Page:American Boy's Life of William McKinley.djvu/148

118 "It is right, Will. And I know that some day you'll be able to repay the money with interest," added the teacher.

Again there was a long family conference, and mother and sister stood firm that William should finish his education and become a lawyer.

"All right then, I'll pitch in and go to the Albany Law School without delay," answered the young student, and to Albany he went, there to study harder than ever. Of his time at this school one of the pupils of that day has said:—

"He was a quiet fellow and you couldn't get much out of him. It was a plain case of dig, dig, dig all the time, as if he hadn't any time for anything else. While he was there, we held a class gathering and had a debate. I think it was on the future of the negro, or something like that. Anyway, I remember McKinley spoke, standing up in front of us, with one hand in his pocket, as he has often stood since. At first he seemed to be a little nervous, especially as some of the students poked fun at him, but gradually he became so much in earnest that all the fun-making stopped, and we got