CHAPTER VI.

Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 418, 9 November 1889, Page 3

CHAPTER VI.

And s,o the lifctle story may bo brought to an end. For a story should end aud should begin; like' the fiieze of a Greek temple, where at one end you see the head of a ho'ise, and at the other end see the tail of another ; but where you know nothing of the bodies of these t»vo horses. Tho little Silas could and would do anything which Will Mallory bado him do. And it ended, oddly enough, after two years, in Will's taking him with him when he went to college- at Cambridge. For the little boy delighted in his singing. He still had that clear soprano voice, and he had a tenderness and sympathy wJiich compelled him to sing with the epirit. Will had laid up 300 dollars by his printing, and was taentor as a'spebitil student at Harvard. . Little Silas 1 took on so,' as his mother said, at the idea of parting, that she recollected that she had a cousin in Cainbiidge, and with Will's full approval pent tho little fellow down to spend the winter with her, that he need nob be a mile away from his best friend. And his mother knew, and Will knew, that he. could have better training in music at Cambiidge than he could have in New Iberia. Will did not shrink from the compunionship. There was no reason why he should. Twice a day the little fellow run in to see him, and twice a day Will cheered him up, aud coached him artel ad\ ised him. He was able to put the boy among the sopranos in the'collego choir, which means in a capital school for his voice, so he saw and heard him every morning in chapel ; and as Silas went to school Will would walk along wijbh him, and they would be ; boya. -together again. This lasted for a year ; and when the> little fellow"s sopiano gave out, as such voices will, he found still that he had the friends whom he had earned on {Sundays and on week-days, and those friends were WilPs as well as his. . For Will, he had always meant to fight his own way through college. He made an agreement very soon, in a printing office, to come and set type ef Latin copy, from three o'clock to seven every afternoon. A part of this time he had Silas with him, as he used to do in old days at the ' Argue ' office. ' Silas had to carry* the proofs to Dr Bentley, who has the edition of this new pdition.';-of Terence. When Will went round* "dne day, to make sure that he understood the notes on a different passage, and it proved that he had understood tho arrangement of type in a German critic better than the Doctor had, Mrs Bentley and George Bentley took to Will, and he went there often. The society of an academy or college town is always simple ; that is to say the best people find c-ich other oub, and come together.; Will Mallory was popular with the ! fellows,' because he was good-natured, obliging, and simple, partly"' because he was not 1 afraid in football, and, though he did not pretend to be much of a baseball man, could take his place as a substitute. With fche oldqr people in the college he uas a favourite tor the same reasons. He * confessed ignorance ' when he was ignorant, he listened well, he bore a hand when he was j asked to. He would sing if Mrs BonUey asked him to sing, he would play tennis if anybody failed to appear, he did not insist always on having his own way. His two < years,- and Silas' as well, passed only too quickly. Then, by what we call an accident, they came to an end before he had really finished the course he had planned Silas was reading one of Mr Stevenson's stories one evening when Commodore Stetson called, Commodore Stetson had invented a new arrangement for an electric signal on board ship, and he had come to consult Mr Marrer, Silas's uncle, about the details. For Mr Marrer *vas an electrician. As always, Silas paid much more attention to what other people we c saying than to his own business. So he heard tho Commodore say that he wanted the new ' call ' finished, if possible, within a month, for that ho had been ordered to the East Indian Station, and that they should all eail before the 10th of July. Silas could nob help thinking how nice it would be to go with him, to have a chance at breadfruit and onagras, and lobsters, guava, and other luxuries of • Swiss Family Robinson.' But he said nothing. Will had made him understand that he must hold his tongue — ' that the dumb man's ordcis still in crease. ' Even when the Commodoie went on to say, '1 am going to see- Mr Bolles, the secretary, to sco who he can give mo for an amanuensis or private clerk,' Silas bit his tongue and said nothing. ' You see,' said this nice, hearty sailor, 'I want a youngfellow with his eyes open, who has a smack at language, who can write a better hand than 1, and make a better sketch than I, and a gentleman ho must be, too, who can keep, secrets and keep out of quarrels with bhe .midshipmen and the ship's oilicers.' Even then Silas, in "agony' with biting his tongue, said nothing. • ' Bub as soon-as the Commodore had gone, when Mr Marrer came back from the door, Silas cried, with aU his pent-up eagerness, ♦ Why cannot Will Mallory go with him ?' ' He* is just the right person ! \Vhy did I never think of him? But it is not too late, Silas.' And he sat down and wrote a note to Commodore Stetdon, and even pub on a special stamp to please Silas. And Silas took it to tho post offico. And Will Mallory had the appointment as secretary to the Admiralty, for the next week the Commodore was promoted. And before they sailed he had persuaded the Admiral that it would be convenient to have a hand press on board, and a little type with which to triplicate manuscripts and to issue general orders. And he persuaded the Admiral to rate Silas as a • landsman ' On board, giving him tho duty -of printer to the squadron. And the\t,all sailed together. The last I heard of them" they were lowering a boat at the opening of Falcon Bay, on Mr Swiss Family's island. The longitude is 185deg. west and the latitude 7deg. north. When they qoine home X will tell you more.

Cievical friend : *"\\ell, my good fellow, don't you feel better now that you have signed the pi- dge '!" Shocking example (in a voice ehoko.l with emotion) : " You have paved me fiom a drunkard's death. I feel like a clifteient man. Come out and let's take something,"