Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1910-02-04
The Argus Daily Short Story
He Is My Friend" F. A. Mitchell
Copyrighted. 1910. by Associated Literary Press

In the autumn of 1896 l entered
Brown university, the college of Rhode
Island. A freshman just entered
knows none of his fellow students,
not even his own classmates, and is
naturally curious concerning those
about him. One afternoon soon after
my matriculation l was in the room
of an upper class man where were half
a dozen students listening to a rosy
checked boy who was firing bits of
wit and humor at them with the ra-
pidity of a modern Calling gun. his
shots being received by them with
bursts of laughter. / asked who the
little fellow was and whether he was
in college. Great was my surprise
when informed that he was a junior.
He had entered at fifteen and was now
seventeen. He was from the western
state of Illinois.
The Illinoisan, as l shall call him, /
soon learned. was the shining light of
the college He was so bright that
be had no great need to study and
possessed a memory to retain all he
learned.
1 roomed next t. a Eentuckian who
was a member of the same Greek
letter society as the IllinOisan, and
there l frequently met the latter. This
Kentuckian. a large. handsome fellow,
and an Ohioan at this period fought
mock duel, intending it as a hoax for
their %feIlow students. One wintry
morning at daylight while the snow
was falling they drove across the
border of the state, a few miles dis
tant, exchanged blank cartridge shots.
and the Kentuckian walked into chap
ell for prayers with his arm in sling.
His antagonist had poked hole in
his hat.
Meanwhile the Illinoisan was coming
to be considered the college genius.
Having shown a fancy for writing
verses, he was selected to deliver the
poem at the exercises held on class
day. 1 can see the slight. youthful fig
ure now after an interval of half a
century. graceful In the scholastic
gown worn on such occasions, speak
ing his poem with accompanying ges-
lures in the chapel before an audience
largely composed of young men and
young women.
The young poet recited his poem in
the spring of 1853 and for the next
three years was occupied, l believe, at
his home in Illinois studying the pro-
fession of law. During this period
man was coming from comparative OBJ
security to exercise an enduring infiu-
ence upon the nation. Abraham Lin
coin was debating with Senator Doug
las those questions winch were in the
end to be determined by the sword.
Then came the election of 1860. and
Lincoln stepped from the position of
an attorney in n small town to the of
fee of president of the United States.
Students who have been friends in
college on separating usually write one
another for awhile; then their friend
ship lies dormant for the rest of their
lives unless perchance they meet to
talk over the golden days OF their col
lege course. l had not been especially
intimate with the young Illinois poet
for he was of a class two years ahead
Of mine and Of different college fra
ternity. But the time was soon to
come when / should be brought into
closer relation to him. In the summer
of 1861 my father was appointed by
President Lincoln a brigadier general
Of volunteers aud ordered to report for
duty to General Mcclellan. command
ing the Army of the Potomac. j went
with my father as lieutenant of New
York regiment. detailed to serve as
aid-de-camp on his staff.
On arriving in Washington we put
up at the old Willard hotel. One after
moon soon after reaching Washington
l saw my Illinois poet for the first
time since he was graduated. He was
leaning against the cigar stand. There
were several of us present who had
known him in college. and we-au gath