The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1911-08-25
BEING
INSPECTED
By HENRY C. WILLING
Copyright by American Press Asso-
rlntIr~ fofN -|

In college we were divided into good.
jndirerently good and bad. 1 regret to
say that I was of the third class-bad-
The badness in college boys is usually
but a superfluity of health, youth and
spirits, and when ] look back upon my
self at that period 1 see simply a boy
passing into manhood.
As soon as l was graduated l sought
the freedom Of the wild west. Ranch
ing was my vocation and cowboys
were my associates. The only thing
that I can remember creditable to my
self while a rancher was falling In
love with Eleanor Warfeld. a visitor
at a n%eighboring ranch. This occur
red during my first year in the west
and some time before I had been
transformed from the grub. youth. in
to the superior being, man. Miss War
field returned my pronered affection
and consented to be my wife. but on
one condition. I must be approved BY
her uncle. He was rich, and, being Q
bachelor, she was to be his heir. New
ertheless she was sure that II she mar
ried a man displeasing to him he
would leave his property elsewhere.
My aancee. having finished her visit,
left for the east. She was to announce
her engagement to her uncle and Gre
ate as favorable al impression with
regard to me as possible. Then. the
way having been made smooth. l was
to go east myself and present myself
for inspection.
Miss Warfield wrote me some time
after her arrival that she had inform
ed her uncle Of her engagement. She
was not ov%erhopcful In the matter, for
he had asked n number of questions as
to my ~antecedents which she knew very
well would not please q critical old
gentleman who had never sown his
wild pats and whose ideas of a hus-
band for his niece inclined to the cler-
zeal profession. What troubled Eleanor
that he asked at what college l
had studied, and from my career at the
university as I had frankly given 1t to
her she was quite sure he would hear
no good Of me. She was %agreeably
disappointed in this, however. for the
faculty spoke very well of me. a cir
cumstance which surprised me and led
me to believe that these gentlemen
consider unmeritorious students more
needful Of encomiums than those who
are m%eritorious. At any rate. I have
found them far more lenient to my
faults as a graduate than they were to
me as a student.
When the time came for my inspec-
tion I wrote my 1ancee. giving her the
day and train on which I would ar
rive. On the way l fell in with an old
gentleman who vas the only person
on the train I cared to talk to and
whom I engaged In conversation. He
was one Of those men who have mor
sympathy with young people than
those Of their " age. He talked
horse, and I was delighted to talk
horse with him. He smoked to excess
and drank whenever It pleased him to
do 80. We hadn't been together half
hour before he brought out a fask,
cigars and cards. I was not personally
averse to any one Of the three and pre-
them together. Having i'm
bibed and lighted weeds. we proceed
ed to play. I found the gentleman the
best eucher player l had ever met.
Possibly my reason for so considering
him was because before we reached
our destination he had taken out Of me
all the money I had brought With me
for expenses.
"Weli.'' I said, "I'm cleaned out"
"Come to my bank tomorrow morn
Ing" he said. "and I'll cash a draft for
you"
Since I needed money from the start.
the arst thing I did after my arrival
was to call at the old gentleman's
bank. I found him q very different
person there from the man with whom
I had Travelled. He vas dignity itself.
He cashed my draft without the slight
est reference to the manner in which
We had whiled away the time ON the
train. asked a few civil questions and
dismissed me with the remark that
this was his busy day.
felt a tribe grogsy, and I feared I
looked groggy. Therefore I took Q
long nap. deferring my cali on my
f1ancee till evening. I WAS anxious to
zee Eleanor, but I feared to present q
appearance to her uncle.
At 4 o'clock I took q Turkish BATH,
dined. and at q. quite freshened. I rang
the doorbsll at tho War6elds. Eleanor
received me- lovingly. Of course. and
told me that the account the profess
sors had given Of mo at college had
made her quite hopeful. After chat
ting for some time she led mo into the
library to be inspected. An old gentle
man . from an easy chair. and
we'll, I was appalled,.
He was my fellow traveller.