Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1916-10-26

ton. with kindly smiles for Dayid's
shyness; but he was acutely i'll at
ease, nevertheless, among the group
OF young matrons who clustered at
Mrs. Bullets side in their silks and
dainty muslins-treasures In the will
derness-and he was glad to escape
to the narrow veranda, where a group
of older men eonversed in quiet tones
upon the affairs of the Territory. Da-
vid stared at their yellow nankeen
trousers.
Harrison. the governor, who had
come from Vineennes to oversee his
spring planting, and had tarried for
the evening. was among the group.
he turned to a young man:
"Mr. Blackboard" he said, II believe
that you have the distinction of be-
ing graduated from the same college
which President Madison attended. |
myself was a student at Hampden-
Sidney college; but l remember hear
ing my father ono say that, besides
the institution which was the first
born of all American cOlleges-his
own college of William and Mary
there was but one which a Virginian
might attend without doing violence
tc his family traditions; he might. II
he had no soul, go to Harvard, or, IT
he had NJ stomach, go to a nutmeg
institution at New Haven; but as a
Virginian and a gentleman he would
go to Princeton"
Blackboard laughed. He was q young
lawyer who had just arrived in the
territory, the first of the galaxy of
young men bred in the eastern col
leges who were to achieve distinction
in the new country. His face had at
tracted David Laurence singularly
there was something in the mans
fine, straightforward look that drew
him like a brother. And here was an
opportunity he could now crafty
through Blackford an ambition he had
secretly nourished for some time, to
study law in the evenings. He was
gro ling restless with no greater oc.
cupation than measuring silk and cal
icuts over a store counter. And the
law would be a step-one step al
least-toward Toinette.
"Have you ever met the president
Mr.. Blackboard" Harrison went on
"Once only, Governor Harrison.
shall never forget seeing him at oul
commencement exercises last Septem
Der; he was there with his two class
raates, Philip Freneau and Judge
Breckenridge of Pittsburgh. The!
were great cronies while in college
I believe. One saw them wandering
under the elms with their arms
around one another's shoulders, laugh
ing at some n"onSensical ballad abou
smoking that Mr.. Freneau had writ
ten"
"Freneau is our greatest poet" salt
Harrison. "Surely his beautiful line
on The Indian Burying Ground hi
exquisite ode to The Wild Honey
suckle,' and that matchless dirge TO
the dead who fell at Eutaw Spring
will live forever"
And in his deep and resonant voice
his face shrouded in the shadows o
the veranda, he began to recite tina
splendid elegy. For a while no on
spoke. Each was thinking of tn
shadow of war with England tina
seemed deepening with the days; 0
the closer, more terrible shadow 0
the Indian.
; Someone began to speak of Pres
dent Madison's policy of diplomat
correspondence with England, and hi
! attempts to settle the maritime dis
l putes ~peaceably.
Spier Spencer, the hot-headed-Df
vid's host at the tavern-was abou
; to reply tiet it was more intolerabl