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now linked, was there to smile with
with a lover’s tenderness and devo
tion.
To seme young men, applause is
daDgerous indeed. One successful
effort which elicits a breath of public
praise, sometimes changes and de
stroys a noble young life. Harry
Mohon cared not for the shouts of the
common herd. He desired only to
please his father and to win the gra
cious smile of his Lily ; that accom
plished, he asked no more.
A short vacation passed pleasant
ly, and we returned to College. Har
ry was first in his class, and with re
newed vigor and energy, he began
his Senior course. His old friends
were back, and the “Social Club”
was revived. I did not want him to
go back to it, and expressed a fear
that he would lose time from his
books. But he affirmed that he
would not, and protested that the
innocence of the club’s entertain
ments made it a most charming re
creation.
I could not divine what charm
made this club so attractive to my
cousin. I knew that he was but ill
prepared to discover a snare laid for
his ruin. His knowledge of human
nature was limited, and he was liable
to be deluded by the false glare of
foes in friendly garb; bonce 1 was
constantly uneasy about him.
Three weeks passed. I found
another note in my bat as we were
dismissed from morning prayers.
“Irving:—lf you wish to save
Mohon from disgrace, get him away
from Halgrave and that.‘Social Club.’
Friend.”
If Harry had been my own broth
er, I could not have been more pain
ed at the reception of that paper.
What could Ido ? He would consi
der it as an insult from me if I, a se
cond time, showed him a note which
bore a suspicion disreputable to the
character of his friend. Yet I felt
sure that he was in danger; and re'
turning to our room in advance of
him, I kneeled to ask God to direct
me in saving him.
That evening, I gained his consent
to accompany mo to see some lady
friends. This visit prevented his
meeting Halgrave; and on the next
morning the latter drew him aside to
ask the cause of his absence. Mohon
explained, and promised to be pre
sant at the next meeting. An invol
untary shudder passed through my
frame as I hoard the promise.
A band pressing my shoulder,
caused me to turn my head, a friend
and classmate desired a short inter
view.
“ Did you find a note in your bat
on yesterday morning?”
“ I did. You placed it there ? If
so, give me positive evidence against
the character of Mohan’s friend, and
I can separate him from the club.”
THE GEORGIA COLLEGIAN.
“ Why, have you not heard the
half-whispered report in regard to
Halgrave ?”
“ Indeed ! I have heard nothing at
all.”
“Well, it does not matter about
that now ; such rumors are some
times groundless, and injure innocent
persons. * But listen to what con
cerns you more intimately. Hal
grave’s father is a notorious blackleg,
and his son here has imbibed his fa
ther’s baseness. He now lays a snare
for young Mohon’s downfall. He has
accomplices to assist in carrying out
his foul design. That is all I have to
say. Inform Mohon at once of his
danger.”
He turned to leave me, and I call
ed after him to assure me of this in
order that I might make Harry see
the perfidy of the man whom he had
chosen as a bosom friend. ( <>No,” he
said, “ I have told you all I am at
liberty to tell. Save Mohon.”
I was prepared to believe what I
had heard, and determined to see my
cousin at once. He was not at our
room when I returned, and I saw
him no more till he came late into
the dining room, where we were all
still seated after partaking of our
meal. In the afternoon he went iras
mediately from recitation to see Miss
Ashleigh, the beautiful and accom
plished young girl to whom he was
engaged. I met him coming in from
that visit. He seemed troubled, and
was about to pass me.
“ What’s the matter, Harry ?”
He t'-ok my arm, and replied, “1
have just seen Lily; found her very
unhappy. Some one has told her
that my intimacy with Halgrave will
bring shame upon me and upon her.
She appeared to be more distressed
as I assured her that I knew Hal
grave to be my friend. ‘ His father,
she said, ‘is a very bad man, and it
is natural that his sen should be so.’
I thought it unjust thus to visit the
iniquity of the parent upon the child
But she was so much troubled that I
promised not to go to the club any
more after to night.”
All this while I was eager to tell
him of what I had heard in the morn
ing; but when he mentioned his pro
mise, 1 thought it best to wait until
I had some evidence of Halgrave’s
perfidy.
I went to my room from the tea
table, and heard Harry close the door
opening into the street. A strange
impulse urged me to call him back—
ah ! how I reproach myself for hush
ing that inward voice! For more
than two hours 1 tried to study. It
was time for Harry to return. I
closed the dry text book, and leaned
my bead on the table. The clock in
the sitting-room struck twelve. Five
minutes later, and some one was
rushing up to ray room. Alarmed, I
started to the door—a classmate was
at the top of the stairs almost breath
less, and pale as death—
“Oh! Irving, Hrving, Mohon is
shot! Go—Hakpave’s room—l’m
going on for tfifc*octor.”
Stunned almost to insensibility, I
hurried to the rooi|fcdesign«ted
Harry was lying with
his head resting on a pillow, the
blood oozing out fro® his side. . .
“ My dear Harry, low did it htfpi-*
pen ?” He stared wildly at withjf
out saying a word-.
hy his side, and placed &y handker
chief over the wound to stop the
blood.
A glance round the room told the
tale. A scattered pack of cards and
several bottles were on the table.—
“ Who shot him?” I asked of tbe on
ly young man I saw in the room.
“ Halgrave,” he answered; and I ut
tered aloud an oath of vengeance.
The Doctor came in, and involun
tarily shook his head, as he saw
where the ball had entered. We as
sisted him to raise tbe sufferer on a
bed, and he began to examine the
wound.
“ I fear it is a serious affair,” he
said, turning to mo. “ You had bet
ter inform his parents at once.”
I wrote a dispatch immediately,
and sent it to the office; and when
the wound was dressed took the re
maining young man aside to learn
how it had happened.
“ Halgrave did it,” he said, “ in the
heat of Several days ago,
he proposed anew game. It was
more fascinating than any we had
yet learned. To-night, there were
only four of us here, and all became
deeply interested. Halgrave, for the
first time since the organization of
the club, sent for champagne Mo
hon would not drink any at first, but
when he was so badly beat, he seized
the bottle and took a heavy draught.
Halgrave and he then played alone;
Mobon was still unsuccessful. He
drank again. Halgrave proposed a
wager and ho assented. In the mid
dle of the game he stopped suddenly
and cried out, “ These cards are
marked; Halgrave, you are a cheat
ing scoundrel.” Both were now
crazy with wine ; Halgrave drew a
revolver from his bosom and fired.
The unfortunate Mohon was just ri
sing from his chair, and fell back say
ing, ‘he has killed me/ He closed
his eyes, and we thought he would
die instantly—”
Here the Doctor called me back to
the bed. “Go for Dr. Craig,” said
he, “he has been an army surgeon,
and will be of infinite service here.”
It was not far to Dr. C.’s house,
and I soon returned with him. A
consultation was held; the wound
was then probed aud pronounced
mortal.
Never can I forget ray feeliDgs at
this momcot. Mingled with the deep
revenge whieh I had sworn against
Halgrave, was a love for my cousin,
that amounted almost to idolatry.
Nothing had over been half so dear
to me as that piece of bleeding clay.
Bitterly, bitterly did I reproaefi my
self for not calling him back when he
started out that night.
Towards morning, the effects of
the wine had died out, and a burning
,/fever arose. The Doctor feared that
he could not live until his father and
mother came. If they received the
dispatch that night in time for the
‘train, they would arrive in tho even
ing of the following day.
It was a long, dreary day. I stood
over the bed of the dying boy and
watched each breath as the life-tide
ebbed slowly away. He would some
times call out in his delirium to his
mother, and ask her to forgive him;
at other times ho would ask if Lily
had forsaken him. Once he roused
from the stupor and turned his still
clear, soul-lit eye upon me. “ Char
lie, am I dying? I feel so strange.
Take my hand, dear Charlie.” My
own heartstrings were ready to break
as I clasped the purple hand in both
of mine.
The train came, and in a few mins
utes a carriage stopped at the door
of tho house where Harry lay.—
Another moment, and the door of the
room flew open. The mother, in
advance of her husband, rushed in.
“ Soft, soft,” whispered the doctor,
but she heeded him not. Bending
over the bed, she folded her boy to
her breast; Harry started up wildly
—“Oh! mother, save me, save me!”
“ She will save you my darling !
Oh ! that you had never left her side
—nothing ever could have harmed
you!
The Doctor, fearing the result,
came up to release her hold. But it
was needless now. Tbe eyes that
appealed so imploringly to the mo
ther were set in death; and the arms
that were twined so tenderly about
her neck fell back palseless on the
pillow. The quick eye of the moth
er saw the change, and in words that
rose from her broken heart, she wail
ed out, “ Oh! my God ! he is dead !”
I closed my eyes on the harrowing
scene, and turned to leave tho room.
A dark form glided out just before
me, coming, as I thought, from under
tho bed. When out in the street, I
could see by the twilight that it was
the form of a man. It turned to fol
low me; and when away from the
public walk came suddenly before
me. It was Halgrave. He had been
all the time concealed in the room —
had heard my oath of vengeance.
“I have followed you here to offer
you an opportunity to redeem your
threat,” he gruffly said.
“ And may God help me, foul de
mon, to avenge the blood you have
spilled !” I sprang upon him, bears