Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-05-19
PART ".
Epilogue.
At the Point.

eyentful November at Groyeten. had dawn
ed upon the co-educational commence
ment." that blissfal week of the college,
had come and gone. Baecalaureate sermon
was thing of the past, and a thing by
no means forgotten. for the president had
the gift of words that lived long in MEM
DRY. The biggest battalion ever mustered
On the campus, up to that fair June day.
had held it's final review and parade, a ia
nous general of the army coming with his
staff to add eclat to the ceremonies and TO
compliment complacent board of trus-
tees on the remarkable progress made I'M
der their wise and intelligent direction.
whereat the battalion swayed in mirth ire
pressible, the first bit of unsteadiness OBJ
servabie that day, for it was we'll known
that, until Col Vests reappointment on
the Doard-he having been temporarily SD
perSeded through adverse political compIi-
cations-Fane had had one long uphill
tussle with that semi-bucolical body,
winning out as the boys expressed It.
only by sheer pluck and pertinac-
lty. A remarkable scene was that that
followed the dismissal of parade when
at some prearranged signal the student
soldfery broke ranks and swarmed about
their young instructor. young despite
certain Hlmy strands of gray that showed
about his temples, and told perhaps more
of life. They. cheered him until the raj
tiers or the old gymnasium trembled. They
chaired West, his hacker and champion
until that blushing veteran begged for
permission to return once more to terra
hrma. The two years of almost ceaseless
battle for right and recognition were
successfully from every point where they
had made a stand. The president long
since had learned the value to the col
lege of such discipline as Fame had
taught The president still held war and
preparation for war to be barbarous but
when such preparation resulted in such
almost Gnheard-of things as courteous
and respectful demeanor toward even the
weaklings among the faculty, and to vast
Improvement in student bearing at lee
ture. chapel and recitation, the president
conceded that even from such Ubiquitous
premises might spring conclusions well
worth cultivating. Nine out of ten of the
students had become Fane's adherents
even though some of the nine could have
dispensed with some of the drills. The
main opposition had come from trustees
representing the more remote districts
men who swallowed entire the stories
told by the few students sent home for
academic reasons. and were sure to lay
their shortcomings, either in studies or
conduct. to the exactions of "tne military
prof. 1t took time to combat these inn
Presslons-t1me. patience and self-disci-
pline, and Ronald Fame had had himself
to contend with and subdue before he
could begin to convince the trustees. some
two or three of whom had held out to the
last 1t vas not until the meeting of that
second summer. the first since Vests
restoration to the board (yice poor Stet-
sons local representative now deposed)
that Fanes victory was finally compIete
Meanwhile there had been many a trial
oil which the outside world heard nothing
and Groveton but little. OF these that
fond but most unreasoning mother con-
tributed, perhaps. the greatest number
and the burden fell almost equally on
Ronald and on Jane. Long a power in
garrison circles. never for moment
could the aging widow adapt herself to
conditions wherein she was but a cipher.
Bred to the army blue, if not the purple.
poor Mrs Fame could not be reconciled
to what she termed the dreary inanities'
of life in a western college town. She
who had reigned as the social head the
wife of the commanding officer. the re-
cipient Of the attention fiattery and hon.
age of all within her ken, actually suf-
Iered in the apparent neglect and indif-
terence OF these narrow and unappre-
ciative provincials.' Poor Mrs. Fame
could talk to her callers of little but the
state in which she had dwelt the distin-
guished personages she had intimately
that were the almost daily episodes
of her life at Newport, at WASH
ington and Old Point Comfort. Sim
ple-,ninded, simple hammered and simply
sowned women, wives and daughters of
teachers. some of whom were eminent In
their line listened with little sympathy but
could find other topic on which she
would converse. Ronald and Jane mad
early discovered a mine of interest and in
struetion in the weekly lectures in science
We're favored. but Mrs. Fame, after one daz-
zling display at a faculty reception and
the discovery that Ronald was the only
man in evening dress and herself the only
woman properly gowned,' had refused to
attend further functions of the kind and
had thereby brought not reproach, but in
finite relief, to a circle that had suffered
distinct sense of shock at her appearance
metropolitan and provincial theories as to
what was or was not proper in feminine
evening toilet being widely at variance.
Sister Clare, bride-elect of the rector of
Grace, had not ventured to appear decol-
lete despite warrantable predlection},
thanks to hint from Jane. whose attire
had even been simplicity itself. .
Mrs Fane'S one adventure in college So
ciety was long thereafter a fruitful topic
of whispered remark in strictly feminine
circles of Groveton, and when. soon there
after, the Borrowing, complaining, suffer
ing woman took to her bed and slowly
pinned and sadly wept her life away, 1t was
not easy for college wives and mothers and
sisters to do what they did do-come day
after day. some of them at least, to offer
aid and comfort. to bring delicacies and
tempting dishes and tender of service as
nurse and helper and Ronald Fame, who
had thought these people cold, uncharitable
unsympathetic, found his heart going out
to them in gratitude unspeakable, and
James deep eyes welled over time and again
with gushing tears. The long and anxious
months of that first spring and summer at
last rolled by. and all that was mortal of
a once queenly woman was borne away
and laid by the side of the soldier husband
vino had preceded her to the land of
sha dows.
There was another stay and comfort in
that dreary time for which Ronald felt
most fervent thankfulness. West had re-
turned at Christmastide bringing with him
to their final resting place all save men,
Org that was left him of the invalid wife
he had taken abroad. West had not been
slow to that his generals widow had
not long to live. and in every gentle. UNI
obtrusive way he sought to relieve the
brother and sister of some part of their
heavy burden. Accustomed to unlimited
professional services from the army physi-
clans, poor Mrs. Fame expected just as
much from civilian practitioners. whose
monthly bills could not but equal Ronalds
monthly pay had customary rates been
charged Fame felt sure, despite good DIR.
stanton's stout denial, that West was
accountable for that most moderate
were heard. and it was rendered,
and Jane went off without word
and hid somewhere that lovely afternoon.
She so very seldom happened to meet West
at any time.