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VOL. 1.
[For the Southern Field and Fireside.]
TO MY HEABT.
The withered leaf hath winds to sigh
Around its early grave,
And morning weeps her dewy tears
On flowers she conld not save;
But thon, lone heart, when thou shalt come
In thy cold grave to lie,
Who’ll shed for thee regretful tear,
Or breathe the passing sigh?
Waves to the shote a requiem sing
For wrathful Ocean's dead:
And billows chant perpetual dirge
Above their coral’d bed;
But thou, lone heart, so long the sport
Os sorrow's ’whelming wave,
None weep with thee, nor will, for thee,
When low in thy cold grave.
Around the temple’s crumbling walls
And altar, ivy clings,
And flow'rets, e'en in deserts wild,
Present their offerings;
But thou, oh lone and suffering heart!
What clings to thee, and eheers?
Nor flower, nor ivy lends to thee
Smiles to Illume thy tears.
Unloved in life—in death unmounted,
Fond memories of thee
Shall dim no eye, shall fill no heart
With sorrowing melody 1
When in the grave thy woes shall cease,
Oblivion, dread, shall come!
Wrapp'd in his leg told, thon’lt find
At last, lone heart —thy home l
la
—-«■»—
[For the Southern Field and Fireside.]
Entered according to the Act of Congress, <tr., Ac.,
by the Author.
MASTER WILLIAM MITTEN;
OR,
A YOUTH OF BRILLIANT TALENTS,
WHO WAS BUINED BY BAD LUCK.
BY THE AUTHOR OF THE GEORGIA SCENES, ETC.
CHAPTER XXIV.
Mr. Mitten's Trial—Makes an ingenious, but un
fortunate Speech—ls expelled—Appeals to
his Fellow Students and gets six more expelled
—Goes home—Sad consequences.
Alas for the instability of human happiness!
Just before the fatal vacation of which we have
spoken, Mrs. Mitten was as happy as she could
be on this earth. Her two daughters had mar
ried men of worth, position and fortune, and
were comfortably settled in counties adjoining
that in which she resided. Her son, already
distinguished, was on tho high road to prefer
ment, and her mind was at peace with her Mak
er and the world. What changes a few months
more wrought in her destiny!
The events with which we concluded the last
chapter, occurred on Friday night, running into
Saturday morning. On Monday morning tho
Faculty met and Mr. Mitten was summoned be
fore them.
“ Mitten,” said the President, “ you are
charged with keeping a disorderly room—with
keeping intoxicating liquors in your room—witli
drinking intoxicating liquors with playing
cards, and with insulting Professor Plus on Fri
day night last.”
“May I bo permitted,” inquired Mitten, “to
ask upon what evidence tlieso charges are
brought against mo ?”
“ I do not think,” said the President, “that
you have a right to demand the evidence, until
you deny the charges.”
. “I hope,” said Professor Plus, “that I shall
be permitted to put Mr. Mitten in possession of
tho evidence upon which the charges are found
ed, before he is required to answer them.” The
President nodded assent. “ About twelve o’-
clock or a little after, on Friday night last, I was
waked out of sleep by a noise in tho dormitory
adjoining mine. It was not continuous, but fit
ful, and therefore the more annoying; for with
every intermission I flattered myself it would
cease, and I would just get into a doze, when I
was roused by it again. I endured it for about
an hour, when I rose, dressed myself, went out,
and found that tho noise proceeded from
Mitten’s room. I approached the door and
paused for a moment; just as I reached it, I
heard five thumps on a table in quick succes
sion, followed by a yell and profane swearing.
‘But for Mitten’s Jack oT Hearts,’ said a voice
that I took to be Johnson’s, ‘ I should have ta
ken the pool. He plays the devil with hearts.’
1 Rabb,’ said one, ‘ you were looed.’ ‘ No, I
wasn’t,’ said Rabb, ‘I didn't stand.’ '‘lt’s Mit
ten’s deal,’ said another. ‘No, it isn’t,’ said a
third, ‘he dealt last time.’ Here I knocked and
was told to walk in, but I found the door locked.
After much shuffling and rattling of glasses. I
was admitted. Upon entering the room, my ol
factories were assailed strongly with the fumes
of wine and brandy.” ' The Professor proceeded
I JAIMES GARDNER, I
] Proprietor. f
AUGUSTA. GA., SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 1859.
with the details which we have already given
the reader.
“ President S****,” said Mitten, “ suppose a
Professor of this Institution should take up a
strong prejudice against a student, should
seek all opportunities of mortifying him and
wounding his feelings, and in order to bring him
before the Faculty, plainly and palpably violate
tho laws of college—has the student any re
dress, and how ?”
“Mr. Mitten,” said the President, “our time
is too precious to be occupied with the discus
sion and settlement of hypothetical cases; but
if you have been thus aggrieved, you should
seek redress of the Faculty, and if you do not
find it here, you should appeal to the trustees.”
“So I supposed,” said Mr. Mitten, “and I am
now ready to answer the charges brought against
me, and to lay my complaints before the Fac
ulty.”
He now delivered a (laming speech, in a re
markably fine style for one of his age. As to
the first charge, he said that “ keeping a disor
derly room,” certainly implied something more
than having disorder in his room for a single
evening So of “ keeping intoxicating liquors in
his room.” As to “ drinking intoxicating li
quors,” he said lie would answer that with the
last charge. He admitted there was card-play
iug, but asserted positively that there was not a
!>ank bill, a piece of gold or silver staked on tho
game—that the pool spoken of consisted of notli
j ing but button-molds —”
“Mr. Mitten,” said the President, “didn’t
those button-molds represent quarters, half dol
iara or dolls rs, or ntlior denomination of
money ?”
“ Really, Doctor S****, I cannot see how little
bits of bone could represent money. A bill repre
sents money, because it contains on its face a
promise to pay money; but—”
“Go on with your defence, Mr. Mitten,” said
the President.
“ Before I answer the last charge,” continued
Mitten, “ I beg leave to read a law of the col
lege : ‘ One of the Professors shall room in each
dormitory, whose special duty it shall be to visit
the rooms, and keep order therein.' Now, gentle
men of tlie Faculty, (I only address such,) you
perceive that Professor Plus had no right to vis
it rooms out of his dormitory. My dormitory
was in charge of Professor Syncope, a man not
more remarkable for his gigantic intellect than
he is for his courtesy, kindness and easy famili
arity with tho students. He heard no noise,
‘ continuous or fitful.’ He was not disturbed, and it
is very strange that one out of the dormitory should
iiave been annoyed and disturbed by noises kept
up for near an hour, which one in the dormitory
heard nothing of. I know that one Professor
may have much more sensitive nerves than an
other, and be much more given to ivatchings,
and other imbecilities, but these differences will
hardly account for tho wonderful fact, that the
one should have been kept awake an hour by
noises, which the other, more likely to be dis
turbed by them, should not have heard at all.
But, admitting that Professor Plus was disturb
ed by the noise, and admitting that the Roise
was twice as loud and twice as long continued
as it was, I deny his right to come into another
Professor’s dormitory to suppress it. The law
is clear upon this point. The law says, there
shall be one Professor in each dormitory; Pro
fossor Plus says there shall be two —at least
when lie takes a nervous fit. How far his inter
ference with Professor Syncope’s prerogative
comported with courtesy and delicacy,it is not my
province to determine; but I have a right to
see to it that I am not injured by the intrusion.
While Professor Plus was in that dormitory, I
regarded him as no Professor at all—as having
no right to enter my room. No one has a high
er respect for the Professors of this institution,
than I have; but when a Professor so far for
gets his high and dignified position, as to turn
persecutor of those over whom he is placed as
a protector and instructor, to trample the laws
of college under foot, to usurp authority which
does not belong to him, to forget the comity due
to his associates, to pretend to superhuman pow
ers of the ‘ olfactories ,’ in distinguishing the odor
of liquors assailing them at one and the same
time, to consort with owls, bats, wolves and hy
enas ’’
“Stop. Mr. Mitten,” said the President, “I
cannot sit here and hear a Professor so grossly
insulted without interposing for his protection.”
“ I mentioned no names,” said Mitten, “ and
if the cap fits ”
“ I hope,” said Professor Pius, smiling in com
mon with tho other Professors. “ I hope that the
young gentleman will be permitted to finish his
speech. I speak candidly and sincerely, when
I say that I have rarely, if ever, had such an in
tellectual entertainment from one of his years.
I will thank him, however, to explain to me,
wherein I assumed the character of a ‘ persecu
tor.’ All the rest of his speech I understand
perfectly, but as to this part I am wholly in the
dark.”
“ You have called upon Marshall, Morten and
myself to recite oftener, than any other three
students in the class,” said Mitten.
“ I was not apprised of that.” returned the Pro- j
fessor, “though in all probability it is true. The I
class is alphabetically arranged, and I commonly
begin the recitation first at one extreme ofthe list,
then at the other, and then at the middle. It is
frequently the case that there are not proposi
tions enough to engage the whole class, and
whenever that is the case, those near the middle
will have to recite, no matter at which end I be
gin. Now as Mitten’s name stands right be
tween Marshall’s and Morton's, and in the mid
dle of the class, I commonly begin at him, if I
do not commence at either extreme, and if I go
up from him, Morton will not be called—if I go
down, Marshall will not be. This will explain
the matter, and I am very happy to find that
you have no other ground to base the charge of
persecution upon than this. Time was, when
Mitten regarded it no persecution to be called on
often to recite.
“ llow much oftener have Marshall and Mor
ton been called up than the rest of the class?”
“ Once.”
“ And you?”
“Twice.”
“Mr. Mitten,” said the President, “you will
retire if you please.” He did so, and in a few
minutes he was recalled to receive the judgment
of the Faculty, which, without a dissenting voice
was, that he be expelled. In delivering the sen
tence, the Presideiktaddressed him very feeling
ly—deplored the Abuses to which he was sub
jecting his extraordinary mind, and exposed the
absurdity of any student’s supposing that a
Professor could take up a prejudice against a
moral, orderly student. He referred to a law,
which Mr. Mitten had entirely overlooked, mak
ing it the geneml duty of all the Professors to
preserve order in the college, and see that its
laws were obeyed. The President having con
cluded,
“ Doctor S****,” said Mitten,. “ will you favor
me so far, as to tell me what lam expelled for?”'
“Certainly,” said the President; “forkeeping
—or if you like tho term better—for having a
disorderly room; for having and drinking intox
icating liquors in your room; for gambling in
your room, and for grossly insulting a Professor
in your room, and still more grossly before the
whole Faculty.”
“Was there any proof that I drank liquor ?”
“ No positive proof, but quite enough to satis
fy our minds of it.”
“ Gambling implies that we played for money—
was there any proof of that ?”
“ Abundant proof; but we have not time now
to give the reasons of our opinion upon the sev
eral charges. Suffice it to say that you have
not denied a single one of them ; and as for
this one, we are constrained to believe that six
young gentlemen would not have set up till one
o’clock in the morning playing for button
molds."
“ But four of them had actually gone to bed,
and another was undressing to go to bed when
Professor Plus entered.”
“ Yes, but they must have sit up very late ;
for they were so completely exhausted that they
could not take time to undress ; and so sleepy,
that between the knock at the door and the ope
ning of it, they all fell sound asleep. They mo
nopolized all the beds in the room too, leaving
you and your studious companion no place to
sleep ; winch was exceedingly impolite, to say
the least of it. And here, Mr. Mitten, is the end
of questions and answers.”
Mitten retired very much incensed, and ap
pealed, not to the Trustees, but to his fellow stu
dents for justice. Nine espoused his cause.—
They disguised themselves, serenaded Professor
Plus with tin pans, horns, and other noisy in
struments, broke his windows, broke up his
and placarded him in various ways
and places. Six were detected and expelled, of
whom David Thompson was one. Three escap
ed for want of proof against them. Thus far
Thompson had been hurried on by blind impulse;
but now the hour of sober reason had returned,
and he was overwhelmed with the troubles
which gathered upon him. He was disgraced
near the close of a creditable Collegiate career.
He had not money to bear his expenses home.
He looked towards home with horror ; for his
mother was no Mrs. Mitten, and Mr. Markham
was a faithful representative of his father, and
there was the mortification of meeting his many
friends and his father’s friends as an expelled
student. As his troubles increased, so did his
indignation against his cousin. “ William,” said
he, “ had you followed Mr. Markham’s advice,
you would have taken the first honor in your
class ; but instead of that, you have disgraced
yourself, disgraced me, and got five more of your
fellow students expelled. Two of the three ring
leaders in the scrape have escaped, while the
rest of us who did nothing more than join in tho
serenade are dismissed. Had Mr. Markham
been inspired, he could not have foreseen our
difficulties clearer, or advised us better about
them than he did. What benefit has our frolic
been to you ? How much has it injured Plus ?
You were justly punished, and you know it; and
I know it; and suppose you had been unjustly
punished, how could such foolery as we went
through, better your case ? Bad luck attends
every one who links himself to you. What am
Itodo ? I've not money enough to carry me
home ”
“ I’ve got nearly enough to carry us both
home, and I can borrow ”
“ And where did you get it ? You won it;
and I will not touch a cent of it I’ll
tell you what I’m going to do : I’m going to ac
knowledge icy fault, promise a strict observance
of the rules of the College for the future, and
beg the faculty to restore me ”
“Is there a man in whose veins the Thomp
son blood runs who can let himself down so low
as that 1”
“ Yes, and lam that man. I have done
wrong, and why not confess it ? I will confess
it to everybody else who cannot help me ; why
not confess it to the Faculty who may help me ?”
“ Well, if you can truckle to men who have
treated your cousin as the Faculty has treated
me, you can do so; but if you do, I can never
feel to you again as a cousin "
“ Well then, we shall be even, for I certainly
do not feel to you as a cousin ”
“You don’t?”
“ No, I don’t.”
“Then good morning, Mr. Thompson ! You
can shape your course as you please, and I’ll do
the same.”
Thompson followed his letter judgment; and
the Faculty, in consideration of his previous
good conduct —that he had never been charged
with an offence before—and that he was nearly
related to Mitten, and therefore exposed to pe
culiar temptation from him, commuted the pun
ishment from expulsion to three weeks’ suspen
sion. He rejoiced at his good fortune, and
thenceforward improved it through life. Two
of his companions in guilt tried the same exper
iment; tint as they had notllTng to reermraremt
them to clemency, their sentence was unchang
ed.
“ And there is Nassau Hall justice,” said one
of them. “ Two students in precisely the same
predicament, one expelled, and the other sus
pended for three weeks! A glorious College
this!”
Mr. Mitten waited on Miss Ward, and inform
ed her of “ the injustice that had been done
him.”
“Itonly gives me, dear William,” said she,
“ an opportunity of proving the sincerity of my
attachment. As the ivy clings to the beauteous
column, whether erect, careening or prostrate, so
my heart's affections cling to my William,
through all the changes of life. There is a sweet
comfort mingled with the bitterness of your mis
fortune, my idol : it is, that the hour which is to
unite our hearts in the golden chain of wedlock,
will be hastened a full year and a half or more.”
William looked up to the ceiling, as if he ex
pected to see the gold chain up there ; and
Amanda took his upturned eyes as an indication
of heavenly aspirations, and wept.
“ I must tear myself from you, Amanda,” said
William, presenting his hand and lips. She
threw her arms around him, and then he threw
his arms around her. They kissed.
“Another,’’ said Amanda.
“ And yet another,”
And then a long, long, “farewell!”
She dropped her head upon his bosom and
wept. William covered his face with his hand
kerchief. blew his nose twice, sympathetically,
heaved theatrically, and waited a sign that the
tragedy was over. But as no sign came, he
said:
“We must part, Amanda. I never shall for
get you—your all-confiding nature, your ten
der, warm-hearted love.”
Here an honest tear filled his eye, conscience
stung him, shame reddened his cheeks, and he
gave her a strong, remorse-forced embrace, and
tore himself from her, in truth. As he left the
door, he muttered:
“ Love like that deserves a better return.
How sincere, how ardent! How sweet her
breath, how fervid her embrace, how eloquent
.her grief! And yet they made no more impres
sion on me, until I began to utter literal truths
and mental lies as return for her affection, than
the dew-drop makes upon the flinty rock! Heav
ens and earth ! What progress lam making in
iniquity! I am already a very devil I A de
ceiver of those who love me most—my mother
—Amanda—l must not reckon up my iniquities,
or they will addle my brain, or drive me to sui
cide.”
He readied his room, paced it awhile in an
guish, then seated himself, and wrote:
“My dearest Louisa—lll health drives me
from college ”
“ Another lie!” said he, flinging down the pen
and rising furiously. “How sin begets sin!”
continued he, with hurried strides over the room.
It was long before he could return to his let
ter ; and when he did, it was only to add:
“ To-morrow I leave for Georgia, whence you
will hear from me more fully and more affection
ately, on my arrival”
“ There,” said he, “ there is my last lie, at
least. I’ll go home, reform, marry Louisa, and
lead a new life.”
He set out for Georgia the next day, and
reached home without delay or accident. The
Sanford draft had preceded him just two days.
His mother paid it promptly, and had just
closed a long, tcar-bedewed letter to him, when
he rushed into the room, and advanced to em
brace her. Ho did embrace her, just in time to
j Two Dollars Per Annum, i
| Always In Advance. I
save her from falling to the floor, for she Had
swooned at the first sight of him. Assistance
was called, and she was put to bed. She re
vived, embraced her child and swooned again.
The doctors advised him to retire from her bed
side, until she recovered strength to receive him.
So long did the second paroxysm continue, that
even the physicians began to fear that life was
extinct. She did revive, however, like one awak
ing out of a sweet sleep. Casting her eyes around
the room, she whispered:
“ Have they taken him away from me al
ready ?”
“He is near at hand, Mrs. Mitten,” said a
physician, and will be introduced again as soon
you become a little more composed.”
“I am perfectly composed now,” said she,
in the same subdued tone, “let him come in. Do
you know what brought him home so soon?”
“Xo, Mrs. Mitten, your physicians know bet
ter when you will bo prepared to receive him
than you do, and we hope you will put yourself
under our direction.”
“ Certainly I will, Doctor. lam a poor, weak
woman. I try to, do right, but lam always do
ing wrong. Let it be as soon as you can, Doctor;
but don’t yield your judgment to mine, for I
have no confidence in my opinions. I followed
brother’s advice while he lived, and Mr. Mark
ham’s after he died, and I don’t know what bet
ter I could have done. I feel a great deal better
now, Doctor; don’t you think lam? I think I
could see him now calmly; if nothing bad brought
him home.”
One of the physicians withdrew to "William's
room:
“ WtHiam,” aajd lie, “ for your mother’s sake
I enquire of you, what brought you home so
soon ?”
“I was expelled from College,” said "William,
“ I need not try to conceal it, for it must soon
be known.”
“William," continued the Doctor, "if you
tell your mother that, I’m confident she will not
survive it an hour. She has been declining in
health for several months, and your sudden ap
pearance to her, has brought her to the very
brink of the grave ”
“ Then, 1 suppose, to the long list of my lies,
I must add another to a dying mother.”
“ Why, William, you shock me!”
“I wish heaven’s lightning would ‘shock’
me, even unto death. What I came into the
world for, I don’t know, and the sooner I go out
of it, the better for both the world and myself, I
reckon.”
“ Compose yourself, William, and if we send
for you, approach your mother with as much
self-composure as possible ”
Just here the Doctor was sent for in haste.
He returned to Mrs. Mitten, and found her sink
ing, and begging to see her son. He was sent
for, and approached her with marvelous self
command.
She reached forth her arms to him, and he
gently bent himself to their embrace. She held
him long to her bosom, and a flood of tears
came to her relief, and she brightened wonder
fully. Releasing and gazing on him for a mo
ment, she said:
“ My dear boy, you are wonderfully improved
in appearance.”
By this time the room was thronged with vis
itors. The doctors requested them to withdraw,
in order that Mrs. Mitten might be undisturbed,
and, if possible, gain sleep.
“ Let William and Mr. Markham remain,” said
she.
The rest retired.
“ Mr. Markham,” said she, “I am very weak.
I do not think the Doctors know how extremely
ill I am. Be as you have been for a few years
past, and as you would have ever been but for
my folly, a father to ray boy; and William, re
gard Mr. Markham as your father, and follow
his counsels in all things. Mr. Markham, pray
with us. Give thanks for the safe return of my
boy, and that I have been permitted to see him
once more before I leave the world. What fortune
brings him home so suddenly I know not, but
it is good fortune to me, for without it I am sure
I should never have seen him again. Give me
your hand and kneel, William. Pray. Mr. Mark
ham.”
As they bowed, William thought of Mr. Mark
ham's parting prayer, and the counsels thatpre
ceded it, of his abuses of those counsels, and
the bitter consequences; and his bosom heaved
with indescribable emotions. His mother gave
his hand a quick emphatic pressure at every pe
tition which she would have b*"m notice particu
ly. These siguals of attention became less and
less sensible as the prayer progressed, till just
before its conclusion tkey ceased entirely—her
grasp relaxed, and her hand lay motionless and
almost lifeless upon that of her son. Mr. Mark
ham and William rose, turned their eyes to the
gentle sufferer, and saw on her countenance
every mark of immediate dissolution. They
called for the Doctors —they came, and reached
her bed just in time to hear her last words:
“ William —meet me in
The sentence was never finished. The sweet
est, the kindest, the gentlest, the holiest of the
village was gone I We will not pretend to des
cribe the scenes which followed. Her daugh
ters and sons-in-law came but to pour tears upon
I NO. 25.
