Anna Parmly Paret

“ Great enthusiasm, sternly subdued, greeted Simmons’s suggestion, and in short order it was decided. A historical society it should be. They would collect historical articles, and would have a reference library of their own. It would take time; but future classes would get the benefit, and the class of 1903 would always have the credit of having begun it all.
“Where shall we meet? This pajama. business isn’t all it’s cracked up to be on cold nights,” lamented Smithers through chattering teeth.
“There's the old store-room upstairs. Let’s ask Richardson if we may use it,” was Rob’s suggestion. ”

“ Shorty Jones had brought a cannon-ball—“warranted to be from the battle of Bunker Hill”; Fatty Wilson donated a fine tin box, which, he explained, “would be a good place to keep some grub, so a fellow need n’t go hungry in the society rooms”; and Simmons produced a fine old sword that his father had presented—not one of the family heirlooms, but still a sword of Revolutionary times. ”

“ In this essay he would embody the precious Washington letter, and he would print the whole thing on his own printing-press at home.
School opened on September 30, and the crowd of returning boys had a fine time comparing notes of the summer’s experiences. Wednesday evening was to see the first gathering in the headquarters. Then the seniors would have a talk over the question of what juniors should be admitted to membership, and those who had any gilts for the society saved them to bring out for the first time that night. ”

“ Rob said at one of the meetings; “and we fellows must decide now, or then, what we ‘ll make the entrance qualifications, and for what qualities we ‘ll choose our president. We don’t want to pick a fellow out for such an important position just because he’s popular, you know. I suggest that we make the question of a member‘s standing in history the thing to consider. The president ought to be pretty well up in that.”
Pierson left school, when commencement day came, with a keenness for vacation and all its
The relics laid on the table. ”

“ The hand which reached for them did so in a groping way that did not give evidence of any stern determination to catch the offenders; and by the time Keasby had struck a light, and was gazing blinkingly around, only three of the culprits were visible—Potts, whose room it was; Pierson, who, as class president and chairman of the meeting, scored to leave his fellow to face the music alone; and Fatty Wilson, who was rolling on the floor in convulsions of laughter. too weak to get up and run. ”

“ You can use the lumber-room if the class will spend Saturday afternoon moving the boxes and other things out to the barn-loft. What ’s worth having is worth working for.”
An awed trio escaped at the earliest possible moment from the dread precincts of the office, and groups of laughing and cheering juniors were the feature of the noon recess. ”