.
 It was on a different errand that the two Arvey brothers had come down from their home on Stump House in their white-covered wagon Only month before their father had died, leaving his large family depend ent upon the two grown-up sons, and they were at Watauga for the purpose of straightening up his small business affairs and making certain arrange ments concerning the management of their little mountain farm.
 This required only short time, however, and on Tuesday morning they found themselves drifting with the crowd toward the college. wholly ignorant of the exercises going on there. The scene on the inside was revelation to both, for never before had an Avery, from Stump House, been within college building. There, upon the high old rostrum. sat the young men of the graduating class, clothed in their best, the center of at traction to all the vast assembly be- low One by one they stood before the audience, and with fervent, rustic e4oquence delivered their graduating speeches, each of which called forth enthusiastic applause, loads of flow CTS, and crash of discordant music from the noisy brass band in the gallery. Then, when the speeches were all over, the gayly be- ribboned diplomas were handed 10 the graduates by the president, after which came more applause and an. other rapturous burst of music from the gallery. The scene--impressive to those who were most accustomed to Watauga commencementsw was one which remained forever fadeless in the memories of the mountaineer brothers.
 The Arveys' journey home that aft ernoon was an unusually quiet one. For hour after hour neither spoke; both sat gazing in kind of trance upon the mountain scenery which had been familiar to them from childhood. No sound disturbed the stiffness ex. cept the rumble of the wagon and the hoof- f-strokes of the little mules upon tho flinty mountain road. 1t was tho older. brother who broke the silence.
 Tom" he said. "I'm gwine ter stan on thet same platform some day an say my speech an git my paper"
 Tive sworn the same, Gus" came the laconic reply; "the Arveys hey got ter be heerd frum,"
 It was doubtless fortunate for the brothers that they could not compre. bend the obstacles that lay between them and the doors of the college; both had times of Encouragement, l and t required the strongest deter. imitation, combined with frequent l visits to Watauga for fresh inspira- tion, to keep them faithful. At the end of three years. however, by per. j sistent labor and with the aid of the teacher at Double Springs, himself a Watauga graduate, they had pre- l pared Ln6MSSlVSS lOT entrance 1nLO college.
 ] As it was found impossible for both to attend at the same time, the rather delicate situation arose of deciding which one should first enjoy the coveted privilege.
 I "I s'pose, Gus. bein' the oldest, you ought to be the first to go," Tom suggested, rather reluctantly.
 But Tom had not proven a very successful farmer, and that was prob. ably the reason for the plan proposed by Gus,
 ''No, Tom," he explained, "if you go on now an graduate you can help me along sight better. Be sides, alw'ys seemed to have a kind O. knack O runnin' the farm; you must go nrst."
 So 1t was decided. On the first day of October Gus carried Tom and his little handful of belongings down to Watauga in the wagon, and after seeing him properly settled in his new world, turned his own face again toward Stump House.
 1t was dark when the wagon rolled into the yard After the mules had been stabled and ted. Gus stood for : few moments looking silently across