"And therefore we"ll go scot free?"
"Well, Hawley is a great fellow anyway; and I"m glad he"s in our cla.s.s."
"He"s big, anyway."
"That"s what I said."
"No you didn"t, you said great."
"Same thing."
"Not much. A man can be big without being great, can"t he? Caesar and Napoleon were not big men, but I think you"d sum up that they were great."
"Great butchers, if that"s what you mean. You always spin it out too fine for me, Foster."
Foster Bennett laughed and both boys entered their room to prepare for dinner. They still were taking their meals at the hotel, as their boarding-place had not been selected. In the thoughts of both it was a selection of too much importance to be made hastily, and they were therefore waiting until they became more familiar with the details of their new life.
It was all novel and interesting, and on the following day the first cla.s.s meeting was held. A dignified junior presided at the meeting, and after explaining what was expected and that the cla.s.s officers to be selected were to serve only for a month, when it was thought that the members of the cla.s.s would have become sufficiently acquainted with one another to enable them to act with becoming wisdom, he called for nominations for cla.s.s president.
Peter John Schenck immediately arose and said, "I nominate Hawley."
The nomination was seconded, and there were calls for Hawley to step to the platform and stand where all the cla.s.s could see him. The young giant obediently advanced and taking his place beside Spencer, who also was nominated for the office, awaited the verdict. There were cheers when it was announced that Hawley had won, and the junior then called for nominations for secretary and treasurer.
Again Peter John arose to the occasion and said, "I nominate Phelps."
Will"s face flushed scarlet at the unexpected words but his room-mate at once had seconded the nomination, and he was compelled to advance to the platform and stand beside Farmer and McVey, whose names were also presented for the same office. There was some confusion for a time, but quiet was restored when the result of the ballot was announced.
CHAPTER IV
A CLOUD OF WITNESSES
Will Phelps had been elected temporary secretary and treasurer of his cla.s.s, the choice having been made chiefly because his appearance, as he stood on the platform, pleased his cla.s.smates, and not because of any general acquaintance that had been formed. And yet his election had brought him at once into a certain prominence, and doubtless Will was duly appreciative of the honor bestowed upon him.
The member of the junior cla.s.s to whom had been entrusted the organizing of the freshmen now rose to give some general words of advice before the meeting was adjourned. "There are some things in college," he was saying, "that have the force of laws. Some of them will appear foolish to you, it may be, and yet it will be more foolish to disregard them.
For example, freshmen are not expected to go up to the hotel parlors in the evening, it would be decidedly better for them not to display on their caps or jersey the letters or numerals of the schools from which they have come, and they must not tack their cards on the doors of their rooms." Walker, the junior, continued his directions until he thought he had covered most of the details of the life upon which the incoming cla.s.s was entering, but his remarks were not completed when Peter John Schenck arose from his seat and stood facing the president. There was a momentary pause as Walker ceased speaking, and the eyes of all the cla.s.s were turned toward Peter John.
After due deliberation, Peter John said in a loud voice, "Mr. President, I move that we adjourn."
The hush that followed was broken by a loud laugh which had been started by Walker himself. Peter John, however, glanced about the room as if he was unable to perceive what it was that had caused the outbreak.
Apparently unabashed, he again turned to the cla.s.s president and said, "Isn"t a motion to adjourn always in order, Mr. President? If it is, then I repeat my former motion. I move that we adjourn."
Hawley was too good-natured to treat the interruption as it deserved, so he said, "Is the motion seconded?"
Apparently it was not, and still unabashed, Peter John again took his seat while Walker resumed his remarks.
"I don"t know that I have anything more to say, only to tell you fellows to be careful. College traditions and customs have all the force of laws, and though some of them may seem to be foolish, still I believe in the main they help to make the life here what it is, and that"s what you all want to get. If you have any questions to ask, don"t be afraid to come to me with them, or to any of the juniors, and you"ll be given all we know, which, though I can promise you it may not be much, still may be just a little more than you know. Or, perhaps, some of you," he added, glancing quizzically in the direction of Peter John Schenck as he spoke.
When Walker departed from the room, Peter John was again the first to arise. "I move we adjourn," he said in a loud voice.
"Second the motion," said Foster Bennett quickly. The motion was put and instantly carried, and the cla.s.s pa.s.sed out from the room.
"It was anything to shut up Peter John," Foster explained to Will as he joined his room-mate. "Did you ever see the like?"
"I never did," laughed Will. "I feel almost guilty to be acting as secretary for the cla.s.s. If we had ten other offices to vote upon, I believe Peter John would have made the first nomination for every one."
"He certainly is the freshest freshman in the whole bunch."
"Yes, he doesn"t know enough to know that he doesn"t know, and that"s about as far down as a fellow can go in his ignorance, you know."
"What shall we do for him?"
"Nothing."
"But he"ll have trouble."
"Sure."
"I"d hate to see him catch it too hard."
"You can"t save him, Foster. He"s got to learn his lesson. The idea of his being on his feet so much to-day."
"Well, he helped us to some good officers anyway, I"ll say that much for him," laughed Foster. "But if he made such an impression on our cla.s.s, what"ll he do for the soph.o.m.ores?"
"You"d better be thinking about what they"ll do for him."
Walker now joined the two boys, introducing himself to each, and accompanying them to their room, where he entered and took a seat at their invitation. He was a fine-looking young man and of most agreeable manners, so that soon both Will and Foster were delighted with him personally and appreciative of the honor of the visit from their visitor.
"No," Walker was saying, "the hazing doesn"t amount to anything much in Winthrop. It"s nothing more than a little good-natured "horse play" for the most part. Of course, once in a while a fellow gets a little more attention than the rest of the cla.s.s; but as a rule it"s his own fault.
You have a cla.s.smate that"ll be very popular with the sophs, if he doesn"t look out," he added with a laugh.
"Who"s that?" inquired Will, with a wink at his room-mate.
"The chap that was on his feet so much in the cla.s.s meeting this afternoon."
"We were just talking about him," said Foster quickly. "You know he fitted at the same school where we did, and naturally we want to lend him a hand when we can. What had we better do?"
"Nothing."
"What do you mean?"
"Just what I say. You can"t do much for such a fellow; he has to learn it all for himself. The trouble is that he doesn"t know how much or what he"s got to learn yet. You can"t do much for such a--"
Walker stopped abruptly as Peter John himself entered the room. His face was beaming, and as he removed his hat his stiff red hair seemed almost to rise on his head. "Well, fellows," he said, "we did things up brown this afternoon, didn"t we?"
"You did too much," said Walker quietly.