e, and
already beginning to feel himself a young man. His manner is full of
pretension. He never forgets that his father is the richest man in town,
and can afford to give him advantages superior to those possessed by his
schoolfellows. He has a moderate share of ability but is disinclined to
work hard. His affectation of Superiority makes him as unpopular among
his schoolfellows as Frank is popular.

These two boys, together with Henry Tufts, constitute the preparatory
class of Rossville Academy. Henry is mild in his manners, and a
respectable student, but possesses no positive character. He comes from
a town ten miles distant, and boards with the principal. Frank, though
the youngest of the three, excels the other two in scholarship. But
there is some doubt whether he will be able to go to college. His father
is in moderate circumstances, deriving a comfortable subsistence from a
small farm, but is able to lay by a very small surplus every year, and
this he feels it necessary to hold in reserve for the liquidation of
the mortgage held by Squire Haynes. Frank's chance of attaining what he
covets-a college education-seems small; but he is resolved at least
to prepare for college, feeling that even this will constitute a very
respectable education.

The reader is introduced to the main schoolroom of the Rossville Academy
on the morning of the day of which the war meeting takes place.

At nine o'clock the bell rang, and the scholars took their seats. After
the preliminary devotional exercise, Mr. Rathburn, instead of calling up
the first class at once, paused a moment, and spoke as follows:

"Scholars, I need not remind you that on the first day of the term,
with the design of encouraging you to aim at improvement in English
composition, I offered two prizes-one for the best essay written by a
boy over fourteen years of age; the other for the best composition by
any one under that age. It gives me pleasure to state that in most of
those submitted to me I recognize merit, and I should be glad if it were
in my power to give three times as many prizes. Those of you, however,
who are unsuccessful will feel repaid by the benefit you have yourselves
derived from the efforts you have made for another end."

During this address, John Haynes looked about him with an air of
complacency and importance. He felt little doubt that his own essay on
the "Military Genius of Napoleon" would win the prize. He did not so
much care for t