Year: 1877

However, to pass over that, and
come to the time when we all left college
with young honors thick upon us.
Weren't we proud of our diplomas,
though? Boys, want you to tell me
truly whether you ever took your sheep
skin out of its case after the first six
months 2"


"Haven't seen mine since two weeks
after commencement" murmured Gra-
ham.


"Don't know where mine is,'' said
Fenton, and the others intimated that
their experience entirely coincided with
his.


That's just it, boys" pursued the
Judge. 81 tried to get q situation by
exhibiting that imposing document, but
after good many trials and as many
ignominious failures put the pious
fraud away and left off being a college
graduate. went in on my merits
then, resolved to win or perish in the at
tempt. 1t seemed as If j would have to
accept the latter alternative. 1 had
neither money nor friends, and there
were plenty of young men with wealth
and position ready to fill every vacancy.
l was pretty hard up for money, you
know, and it was about this time l fell
in with Steve Ranald who was in about
the same condition with respect to funds.
believe none of you ever saw him, did
you? wish you had known him. He
was half French, and that accounts for
some peculiar traits in his character A
magnificent looking fellow, with GER
tain kind of fascination about him that
you could not resist. 1 could not, L
know. He led me into all kinds of
scrapes that never would have thought
of going into, and it was impossible to
blame him. He had such a merry,
light-hearted way with him, when he
chose, that took me quite by storm.


"Well, as said, our condition was
about the same financially, so we joined
together and rented room in a very
cheap but respectable neighborhood. We
kept bachelors hall there very comfort
ably for awhile, while hunted employ
ment, and he compounded wonderful
French dishes out of nothing.


suppose in my search for employ
ment, l had started out with the vague
idea of becoming minister to some for
eign power, or postmaster-general, or
something of that kind. My aspirations
after declining for several weeks, like q
decreasing series of geometrical progress
sions-the bette noir of my boyhood--at
last pointed to an ordinary clerkship in
some mercantile establishment as hap
piness beyond comparison. Even here
l was doomed to disappointment, and
then l gave up the struggle. / had
! spent my last dollar that morning. All
day had walked from street to street,
from square to square. My limbs were
aching with the unaccustomed exercise,
my brain was in whirl L knew one
man whom my father had befriended
years ago in the days of his prosperity,
| when the man was in great distress.
Since then fortunes wheel had turned,
and my father had died in poverty while
Mr.. Laclade was one of the money kings
of the city. Can you understand why I
would not go to him until every other
resource had failed ? Even then went
slowly and reluctantly. 1 stood before
the door in the gaslight, watching the
crowds as they came and went, thinking
some very bitter things, it may be. But
at last l went in, knowing that they
would soon close up for the night and
asked to speak with Mr.. Laclade.


He received me in his private office
where he was looking over and filing pa
pers; and he left me standing near the
door, and went on with his work, aftel
once looking up and saying, good eve
ning.2 There was something repulsiv,
about him, I thought, and determined
to try for the situation first, withou
saying anything about who / was. 81
1 stated my business very concisely. H,
raised his spectacles on his glisteninl
forehead, referred from me to pape
he held in his hand, and from the pape
back to me, and then said


&C Young man, there is no vacanc,
and even if there were, for the past tw,
weeks there have been on an averag
twenty applications like this per diem


You had better apply somewhere else


My hand was on the door-knob, bu
turned around and looked at him


Without knowing cleverly how tn
words came, said slowly:


"'I am Kenneth Lane, sir. My yfathe