14
THE BATTALION.
soon be up with the rest. This would quiet him for a time’
and, indeed, he would soon catch up with the rest; but a
greater desire to grasp something greater sprang up, coupled
with new impatience, until he became just a mere knowledge
glutton (shall I use such a term?). He tried to feed upon
everything to eat, and that at once; the result, he got a mouth
ful here and there, the mixture did not agree with him and
aggravated the disease. There was soon noticed a falling off
his grades at school, yet everybody said: ‘‘Jean is surely
smart, he will come out all right yet.’’ He soon left the high
school with a smattering knowledge of what ivas taught
there. He tried to taKe the whole course, yet he lacked two
years of completing the one prescribed. Well, he concluded
he had enough of school aud would go to work and soon be a
distinguished man in one of the trades.
He tried carpentry, but, before long, finding that he was
not becoming renowned at the trade, he switched off into
blacksmithing. Other trades followed in succession, but were
each in turn dropped before they were fairly begun. Next he
jumped at the professions, but was destined to fall short of
everything. He obtained charge of a small country school,
but concluded that he ought to go to school again. He en
tered a college with the purjDOse of ‘'graduating as a civil
engineer.” One year here satisfied him, then he entered the
university, with the intention of studying for the profession
of law. Six months at this place satisfied him that he ‘‘was
never cut out for a lawyer,” and after working at various jobs-
in some of our principal cities, he returned home thoroughly
disgusted with the follies and vanities of the world. Putting
away higher ambition, he bought a farm and settled down,
as he supposed, for life.
But his was not a nature to ever be quieted. He was
young, not yet twenty-five, and still had plenty of time and.
bright prospects before him. Why should he patiently toil
away his life raising corn and cotton, and sink into a grave
unknown to fame? A great reyolution in Cuba was in pro
gress. He was smart (everybody said so) young and vigor
ous. Why not seek these fields of fame and fortune, and win