As brother and sister left the church several of their acquaintances spoke to them, and one young woman said with a simper: “Oh, Mr. Manning, now that you are a reporter I hope you aren’t going to write us all up.”
Another asked: “Won’t you put a piece in your paper about my sewing-class, Mr. Manning? It would do so much good!” While still another, with a warning shake of her head: “Take care, Mr. Manning. We all know what naughty people you newspaper men are.”
To all these idiotic speeches Myles smiled and tried to return polite answers, but inwardly he fumed at their silliness. He was thankful enough to reach home and escape from this petty persecution. He afterward learned that all reporters are subject to the same sort of annoyance when in company with weak-minded people.
There was one bit of home news at which Myles hardly knew whether to be glad or sorry. It was that the house had been well rented for the season, and that the family was to remove at once to the gardener’s cottage. As he philosophically remarked, however: “If the rest could bear it cheerfully he certainly ought to be able to.”
“Perhaps some time, Myles, I’ll find a way to earn money as well as you, and then we’ll get the old house back again; won’t we, dear? I’m giving every spare minute to my drawing, and by the time you get to writing books perhaps I may be able to illustrate them.”
“So we will, my brick of gold!” answered Myles, drawing the girl to him and kissing her. “But you are doing your full share now, and if you become any more useful than you are, the first thing I know you will be taking care of me as well as of the rest of the family.”
“No fear of that,” laughed Kate. “Your wife will have that to do, if you ever get one. But you won’t ever, will you, dear?”
The next morning he left for the city by the same early train that he had taken a week before, but this time it was not to leave a college. It was to re-enter a school of real life in which he was already an eager and promising student.
In glancing over the morning paper while on his way to town Myles read a description of the boat crews that were to race at New London the following week, and were already in their quarters on the Thames. His own name was not mentioned, but all the praise that should have been his for selecting and training the X—— College crew was given to Ben Watkins, the new captain.