The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1908-12-17

MS VlOllQ pr1ct1ce the cut OF his golf
| lannels. the immaculate elegance of
| his motor car. even the white carna-
| ion be affected in bis buttonhole.
! made him for the younger men good
| ~ pattern of the cloth. and it had
| speedily grown to be the fashion to
hear the brilliant young minister.
| Something Of all this was in the law
yer's mind as he paused-a perfunctory
| pause-before he continued:
| Il do give and bequeath the sum Of
| $1,000 and the memory Of his misspent
YOUTH
Harry Sanderson's eyes had wan
dered from the chair to the slim fig
ure Of the girl who sat by the screen
This was Jessica Holme, the orphaned
daughter of a friend of the old mans
early years, who had recently come to
the house in the aspens to fill the void
left by Hugh's departure. Harry could
see the contour of throat and wrists,
the Wild rose mesh Of the skin against
the Romney blue gown, the plenteous
| red bronze hair uncoiled and falling in
single braid and the shadowy pathos
| OF her eyes. Clear hazel eyes they
| we're, wide and full, but there was in
| them no depth of expression, for Jes-
sica Holme was blind. As the crisp,
| deliberate accent pointed the judicial
period as with subterranean echo of
| irrefutable condemnation Harry saw
her under lip indraWn, her hands clasp
tightly, then unclasp in her lap. Plant,
| graceful hands, he thought, which even
blindness could not make maladroit.
60 on rasped the old man.
1.-THE residue of my estate, real and
| personal, I do give and bequeath to
| my ward, Jessica Holme''-
| He broke off suddenly, for the girl
| was kneeling by the chair cropping for
the restless hand that wandered on the
| afghan and crying in a strained, agi-
tated voice: "No-no-you must not.
| He is your son.
I'm the eyes Of the law, yes. But
| not otherwiser' His voice rose. What
| has he done to deserve anything from
| me? What has he had all his life but
kindness? And how has he repaid it?
By being waster and prodigal. By
setting me in contempt and finally by
forsaking me in my old age for his
own paths Of ribaldry.''
| The girl shook her head You don't
know where he is now or what he is
doing. Oh, he was wild and reckless,
| have no doubt, but when he quarreled
and. left you wasn't it perhaps because
| he %oo
hasn't come back isn't it perhaps be-
cause he is too proud:'
"Jessica. I've not forgiven him seven
times. I've forgiven him seventy times
seven. But he doesn't want forgive
ness. To him I am only the old man
who refused to put up longer for his
fopperies and e1travagances. When he
left this house six months ago he de-
clared he would never enter it again.
Very we'll; let him stay away. He
shan't come back when | am in nv
grave to play ducks and brakes with
the money he misuses! And I've fixed
it so that you won't be able to give it
away either. Jessica.'
The girl, still kneeling, turned half
about with hopeless gesture "Oh.
won't you help me:' she said. She
spoke more to herself, it seemed. than
| to either of the men who waited.
''Sanderson,'' said the old man with
bitter ferceness. lifting his hand. 81
dare say you think I am hard. but I
tell you there has never been day
since Hugh was born when vouldn +
have laid down my life for him! You
are so like. When look at you l seem
to see him as he might have been but
for his own hayward choice. If he
were only as like you in other things
as be is in feature. You are nearly the
same age. You went to the same COL
1ege, believe. You have had the same
advantages and the same temptations.
Yet you, an orphan, come out a diyini-
" student, and Hugh-my SOMEONE'S
out a roisterer with gambling debts. a
member of the fast SET one of disso-
lutte fraternity known as The Saints.
whose very existence, no doubt. was a
shame to the institutionv'
harry Sanderson turned SLOWLY to
the light. A strange panorama in that
moment had flashed through his brain
Kaleidoscope pictures of an early
reckless era when he had not been
known as the REV. Henry Sanderson y
" think I ought to say that was
the founder, and at the time you speak
of, the abbot Of The Saints. was in the
same year with Hugh. We sowedz our
wild oats together, tidy, crop, fancy,
FOR MS both. That page Of my life is
E pasted down speak OF it now be-
Ecause 1t would be cowardly not to. I
Ehave not seen Hugh since college
closed four years ago. But then I was
all You called him-a waster and a
prodigal. And + was more, for while
others followed led. At. college /
was known as Satan Sandelson.'"
ut is the Hugh Of the present. khat
l am dealing: with, y said the Old nan.
For David Stires was just and he vas
feeling GRIM respect for Harry's
honesty. - +.