Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1895-10-05
The Hazing
of Valiant.
BY JESSE LYNCH WILLIAMS.

To the glorious old days Of un-
trammeled class activity when ev-
eryone recognized that there were
certain duties owed the freshman by
the sophomore class, as Hall talk
was due them from the upper-class
men (another good old custom now
defunct), you had only casually to
drop word to freshman on the way
to recitation to wait for you when
night came, back of Witherspoon-
as you would bid a classmate to come
to spread in your room-and he
would turn up promptly and smil-
ingly, take his little dose meekly and
cheerfully, and go to bed better
boy for it and brag about it every
time he dined out on Christmas holi.
day. But all that is changed now.
Even in the days of which this is
written, which were only compare
lively modern times, one bad to
play q very careful game to do any
hazing.
The freshman was beginning to
hesitate about putting out his light
when you yelled up at him from the
street. People were putting strange
notions in his head. He was begin
ming to think he had a personality.
They were telling him he had his
rights.
Twice had Buckley walked near
the house where Valiant ate bis
dinner. But it's quite light after
dinner in September. He had gone
to his house where he roomed, and
asked the landlady if any of the gen.
tlemen wanted to join the Young
Mems Christian Association. But
that, like the Nassau literary and
Princetonian subscription-list game,
had been played out; the door was
closed in his face. Then, for three
successive nights, he waited in an
alley near by, and on the third night
the freshman came, but with him an
upper classman friend.
Buckley said things and kept in
the shadow, but the freshman had
good eyes and said, as he took out
his keys "Oh, is that you, Mr..
Buckley? Why, how do you do {?
Aren't you coming up to see me 2"
That was horribly fresh.
mot now" Buckley growled.
(Which is your room ~
Excusing himself from the upper
classman, who was enjoying all this,
the freshman led Buckley into the
alleyway and pointed up at the wing
of the house. 1t was a large one
and many people lived in it.
"That room up there, next to the
one with the light in 1t, see p he
said, in polite, friendly tones. This
was decidedly fresh.
Buckley ssid he would come up
later on in the evening, which, of
course, he had no intention of doing,
and saying "good night goodman
neredly enough, he skunk off, and
the fires hmen took his friend up the
stairs, which smelled of damp car
pets.
The next night Buckley got his
gang together. They blew smoke
into one another's faces and decided
that little exhibition of oarsman-
ship in basin of water with tooth
picks would do to warm up with.
Then cross-country jaupt would be
appropriate, running, walking and
crawling TO the canal. Here, as the
freshman was proud of his shape,
he would be given an opportunity of
displaying it while the moon reflect
ed in the water. And, if he felt
cold after that, he could climb tel
ephone pole for exercise-they did
MT want to be inconsiderate of his
comfort-and sing !: "Nearer my
home today, today, than / have been
before" at the top of it. Then with
few Rotations and solos on the
way back he could be put to bed.
This would be good nights work.
1t was nearly two o'clock when
they carried the ladder into the al
leyway. They laid it down in ST.
lence.
For several reasons this was to be
right nervy go. A young profes-
sor and his young wife had suite
of rooms in the house. But it was
MT that which troubled them. This
was: The moon shone full and strong
upon the clear, black wall of the
house, and it was in plain view from
q Gel tain spot distance of about
two blocks away. Across this spot
a certain owl-eyed proctor was pref
ty sure to pass and repass off and On