"But what right have they to make me take off my hat to them? They aren"t any better than----"
"Because they"re Soph.o.m.ores. Come on, Billy." He opened the door. "You think it over, Young. Good-night. Glad to have met you, Young."
Then on his way downstairs he added to his friend Billy Nolan, "I like that big, green Freshman, but he needs hazing."
"He _is_ rather fresh. Do you think we"ll secure him, Jim?"
"But you can hardly blame him for taking himself so seriously," Linton went on as they gained the street "You see he has always lived at home, didn"t go away to prep. school, was never guyed or anything of that sort in all his innocent life, and he doesn"t know how to take it. He was an important person at home--probably led his cla.s.s at the High School--has a lot of little brothers and sisters that bow down to him; and they"ve told him that he is a great man so often that he thinks there must be something in it. His hands show he has worked on a farm, but the palms are soft now--I noticed that shaking hands--so he"s probably clerked in a store or taught school; yes, he"s probably taught school."
Linton considered himself a student of human nature, and he did guess pretty well this time, though Young had no sisters and had never taught school.
"Anyway," he concluded, and in this he was right, perhaps, "college will be a great thing for him. No one ever made him realize his relative unimportance in the world."
"As we made big Bally realize it last year," interposed Nolan, smiling.
"Yes, and as we, too, were made to realize it the year before. My, what a big chump you"d have been, Billy, if you hadn"t been hazed."
"And, oh, what a supercilious a.s.s you"d have made, Jim. Do you remember that time----"
And these two walked on toward the campus with arms thrown carelessly about each others" shoulders, reminiscencing about days which, to hear them talk, you would have thought were half a generation ago; and so they were--half a college generation.
Meanwhile Young was doing what Linton had told him to do, thinking over what had been said to him. Also he thought over what he had observed when the Juniors and Soph.o.m.ores were in the room together, and he came to certain conclusions. Then he went to bed.
CHAPTER V
HAZING
The very next evening, as Young and a cla.s.smate named Barrows were on the way from supper, someone stepped out from behind a tree-box and said, "Here he is, fellows," and the next moment the two Freshmen, surrounded by a dozen Soph.o.m.ores, were on their way to the ca.n.a.l.
Channing acted as ringmaster, as usual. To his surprise and, perhaps, disappointment, Young was not sullen or stubborn; he seemed rather good-natured about it.
"Take off your hat, Deacon."
"All right," said Young, smiling cheerfully, and lifted his hat.
"Do it again and don"t smile."
He did it again and did not smile.
"Who said you could put it back on your head? Take it off and keep it off."
Young held it in his hand.
"Put it on again," shouted Channing. And so it went.
"Now, Deacon, since you have taken off your cap and have shown how low you can bow, show us how the prairie-dogs run, out home on the farm."
The group was getting beyond the houses now.
"But there aren"t any prairie-dogs where I live in Illinois," returned Young, smiling.
"That doesn"t matter," growled Ballard; "do it anyway."
So William Young, thinking of how the people out home were in awe of him because he had gone East to college, got down on all fours and ambled along the dusty road.
"Now you do it, you little Freshman with the big head."
Barrows gave his version of a prairie-dog"s method of progress, laughing as if it were a good joke.
"Now both do it at once," said Channing.
The Soph.o.m.ores laughed gleefully, especially at Young, he was so big and awkward.
[Ill.u.s.tration: HAZING.
"Now both sit up on your haunches and chatter awhile."]
"That"s pretty good," said Channing, as if he were the exhibitor of trained animals. "Now both sit up on your haunches and chatter awhile."
Everybody laughed, Young included.
"Don"t laugh," said Channing.
"Cork up your laughter," said Ballard.
Then they were made to crow like roosters and bark like dogs, and give other imitations, until they reached the tow-path of the ca.n.a.l. Here they were made to strip.
"Can you swim?" one of the fellows asked.
Both said they could.
"Then jump in and swim across. Be quick about it."
The water was cool, but it did not hurt them.
"Now swim back and get your clothes."
While dressing they were made to sing "Home, Sweet Home"--"in order to keep warm," Channing said.
"Now cheer for the ill.u.s.trious cla.s.s above you. Are you ready?--Hip--Hip!"
The college cheer was given with the Soph.o.m.ore cla.s.s numerals on the end.
"I don"t think I heard your sweet voice, Deacon Young," said one of the Sophs, a tall fellow with gla.s.ses. "Suppose you give us one all alone.
Now then, Hip--Hip!"