Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-08-02

sixty years ago and
- upwards. | remem-
q Der the names of some
>. - of those schoomates,
In 1879 and by fitfu glimpses,
even their faces rise
dimy before for ment,-only just long
enough to be recognized; then they vanish. 1
pupil,-slender, pale, studious, bending over his
book and absorbed in it, his long. straight black
hair hanging down below his jaws like pair of
curtains on the sides of his face. can see him
give his head toss and firt of the curtains
back around his head to get it out of his way, ap
parently; really to show off,
to have hair of so flexible sort that it could be
flung back in that way, with firt of the head.
George Robards was the envy of us ALL for there
no hair among that competent for
this exhibition as his except perhaps. the yellow
locks of Will Bowen and John Robards My hair
was dense ruck Of short eurls and SO was my
get these crooks Strengthened out that they
would filrt but we never succeeded. Sometimes,
by soaking heads and then combing and brush
ing our hair down tight and fiat to our skulls we
could get it straight temporarily, and this gave
a comforting moment of joy; but the first time
gave it irt it all shriveled into curS again, and
our happiness was gone.
John ROBARDS was the little brother of George.
> He chap, with silky golden curtains to
his face which dangled to his shoulders and below
and could be flung back ravishingly. When he
twelve years old he crossed the plains with his
father amidst the rush of the gold seekers of 40:
it spurred westward We were all there to see and
to envy And l can still see that proud little chap
sailing by a great horse, with his long locks
streaming out behind
We were all hand to gaze and envy when
he returned, two years later, in unimaginable
glory-for he had travelled None of us had ever
been forty miles from home; but he had crossed
the continent! He had been in the gold mines
that fairyland of our imagination And he had
done a still more wonderful thing. He had been
in ships,-in ships on the actual ocean; in ships
three actual oceans! For he had sailed down
the Pacific and around the Horn, among ice
bergs and through snow storms and wild wintry
gales, and had sailed and turned the corner and
flown northward in the trades and up through the
blistering equatorial waters and there in his
through! We would have sold souls to Satan
for the privilege of trading places with him.
saw him when l was out on that Missouri trip
four years ago: He was old then.---though not
quite old as land the burden of life upon
him. He said his granddaughter, twelve years old,
had read my books, and would like to see me. 1t
was pathetic time: for she was prisoner in her
roon and marked for death. And John knew that
she passing swiftly away Twelve years old
just her grandfathers age when he rode away on
that great journey with his yellow hair Tapping
behind him. In her l seemed to that boy again.
1t if he had come back out of that remote
past and was present before me in his golden youth
Her malady heart disease, and her brief life
A MOTHER of those schoolboys John Garth.
He became prosperous banker and promi-
nent and valued citizen; and few years ago he
died, rich and honored He died! 1t is what l
have to say about many of those boys and girls.
The widow still lives. and there grandchildren.
In her pantalet days and my barefoot days she
schoolmate of mine. saw Johns tomb when made
that Missouri visit.
Her father, Mr.. Kercheval, had an apprentice in
the early days when l nine years DID, and he
had also slave woman who had many merits. But
can't feel very kindly forgivingy toward either
that good apprentice boy or that good slave woman
ing on loose log which supposed was attached to