He well knew that, when Clifford’s time should expire, he would find it no easy matter to fill his place with another so capable and faithful, and he was irritated beyond measure over the probability of having to hire another man and pay full wages for what he had been getting for little or nothing during the last four years.
“I have an engagement with Professor Harding—it is my evening for reading Greek and Latin with him,” Clifford respectfully replied, and then proceeded on his way, apparently unmindful of the customary “humph!” to which his employer always gave vent whenever anything annoyed him.
When Clifford was obliged to leave the academy in April, according to the terms of his contract with Squire Talford, the principal had expressed a great deal of disappointment, for he would have graduated with high honors if he could have remained until the close of the school year, but his hard master would not give him the two months to complete the course. “The farm work must be done and Clifford could not be spared,” he coldly told the professor, who had presumed to intercede for his promising pupil. So the boy had been obliged to go into the field to plow, hoe, and dig, while his more favored classmates went on in advance of him and graduated.
But Professor Harding was determined that the boy’s education should not be interrupted, and told him that he would give him certain evenings in every week during the summer, and, if he could complete the course before fall, he should have his diploma, even though he could not acquire it in the ordinary way.
Clifford gladly availed himself of this opportunity, for his highest ambition was to prepare himself for and obtain a college education.
As he wended his way toward his teacher’s house his heart was beating high with hope, in spite of the weariness of his body, for, since counting the money in his possession, he had conceived the daring purpose of taking the examinations for Harvard for the coming year.
Professor Harding greeted him, as he always did, with a smile of pleasure, for he liked the plucky, manly boy.
“You are late to-night, Cliff,” he remarked, as he entered. Then, observing, that he was a trifle pale, he inquired: “Is anything wrong, my boy?”
Tears sprang involuntarily to the boy’s eyes at the kindly tone and smile; but, quickly repressing all signs of emotion, he seated himself and gave his friend a brief account of what had occurred, and closed by producing the munificent testimonial which he had received from the passengers of the “limited express” for preventing a terrible accident.
“I have brought this money to you, Professor Harding,” he observed, as he laid it upon the table before his friend, “to ask if you will invest it for me until I need it? It is my nest-egg for college, and I am going to take the exams. this fall.”