The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1898-06-30
seemingly but little effect on Dropsy, and


over it, took it as he had taken every
thing as a matter of course, and was OBJ
livious to all but the work in hand. Some
of those to whom his face was like a ba-
rometer, however, thought there was tiny
cloud there which might, with inner and
resident forces, in time increase until it
had gathered tue fury of cyclone. Those
few were not entirely wrong, for before
two months more had passed, two
things happened that quite changed the
opinion and attitude of the whole student
body toward him.
After his severe fright, Dropsy had re-
turned to his work with the same relish,
continuing in apparent good nature, or at
least liberation Of all the sport the fell
lows chose to have at his expense. A
month passed by, and this constant sport
did not cease, nor did the growing resent
ment of it all within Dropsy's fat breast
lessen in the least. One day in the labora-
tory the first climax came.
1t was in the forenoon of bright and
lovely day in early April, the kind of day
when windows are thrown open and every
thing out of doors is suggestive Of spring.
Nearly every place in the rather under
sized laboratory was filled. there being
probably fifty tive or sixty students, rep
resentatives Of all classes, assigned to
that particular hour for work or making
independent research
Dropsy, who had been at his place in
this department only week, was there,
as were Woodruff, senior and assistant in
the laboratory, kimball, upper classman,
son of the professor of Materia Medica,
usually the instigatOr of fun with DropSy
Hyde, kimhal' $ ready second, and pOpu
lar, with two tirst-year men who from
the first had escEewed the members of
their own class and toadied to the seniors,
and was specially active in making sport
of their corpulent fellow student.
The entrance Of the students had as
usual been noisy one, but now half
hour work had been done, the noise had
subsidized little being heard save the click
OF test tubes OF the trickling of water into
the baths. Dropsy, always perspiring,
had removed his blue army-cloth coat
hung it on peg not far from Kimball' S
place, and gone TO his own rudimentary
work.
All at once a half dozen students burst
out into great tit of laughing, which
was gradually communicated to others
until nearly the whole laboratory was in
one prolonged roar. Everyone was look
ing with all his eyes at the blue army
cloth on the peg near kimball, laughing
for all he was worth. Kimball. who was
apt at SKETCH had traced with nitric
acid on The broad back of Dropsy's coat,
the well-executed and unmistakable out
lines of the fat student. Nor was this an.
for nossiblv fearino the tiol1re wou]d NOT
be recognized. be had also traced beneath
the tiqnre in the same acid in rather LARGE
print the anest;on. s'Wbat's the matter
with me9'' and below that the apparent
answer. .Dropsy.'' The acid had of
course left It's indelible stain ON the coat.
chanoinu every thread it had tonched TO
reddish ORANGE
The lauollino was ar IFS londest when
Dropsv was uudued by the St dent next
to him and told to look Dropsy turned
in tle direction of his coat s3vt6e marks
without KNOWING their inlelibIe nature
left his work crossed fine r,,9n +nolz
down the eoat from tbe ;,eo and beoan
with his hand TO hrusb off the marks
Not until he h3d made a half dn7an in.
effectu,l attenots TO remove tbe acid
stairs IN, },,nsli,,o and Tho f}f+v.odd SIN.
dents had jncre easel theil. la,,ul,fe,. sava,,l
DEGREES did he f5jiv realizn fbe situation
Wien 1e.,lizatinu came he Ir,,r the coat
aoain In IFS 1,lare ulnv4fed , moment
mon Kinh3Ii ar1 }asSed without cnp.
mont of ,,,7,. s,,t .,,,.,,t,' r., bis ,,I,ce
When +be lannl,ftr Nod in a n..as,,,4
subsidized as if Lod va,,- soo,, an,rro he
un,,rr.- classnoen' generally ,botalt almost