The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1905-07-07

patches of level field here and there,
giving evidence Of summer heat even
in the mountains.
AS the carriage made a turn i'm The
road, and began the ascent OF a long,
regularly sloping red hill there was
seen a man stoutly trudging on in
front; and, as the horses slowly out
surely covered the intervening lis
lance, DIR. Vardell made a morning
salutation to a young man, or, rathsr,
lad Of Is or IS years old, dressed in
a new cheap suit of store" clothes.
and wearing 4 wide-brimmed wire
grass hat. Turning at the greeting OF
a stranger, the young fellow, of med
ium height and stout build, showed a
rudy, somewhat freckled face, ami
mated by bright blue eyes, as ne
pleasantly nodded in response TO n.
s%alutation. Then he looked down,
haif-comically and half -bashfully, at
his big white bare feet, a pair of stout
shoes, into which were stuffed thu
socks, being tied to the handles Of a
valise carried over his shoulder on u
stick.
"Is your journey to be a long one
today, my friend?" asked DR.. Vardelt.
I'm bound for the railroad station,
sir" he said in a clear, high voice, but
with the mountaineer drawl. Get il
here then; l am on my way to the s'a-
ton, and your welcome company will
more than pay for your ride"
The young mountaineer, after a lit
tie hesitation, unslung his valise from
his shoulder, placed it in the front OF
the carriage, and took a seat by his
new acquaintance. Naturally, he Uas
at first shy and embarrassed; but,
yielding to the affable AMI
friendly approaches of the older man,
his constraint wore off, and he lapsed
into the commandments of conhd-
ing youth. He was going to the Uni
versity to get his education, he sad,
and intended to spare enough mOne.E
to ride by rail to a town which h"
named, whence he would make the rest
of the sla,Tney on foot. His family
was poor, his father unable to do much
for him, and he had found it hard
lines to get his schooling, SO far; but
he believed that he vas pretty well
prepared to enter the Freshman class.
It was evident that he had not gon2
ahead blindly, but had felt his wa
carefully, and had skillfully laid bis
plans for getting a collegiate course.
It was work and study, study and
work, all through-a place in a store
at Lenoir during vacation, a job here
and there, etc.
The boy told his story simply, mod
estly and earnestly, with an occasional
fash of his blue eye as he sketched
his probable future, at The dim pic
ture of which ambition would leap up
tor Il moment in his young heart. DR..
Nardell was much impressed with the
youths steadfastness Of character,
even though only partly developed, and
with his tenacity Of purpose, while he
was no little amused by the naive
shrewdness of some of his remarks.
well" he said at last, you deserve to
succeed, and | hope and believe that
you will. What career do you intend
to enter on, after you have graduated:
Will you be a lawyer?" "Oh, no. re-
piled the young student, I'm not fitted
for the law; l haven't the gift Of the
gab.' Besides, l don't like it. I'd hate
to know that in a case I'd helped to get
a bad man off from the punishment he
uCScI Ntus d1u hItS olIi1 "oAoS W
feel that I haT>failed to get justice for
q, man who was innocent The listen
err was much struck with this clear-cut
strike at the ethics Of the law by a
mere boy, a little sophistical as it was.
The lad went on: Dad says there's
9 good opening for a doctor i'll our
neighborhood, and has been for years.
We live so far from the rest of the
world that no doctor has ever settled
there who knew a fever from a fit
In due course they drove up to the
railroad station, just before reaching
which the young mOuntaineer, with
something of Il blush on his freckled
face, bent over, and put oil his socks
and shoes. The train-as trains Occa-
sionally have fashion Of being in other
sections than Western North Carolina
was over an hour late; and DR.. Var
dell, walking up and down the shady
side of the platform, made a speaking
acquaintance with a man apparently 81
or 35 years of age, we'll dressed, with
a dark, deepset eye, a firm mouth, n
a face full of character"
"Yonder sits Mr.. Perseverance Of
the mountain glen; he's off to make his
way in the world, and he'll make it, for
all he's SO patient over the belated
train, which has already made you
consult your watch three or four
times"-and DR.. Nardell nodded to-
ward the young mountaineer, who was
seated on his valise at the end of the
platform, contentedly munching a
MONDAY snack.
Mr.. Perseverance, How do yoG
mean?' asked the stranger, Then DR..
Eardell told the story as it was told t.
him in the carriage on the road. His
chance acquaintance looked at the lad
with keen interest and somewhat
heightened color, and at last said mus
ingly: "Well, he'll do it: from what
you say, he is made of the right stuff,
and he will succeed" Then, after &
pause, he continued, his dark eye
lighting up as he spoke: at is a>coin-
c;dence that, with the gap of time and
-, o,,oar 1o&r-oan ~ }hic 1a1 nro1