Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1908-06-04
A Man of High Degree.
IOriginal.l

arthur Leighton at school constantly
lSd his classes. His father was poor,
and Arthur's prospects for getting
more than a school education were not
encouraging when an aunt died and
left him an annuity Of $1,000 so long
as he remained a student IN a univer-
lty which she designated.
Arthur was eighteen and a half
when he entered college. He passed a
| splendid examination and was picked
! out for head Of his class. His friend
Edwin Tyler, entered the same year,
| managed to scrape through the en-
| trance examination and was picked
! out for the foot Of the class. At the
! high school from which the two young
| men went to college was Beatrice
| Ford, young lady Of sixteen, to whom
| both were devoted. The brilliant Leigh
! ton, however, was far in the lead, and
there was an understanding between
| him and Beatrice that when he was
graduated they should be engaged.
During the first year Arthur Leigh
| ton took most of the prizes offered
| while Ned Tyler barely maintained O
small fraction over a rating whick
would throw him out Of college. Tyler
was somewhat prominent in athletics
but he was especially interested In
class poAtlcs. Not being sufficiently
scholarly to warrant his appropriatinA
any Of the appointments" to himselk
he distributed them among those sup
posed to be fitted for them. Indeed
he was what might be called the class
boss" But in the middle of the seCOne
year even this ignobIe distinction was
denied him, for he was caught one
night hosting a calf into the belfrs
| and expelled.
Leighton was graduated at the hea&
Of his class. He had spent every va
cation with Beatrice Ford, had cor
| responded with her and on his gradu&
bon they became formally engaged
Arthur was very much puzzled In the
choice OF q career. He was so YER
yatile, he seemed fitted for SO, many
different fields, that he was drawn ia
| as many different directions. WheH
the summer had passed he had nor
decided. If by the first Of October
following he did not return to collegs
he would find himself without an in.
come. He concluded to enter for .
postgraduate course, during which he
would make up his mind as to his fu'
ture course. Had there been law
school at his alma mater he would
have become a lawyer, for he could
have studied the profession there, re.
ceiving the annuity. But there was
no law school at the university, and
by the terms of the will he must study
there, and there only.
Meanwhile Ned Tyler continued his
downward course - SO some of his
friends expressed it-by hunting up
scraps of news and selling them to
newspapers. There seemed only one
occupation lower than this, and he fell
into that too. He became a political
ward manager. He had the while
been steadfast in his love for Beatrice
Ford, though she was preoccupied with
his rival. One day after an election
she saw his name in the list of sue
cessful candidates for the legislature.
"How fortunate" she said, that I
chose Arthur! I always feared that
Ned would go down hill"
At the end Of another year Leighton
found himself In a position to lose the
benefit of his course OF study unless
he finished 1t, which would take an
other year. Besides, the moment he
ceased to be student at the uniVer-
sity his income would cease. He con-
suited with Beatrice, who declined to
advise him. He continued the course,
and when the second year was finish
ed, being still In the same position,
took third year.
Beatrice did not lack decision, and
when Arthur entered for the third
year his postgraduate course she broke
the engagement. This nearly broke his
heart as well, but he was getting too
old to study profession, had no taste
for business, and his only way of max
ing a living seemed to be by remaining
q student. The consequence was that
when the seventh year of his studies
expired he entered for the degree OF
bachelor of philosophy, which required
an additional five years course.
Meanwhile Edwin Tyler, being oblig-
ed to get up on his feet occasionally
and talk to his fellow legislators, grad
ually attained the reputation of saying
more to the point in fewer words than
any of them, He was nominated for
lieutenant governor and elected. The
governor died, and Tyler became gov
ernor While he occupied the latter Of
fee, hearing that his old sweetheart
was disengaged, he proposed again.
Beatrice had seen one Of her lovers
begin high and remain on the same
level, which means to sink. Another be-
gan low and climbed steadily upward.
She objected to being the wife of a
perpetual college boy, but was not
averse to being the wife of a governor.
She had waited seven years for the
college boy and was now old enough
to Danish some of the sentiment Of
early maidenhood and appreciate real
success. SO she decided to take the
man who she once considered was
''going down hill" and now before the
marriage has taken place the governor