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FRANK MERRIWELL'S RETURN TO YALE
BY BURT L. STANDISH
AUTHOR OF "Frank Merriwell's Schooldays," "Frank Merriwell's Trip West,"
"Frank Merriwell's Chums," "Frank Merriwell's Foes," "Frank Merriwell
Down South," etc.
PHILADELPHIA.
DAVID MCKAY, PUBLISHER,
604-8 SOUTH WASHINGTON SQUARE.
Copyright, 1897 and 1904
By STREET & SMITH
Frank Merriwell's Return to Yale
[Illustration: "The door opened and in walked Frank Merriwell."]
FRANK MERRIWELL'S RETURN TO YALE.
CHAPTER I.
GREETINGS ON THE CAMPUS.
"Ah, there, Merriwell!"
Frank Merriwell was crossing the campus at good old Yale, and this cry,
in a familiar voice, sounded from Durfee Hall.
He turned his eyes toward the favorite dormitory, and seated at an open
window on the ground floor he saw his classmate, Jones, he of the famous
nickname, "Dismal."
"Hello, Dismal," called Frank, "aren't you going to come out and shake
hands with a fellow?"
"I would if it wasn't for the shower," responded Jones, whose usually
solemn face was graver than ever.
"Shower?" repeated Frank, looking up in surprise at the perfectly clear
sky.
"I see that you've just arrived, so that you probably haven't noticed
it," said Dismal, coming out of his window to avoid going around through
the hall.
He came slowly across the grass plot that lay between him and Frank and
held out his hand, saying:
"How are you, Frank? I'm glad to see you."
Frank, who had just come from the railway station, had a gripsack in
each hand. He set them down upon the grass and shook Dismal's hand
warmly.
"There it goes!" exclaimed Dismal, with something like animation, "the
shower's begun again."
Frank's brows wrinkled in perplexity.
"I don't see any signs of a shower," he said.
"That's because you haven't been here all the morning," returned Jones,
solemnly. "I've been sitting there in my window for fully three hours
watching it; it's been a perfect rain of gripsacks on the campus. Every
fellow that comes along stops to shake hands with everybody he meets,
and every time he stops, down goes his gripsacks."
Frank laughed.
"You're the same old cheerful joker, Dismal," he said. "But you're
beginning early. If you keep up this sort of thing you'll actually get
caught laughing before the end of the junior year."
There was a faint shadow of a smile on Dismal's face as he responded:
"Well, anyhow, Frank, I'm glad to see all the fellows come trooping
back. Are you glad to get here yourself?"
"Why, of course I am."
"Had a good time during the vacation?"
"I always have a good time," said Frank. "Don't you?"
"Oh, yes, in my way. To tell the truth, I spent most of the summer
dreading the day when I should have to come back to the confounded old
books, and lectures and examinations; but I got here yesterday, and now
I'm dreading the time I shall have to go away again."
"Then I see that you're sure to enjoy yourself during the junior year,"
said Frank, stooping to pick up his gripsacks.
"When I've got my room in order I'll come around and go to luncheon with
you."
"Do!" replied Dismal. "I'll go back to my window seat and watch the
shower. Hello! there comes Browning, and he's loaded down with
gripsacks, too. My, but there'll be a perfect torrent!"
Big Bruce Browning came up with friendly words of greeting, and as
Dismal had predicted, he set down his gripsacks in order to get his
hands free.
"It's getting worse and worse!" remarked Dismal, as if worried about it,
"for here comes Rattleton and Diamond from one direction and Harold Page
from another."
The last named students were on their way, just as Frank had been, to
their respective rooms, and each carried more or less baggage, except
Diamond, who, being something of an aristocrat, had sent all his traps
to his room on a wagon.
Seeing Frank standing near Durfee, they all turned toward him, and in a
moment there was a lively exchange of greetings and small talk.
Four of these students, Merriwell himself, Jack Diamond, Bruce Browning
and Harry Rattleton, had not been long separated, to be sure, but after
a sporting trip which they had undertaken across the continent, it was
like meeting after a long absence to find themselves together again at
Yale.
It was the beginning of a new college year, and members of all classes
were trooping back to begin their work.
While these juniors were discussing all manner of things that interest
students, such as the prospects of the football eleven, the make-up of
next year's crew, and the coming elections into secret societies,
members of other classes were scattered about the campus chatting in
much the same way.
Among those who appeared upon the famous quadrangle were many who
belonged to the incoming freshman class. It was easy to recognize them,
for, as Rattleton observed:
"You can tell a freshman with the naked eye."
They were either proceeding in a fearful hurry, as if they thought they
were in danger of getting in late to an examination, or they were
standing in awkward idleness looking at the strange buildings and
evidently not knowing which way to turn and dreading to ask anybody a
question.
The juniors smiled indulgently as a group of three or four candidates
for the freshman class passed them.
The newcomers were discussing an examination from which they had just
come, telling each other how they had answered certain questions and
wondering if they would get marked high enough to pass.
"I can sympathize with them," remarked Diamond. "I know just the kind of
shivers they're suffering from."
"What jolly good subjects those fellows would be for a quiet hazing,"
remarked Page.
"You mustn't forget," said Frank, "that we're juniors now, and therefore
out of it so far as hazing is concerned."
"That's right," added Browning, "the freshies are nothing to us; they're
far beneath us."
"Except in one sense," said Frank. "The sophomores, you know, will get
even for the hazing we gave them, by taking it out of the freshies, and
so it becomes our duty, in a way, to take care of the freshmen and see
that they get fair treatment."
Speaking of this it may be well to explain that in all colleges the
juniors take this attitude toward the freshmen.
As a rule the freshman receives the attention of a junior with a great
deal of gratitude, but also as a rule he does not find that it amounts
to very much.
The junior is ever ready to give him a good deal of solid advice, and a
great deal more ready to get the freshman to do errands for him, and all
manner of odd jobs that the freshman is quite sure to do, until, as the
boys say, he tumbles to the fact that after all the junior is really
making game of him.
"Speaking of hazing, though," said Page, suddenly, "I've got a new
room."
"Have you? Where is it?" asked Rattleton.
"It's up High Street a way, in one of the oldest houses in New Haven."
"Good room?" asked Browning.
"Capital! I've got to do some grinding this year and the room will suit
me exactly for that, but there'll be hours when the books can be
forgotten, and then you fellows'll find that the room is a corker for
cards or any sort of jollification."
"I don't see what that's got to do with hazing," remarked Merriwell.
"You said that the hazing reminded you of it."
"Yes, I'll tell you why, or rather I'll show you. There's something
about that room that would be perfectly immense if we were sophomores
now. Come down and see it, will you?"
"Better wait a week," said Browning, picking up his bags, "I'm busy
now."
"How extraordinary!" remarked Dismal Jones. "If the faculty should hear
that Browning was busy they'd give him a warning!"
Browning frowned in mock anger and Frank, putting on an expression quite
as solemn as Dismal's own, and laying his hand on Dismal's shoulder,
said:
"The fact is, boys, Jones has become ambitious. He knows that the
election of class-day officers is only a little more than a year away,
and he's getting himself into training for one of the positions."
"Oh, go on, it isn't so!" exclaimed Dismal.
"That's just his modesty," continued Frank, "for of course he doesn't
want to push himself forward, but he's quietly waiting for his friends
to recognize his great ability, and as we're his friends we just want to
boom him from now on, and I take this occasion of nominating Dismal
Jones, Esquire, as class wit."
Rattleton burst into guffaws of laughter, while the others smiled.
"The idea is humorous enough to elect him!" said Diamond.
"Well, if he's going to be a candidate," added Browning, "we must put
the campaign through in proper fashion. We must organize a Dismal Jones
Club and have an emblem.
"I move that we all wear crape upon our left arm and mourning bands upon
our hats until the election."
"Great Scott!" howled Rattleton, "the time for mourning will be after
Jones is elected."
Jones listened to this joking with stolid good humor; never a smile
lingered on his face, but his solemn eyes showed no resentment.
"It's all right," he remarked when they gave him a chance to speak, "you
fellows think you've got me on a long string, but I'd like to bet that
if I should run for a class office, I wouldn't be last in the race!
"Of course," he added, hastily, "I haven't really any insane notion of
doing such a thing."
The students laughed again, picked up their gripsacks and prepared to
separate.
"Say!" called Page, eagerly, "what about coming down to see my room?"
"Oh, we've got a whole year ahead of us," growled Browning.
"I'll run down in the course of an hour or two," said Frank. "I don't
think there's anything to do at my room, and I'll be glad to learn the
way to yours. What's the number?"
Page told him, and Frank exclaimed:
"Why! some of the professors live there, don't they?"
"Pretty much the whole house," responded Page, "is let out to students
and instructors; I believe Prof. Babbitt has his room there----"
"Babbitt!" interrupted Rattleton; "he's the most unpardonable crank in
the whole faculty."
"Well, I shall let him alone, and I've no doubt that he will let me
alone," returned Page. "He's a good deal of a hermit, I'm told, and I
don't think that his being in the same house will make a particle of
difference to me. Anyhow, there's the room and I want you fellows to see
it."
"I'll be down in a little while," said Frank, and the others also
promised to come in the course of a day or two.