The evening Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1918-1920, 1919-03-31

ourSnal.Fatiye and weary the reader.
Those years from Jacks passing to
the time that the youngest Purse boy
left to take job down in Boston are
one of those periods of Uncle Joe
Folders when 'snothin' didn't hap
pen" All we can set down is that
she did her task somehow-the task
! almost beyond her strength, and yet
a task in which will-power and moth
| er-love and her husbands memory
triumphed and which she completed.
And her only remuneration as she
went along was the fervent hope that
Thomas Joshua would not fail her,
that he would turn out a preacher.
But we might as we'll have it first
as last: Tom Purse did not turn out
a preacher.
The old Seminary on the north side
Of Putnam Square was burned down
in nineteen-hundred and Paris builF
fairly up-to-date high school. Ii
due course of time Tom entered this
institution and on his graduation went
up to the University of Vermont. We
learned that he was. working in one
of the Burlington newspaper Offices
to pay his expenses and tuition-with
what his mother sent him, which she
saved and had ready from God only
lnows where. He was a quiet stu
dious boy very intense in everything
he did and his high marks won him
a scholarship in his third year. That
helped out some. He was valedictor-
ian at Commencement. Ala
The night he came back to Paris,
he and his mother drove out to the
Purse place together. She had not
been able to afford the trip to the
graduation because the twins were
coming along and wanted to get
through Middlebury in another !, two
years. 1t was a rainy day in the last
of June and neither mother nor son
felt like talking-but that was not
altogether the rain.
They reached home and Tom, put
up the horse. Mrs. Morrow was
growing more and more feeble. The
other boys had not returned from
school OF from work and with Mrs.
Morrow in her chair in the kitchen
asleep, mother and son were alone.
"Well," Mary said softly, "at, any
rate, one of you boys has had a col
lege education
Eyes, Ma" =
Tom arose and took couple eof
turns up and down the room. He
was big strapping fellow now-six
feet in his stockings-with sharp
forceful features and a steel-gray
eye. He pulled out his college jim
my-pipe and filled it thoughtfully
standing by the window and looking
out into the fragrant rainy. night.
Tommy" breathed the mother
fearfully at last, from her place be-
fore the devastated dishes, els it
ALL completed, Tommy"
The young man flushed deeply
"You mean, Ma, the the
theological school?''
eyes," she said half-hopefully. =
He was long time in replying and
in that moment the mother knew she
had another disappointment to bury
in her life.
"Confound it, Ma, l hate to
say it, / know it hurts you like
sin, but what's the use of trying
to follow up something don't care
anything about and amt fitted for?'
at was the dream of my life,
Tommy, from the first night |
looked into your little face, that you
should some day be minister. And
I'm :. I'm willing to keep right on
workin', Tommy, to see you get the
money to help you out there Also
That's the trouble, Ma, you've
been working too darned much! I've
felt ashamed of it lots of times. But
I've got the satisfaction of knowing
didn't cheat plugged to get
through as hard as you plugged to
have me-"
81 know you did, son. It would
MT be in Jack Purses son to cheat"
She waited a long time. Then she
said: "And you aren't going to try
| to be Minister"
whats the use, MAJ" he cried
| without looking into her face. 'sI'm