The Red Cloud chief., 1879-07-03

on the part Of ali present, and an empty
room In forty-five seconds.
1t Wa . wiuees Joke, for college boys
humor was no finer then than now but
we enjoyed 1t immensely, and the OBJ
~noxious imposi ion was q dead letter for
that day. Old Chess had q chronic dis
position to asthma, and an hcur after
the eruption" VA reported . cough
ing In . manner that sent scseasy b our
souls.
There must be q form Of Investigation
into the occurrence, SO it was no sur
prise to us when, as Lady Jane and I
sat In q room that evening ibid I tell
you that We were chumsD he was sum-
moned to the Presidents private apart
ment the "Star-chamber," As we call
ed it.
looked up with q laugh.
IL hope the doBs won't squeeze you
numerically, old boy!"
l remembered afterwards that he was
pale and i'll at ease.
81 don't mind the squeeze" he said,
8 but l wish you had not done il, Dick.
These senseless tricks put the class so
evidently in the wrong as to hurt our
reputation with sensible people,"
In about an hour I was sent for. just
without the Siar-cbamber I met Lady
Jane. He was very pale, and his agita-
ton awakened me TO plying curiosity.
"What cheer?" 1 hailed him gayly.
He cast a warning glance at the ''sub"
who had brought me the summons,
shook his head and passed on. 1 threw
away the stump Of my cigar and laugh
ed softly.
"The dons have scared him badly"
remarked TO my attendant, in entering
the judgment. hall.
They were all there, from Prex, whom
we liked,to Old Chess, our abomination,
and an awful silence prevailed while l
walked the length Of the room and
stood before the table about which they
were seated.
Prex opened the ball-not with cate
chism, but with downright accusation
1t was /, he stated, who had committed
an offense against law and order SO ia
grant as to challenge prompt and Sc
we're measures on the part Of the Facul-
ty, insulted in the person of Prof. Field,
and SO on, and SO on.
l was so far stunned that l under
stood but two things clearly. No de-
NAL or attempt at self-justification,
would be admitted, the Faculty having
ample proof of my guilt in the positive,
although reluctant, testimony of one
who had been an eyewitness of the
deed, and l was to be publicly repri-
handed in the chapel next morning.
When the buzz and whirl of my senses
ceased, I found myself back in my
room, Lady Jane, still pale and alarmed,
gazing into my face.
81 was afraid of it," he repeated
more thsn once; and upon hearing what
was to be the form of punishment-"I
wish l could stand by you, Dick, and
share it."
81 would rather stand in my shoes
than in those of the informer when the
class have hunted him down" returned,
sore and savage.
In less than three days they had run
him to earth, to the indi gnant astonish-
ment of ALTO my grief and horror.
Searching inquiry revealed that no wit
ness besides Lady Jane had been called
before the tribunal which had condemned
me. When hidden to speak in his own
defense, he stoutly denied having given
evidence against NE, but refused to re-
peat what had passed between the in
quisitors and himself.
"They informed you upon whom sus-
picion rested, l presumeF" asked q
sophomore.
"They did"
"And what was your reply?"
"That l should answer no questions
relative to the conduct of any Of my
classmates"
"An honorable man would have hid
his friend out of danger sooner than ut
ter such a contemplate eyasion!" said
the h~ot-headed querist.
The chairman Of the vigilance
Committee" summed up the case after
the accused had been sent out of the
room.
"The fellow is not a malicious spy,
but he lacks backbone, and breads los
ing the good opinion of the Faculty.
He was frightened into confession, but
he must be made an example of all the
same"
So said they all. Even l, whose dear
est friend he had been, recalling his
speech and behavior before and after
my arrangement, could not resist the
weight of evidence.
So we sent him to Coventry. So far
as We could we carried into execution
the ancient ban of accommodation.
We cursed him, by cool and disdainful
non-intercourse, when he lay down and
when he arose up. Sitting, standing,
walking, eating, he was the Pariah OF
his whilOm mates.
Youth is cruel in love or in hate, and
we never wavered in our declared pur-
pose, even going out of nj way, when
occasions rose not ready to our hand, to
make him feel the full weight of cur
vengeance. And-Heaven help us! We
thought ourselves manly and righteous
throughout, worthy indicators of the
soiled honor of the class that had
Sc spawned an informer." That was our
grandiose way of describing the offense
| which Smelled so rank in our heroic
nostrils.
After one vain attempt to induce me
to listen to his story, the culprit offered
no resistance to his doom, bearing it
with q steady mien, so far and SO equal
ly removed from ~sullenness, or abject-
ness, that we would have called him
''game," had we not preferred to con-
slider him ~insolent.
Thus went on two long months, in
which, although we still roomed to-
gether, Lady Jane and l had not ex-
changed one word. There was superb
skating that season, and we spent most
of our leisure time upon the river. One
afternoon, in passing the ''bend" where
the stream was widest and most crowd
ed, l heard shouts, and saw all recoil,
a one man, from the middle of the