A CLOUD OF WITNESSES
Will Phelps had been elected temporary secretary and treasurer of his
class, the choice having been made chiefly because his appearance, as he
stood on the platform, pleased his classmates, 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 class 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
class 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
class 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 class 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 class passed 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 class. 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 class,
what'll he do for the sophomores?"
"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 class; but as a rule it's his own fault.
You have a classmate 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 class 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.
"Haven't I as good a right as anybody to make a motion?" demanded Peter
John hotly.
"You have as much right, but you don't want always to take all your
rights, you know."
"Why not? I'll stand up for my rights every time. Now, I don't believe a
word of what you said this afternoon."
"You're complimentary; but you're under no obligations to believe me,"
laughed Walker.
"I don't mean just that. What I mean is that I'd like to see the
sophomore who'd tell me what I could wear or what I couldn't; or where I
could go and where I couldn't. He hasn't anything to say about that."
"He thinks he has," suggested Walker quietly.
"I don't care what he thinks. I know my rights, and I intend to stand up
for them too!"
"Is that why you were running up the railroad track the day when you
came to Winthrop?" demanded Will Phelps.
"Never you mind about that!" retorted Peter John in nowise abashed.
"That was when I didn't know as much as I do now."
"Three or four days will do great things for a fellow," remarked Walker
dryly.
"Yes, sir, that's so. You're right about that," acknowledged Peter John
graciously. "Say, fellows, what are you going to do about these Greek
letter societies?" he inquired abruptly, turning to his two classmates
as he spoke.
Both Will Phelps and Foster Bennett glanced uneasily at Walker, but the
junior only smiled and made no response. It was apparent though that the
topic Peter John had broached was one upon which all three had been
conferring.
"We haven't done anything as yet," said Foster.
"Neither have I," acknowledged Peter John. "I thought I'd take my time
before I decided which one I'd join. I suppose I'll have to write home
to pa, but he won't know as much about it as I do."
"We live and learn," said Walker as he rose to depart. "I'll see you
to-night?" he inquired of Will and Foster as he stopped for a moment in
the doorway. Will glanced questioningly at his room-mate and then said:
"Thank you, Walker. We'll be very glad to come."
"Where you going? What did he want?" demanded Peter John when Walker was
gone.
"It was something personal," said Foster. "Walker thinks you'll have to
walk the chalk line, Peter John, or you'll have trouble with the sophs."
"He does, does he? Well, I'll show him. I'd like to know what right
they've got to tell me what to do. I'll do as I please! My chum--"
It was instantly plain to the boys now the cause for this sudden and
strange change in Peter John's attitude. He was relying upon the prowess
of Hawley to protect him now and apparently was confident that he would
not be molested since he roomed with the young giant whose name already
was known throughout the college and from whom such great things were
expected for the football team.
"Don't depend too much upon Hawley! He can't be everywhere, remember,"
said Foster warningly.
"I'll show 'em, if they come near me!" retorted Peter John as he
departed.
For several days the college life went on quietly and the boys were
becoming somewhat accustomed to their new surroundings. There had been a
"sweater rush" between the two lower classes, in which Hawley had been
entrusted with the precious sweater, and, surrounded by his classmates,
successfully defended it against the onslaught of the sophomores. The
struggle had been severe but in good part, and the worst results had
been some torn clothing and bruised faces. The freshmen wore upon their
arms a strip of white cloth to enable them to distinguish their own
comrades, and great was their elation when after the time limit had
expired, it was discovered that the coveted sweater was unharmed. The
strength of Hawley had been as the strength of ten and his praises were
in every mouth.
Into this struggle Will Phelps had thrown himself with all his might,
and when he joyfully emerged from the struggling mass of humanity
gathered about Hawley his rejoicing was great and his cheers for the
class were among the loudest.
On the border of the crowd he had perceived Peter John, but his
classmate displayed no evidence of the recent struggle and Will was
about to question him, when Peter John himself said, "Come over to my
room to-night, Will."
"All right." Will Phelps had promised readily, and then the matter
departed from his mind as he rushed about among his classmates.
That evening he suddenly glanced up from the book he was studying and
said to his room-mate: "Foster, I agreed to go over to Peter John's room
to-night. Want to go?"
"Can't say that I'm pining for it. What does he want?"
"I don't know. He seemed to be very much in earnest about it, though."
"Is it much nearer from here to his room than it is from his room to
ours? If he wanted to see you so much, why didn't he come over here?"
"That isn't Peter John's way," laughed Will. "I promised to go, so I
think I'll run over for a minute. I'll be back pretty soon."
"If you need me let me know," called Foster as Will departed, and he
then at once resumed his task.
Will Phelps ran across the campus to Leland Hall, and as he turned in at
the dimly lighted hall the contrast between his own surroundings and
those in which he now found himself was for the moment almost painful.
The stone step at the entrance had been worn away by the passing of
boyish feet over it for more than a century. For a moment there flashed
into his mind the thought of the eager lives that there had been trained
and long since had passed over into the land beyond. Will himself was
the fourth generation in direct descent in his own family to enter
Winthrop, and as he now passed slowly up the rough, narrow, and worn
stairway, he found himself thinking of his own father and grandfather
and great-grandfather, all of whom doubtless had many a time been in the
very same hallway where he himself then was. Even then from far down
the street came the sounds of song and laughter of some passing body of
students and the faint sound he could hear was for the moment almost
like the echo of long past days. The very hall seemed to echo also with
the footfalls of students who had long since completed their course and
passed on. He was surrounded by a cloud of witnesses.
Suddenly from the floor above him came the sound of noisy shouts and
shrieks of laughter. The vision of other days and other men instantly
departed, and the full force of the appeal of the present swept over
him. Bounding up the steps, two at a time, he swiftly came to the third
floor and then stopped abruptly as the shouts were redoubled and
evidently came from Peter John Schenck's room.
For a moment Will hesitated, almost tempted to turn back, but his
feeling of curiosity was strong and resolutely he advanced and rapped
upon the door. This was quickly opened and Will stepped inside the room.
The door had instantly been closed and bolted behind him, but Will was
hardly aware of that so interested was he in the sight upon which he
gazed in the room which was filled with a noisy group of students.