Iron County register., 1897-06-10
THE ANARCHIST.
By Prof. Bliss Perry.

ssssss1ssssssssssssssssssGs;ssssssgsSa@zEaa4zs,S;
was the first day of the fall term.
had just assigned seats to the sopho.
more class in Greek, and had begun
some appropriate remarks about the
new college year, when the door of the
recitation-room was pushed gently
open. The class looked up, and turned
around.
On the threshold stood man of &c OF
%; q stoop-shouldered giant, with a
wide-brimmed, gray felt hat. an ilI-fit-
ting black suit-planned as a compro-
mise between Prince Albert" and a
cutaway-a long red tuft of chin whis-
kers, and narrow, imperturba rbable, wist-
full eyes He glanced at me and took off
his hat. For that one second the room
was absolutely silent.
I'm freshman" he said, in soft,
southern voice. Freshman McRawney.
Am 1 in the right place?"
\ rapturous, deafening howl from the
sophomores was his answer, and, after
a somewhat extensive experience, l
confess that the reputation of this par
ticular class for prompt and unanimous
dCllOn Will tLIc was "C1l uCSCIhCu
The giant waited calmly till their
mouths were open for second breath.
Don't be afraid, boys" he remarked,
reassuringly. I'm not going to hurt
you," whereupon he bowed himself out.
The sophomores looked at one an
other obviously and then at me, and 1
took advantage of their temporary dis
comfture by resuming my remarks
upon the opening year.
That evening l had the pleasure of a
call from Mr.. McRawney. He was a
Kentucky Scotch-Irishman, it seemed,
who had strayed nothward in search of
a better school" Why he came to us
could not learn, though he was courteous
enough to hint that he had been drawn
by the reputation of the Greek depart
ment. He was heavily conditioned in
Greek, never having had teacher; but
in Latin and mathematics he was eX-
cellently prepared.
He had taught school for awhile, and
conversed with me about the profession
with a companionableness that was de-
lightful. His other occupations. had
been numerous. l discovered incident
ally that he had tried his hand at store
keeping, preaching, editing country
paper, and even serving on a apoliceforce.
He stayed until midnight rambling on
about his experiences in his gentle,
queer-cadenced Kentucky voice, and
was sorry to have him go.
But l wondered how this unsophis-
ticated, genuine child of nature would
fit into our artificial college world, with
all its vanished conventions and long
established codes. Only two days later
he satisfied my curiosity on this point,
and won the title of 1.-The anarchist
1t was Saturday afternoon and Nc
Rawney had started out to pay his re-
spects to the president. A crowd of
sophomores, lOunging in front OF the
college gate by the presidents house,
caught sight of the tall, Gngainly hg-
ure Looping toward them.
To their astonishment he was carry
ing cane; and what was, if possible,
worse defiance of tradition, he had tied
knot of the college colors around it.
in the innocence of his heart.
They started for him Is or 20 of them,
n couple of football men in the van.
'Hold on, freshman" called the leader.
"Hullo, boys!" said McRawney, be-
nignantly.
Drop that cane! Don't you know
that a freshman can't wear the college
colors?"
In an instant the cane was snatched
from his hand and snapped into dozen
pieces. McRawney simply stared.
"Now take off your hat to the sopho-
mores!"
The freshman glanced smilingly,
questioningly, from one man toanother,
as if there were some joke which he did
not quite understand. His wide
brimmed hat was promptly knocked
into the gutter. He stopped smiling.
Say" he ventured, with that soft, up |
ward lift in his voice which they mis-
took for plaintiveness, that's the only |
hat have. Pick it up"
''Oh turn up your trousers!" called |
some one derisively from the rear of the |
crowd. He glanced down at his shiny |
black trousers, which indeed left a |
couple of inches of white stocking visi- |
bic above his low shoes. The sopho- /
mores laughed and he realized that they +
were guying him.
No." he drawled, 81 reckon it won't /
be necessary to turn up my trousers
nor my sleeves. either:" and before any |
body realized what was going to hap
pen, he had the leader by the throat and /
the next biggest man by the collar,
sweeping them both from their feet |
with his b1ll-like, forward rush, and
before they could get their footing he
swung them apart to his full arms
length, and dashed their heads to-
gcther.