her was very deep and his respect very great.

School closed on Thursday, and the students were allowed to remain in
the buildings until the following Monday, when, ordinarily, they left.
The young men were allowed to provide conveyances for the young
ladies to get to the various depots. They esteemed that a very great
privilege.

Belton, as you know, was a very poor lad and had but little money.
After paying his expenses incident to his graduation, and purchasing
a ticket home, he now had just one dollar and a quarter left. Out of
this one dollar and a quarter he was to pay for a carriage ride of
this young lady friend to the railway station. This, ordinarily, cost
one dollar, and Belton calculated on having a margin of twenty-five
cents. But you would have judged him the happy possessor of a large
fortune, merely to look at him.

The carriage rolled up to the girls' dormitory and Belton's friend
stood on the steps, with her trunks, three in number. When Belton saw
that his friend had three trunks, his heart sank. In order to be sure
against exorbitant charges the drivers were always made to announce
their prices before the journey was commenced. A crowd of girls was
standing around to bid the young lady adieu. In an off-hand way Belton
said: "Driver what is your fee?" He replied: "For you and the young
lady and the trunks, two dollars, sir."

Belton almost froze in his tracks, but, by the most heroic struggling,
showed no signs of discomfiture on his face. Endeavoring to affect an
air of indifference, he said: "What is the price for the young lady
and the trunks?"

"One dollar and fifty cents."

Belton's eyes were apparently fixed on some spot in the immensity of
space. The driver, thinking that he was meditating getting another
hackman to do the work, added: "You can call any hackman you choose
and you won't find one who will do it for a cent less."

Belton's last prop went with this statement. He turned to his friend
smilingly and told her to enter, with apparently as much indifference
as a millionaire. He got in and sat by her side; but knew not how on
earth he was to get out of his predicament.

The young lady chatted gayly and wondered at Belton's dullness.
Belton, poor fellow, was having a tough wrestle with poverty and
was trying to coin something out of nothing. Now and then, at some
humorous remark, he would smile a faint, sickly smile. Thus it went on
until they arrived at the station. Belton by th