The times., 1899-04-08
COLLEGE FRANKS.
A New Cane Rnsh. story rs Related
by nHb,Ieginn.
(FIom theFNf@ York SIMS

Billy had come home from college for hi!
spring vacation, and, as he always had
great stock OF stories when he returned. n,
one was surprised when he announced. a
the dinner table, Before lie had been hom,
fifteen minutes, tBat)he had the best jok,
on the freshmen that.ever happened. "Yot
Know it's an old college custom up there t
let the freshmen smoke pipes and carry
canes after the spring vacation" he began
They can't smoke pipes until after vaca.
tioh, but 1t is the custom for the babies tc
carry their class canes to evening chapel OF
tne last Sunday of the winter term. Their
.ney can carry them, but before that day
OIL course, no freshie has a right even x
own cane, so we put forth all our ener.
sies TO discover who had the canes and tC
steal them II possible Well we had Z
committee of sleuths TO look for clothes
ana about half the sophomore class re-
solved itself into an amateur detective
lorce' but the freshmen had been pretty
CRAFTY and We couldn't find trace of those
canes.
Ihings were looking pretty blue for us.
ana about half of the detective squad had
given it up as a bad Job after having
oeen threatened with arrest for breaking
IN the head of hogshead of sugar down
III the freight depot, which they suspect
ed 10 contain the sought-for canes lust
Mheh thlngs were looking their worst Bill
iouhs came up to the room one night.
ana, after assuring himself that there
were no freshmen around, informed us in a
stage whisper that those canes were as
sood as ours. senior had overheard
Two freshmen talking about them, and.
vi course, had Immediately told the
express that evening addressed to a man
in town, and were to be called for by
some freshmen at O'Clock.
That was our chance and YOU can bet
we weren't slow in taking it, so at ten
minutes OF about twenty sophomores
came sneaklng down to the express office
ana MD in an alley just beyond The
freshmen were prompt, and just at four
OF them came down the street in n two
seated carriage, drove up to the office, and
Two OF them went in to get the precious
box. They got as far as the sidewalk with
1t when out rushed the sophs, and when
the poor freshies saw the numbers against
them they gave up, dropped the box and
ran. The two in the carriage drove off at
full speed, and maybe ii wasn't triumph
for US
we let out class yell that could be
heard all over college, and in less than a
minute there was a crowd of sophs around
yelling like Indians. A lot of seniors and
juniors came down, too. TO see what the
trouble was, and of course they had to
join in the ha ha on the freshmen We
had quite a jubilation, until one of the
fellows conceived the brilliant idea of
opening the box then and there and dis
tributing the canes to the sophs and then
having triumphant march around the
town. Some one brought a hatchet and of
came the cover Of the box. Inside there
appeared some heavy paper, for protec-
ton, we thought, and we ripped that off to
find the box filled with a choice assortment
OF tree branches and kindling wood, and on
top OF 1t all, in plain sight, placard bear
ing the one expressive word, 'rubberneck'
Well, it was an awful rubber on US.
and the worst of it all was that a great
part OF the college was standing there
laughing at us and some of them saying
Things which impressed all present, except
the sophs, as being extremely funny We
couldn't appreciate the humor of Ii, and
most of us remembered engagements which
we had in another part of the town. In
hve minutes there wasn't a single soph in
sight, while the freshmen We're marching
around town in a body yelling their class
yen and adding the now hated words rub
Der, rubber, rubber OF course the whole
fallen into the trap beautifully
We had given up all hope of stealing
the canes now. and everyone was working
MS brain overtime trying to think of some
sood scheme when a smile came over Bill
Young's face, and he remarked: Fellows
I've got it If you'll leave it to me- or
course, we were eager TO know what the
game was to be, but Bill wouldn't tell and
put us of by saying Wait until Sunday
night and you'll see
Wen, on Sunday evening, all the fresh
men came down the street to chapel.
swinging their canes and smiling in a way
which almost said rubberneck in itself
All the sophs went into the chapel carly
For some reason or other We didn't like
10 see these freshmen walking down the
street in the exultant way in which they
did. SO we were all seated there and every
one was feeling blue, for whatever Young's
plan was it must have failed. Then in
came the freshmen. Well, | never heard
such noise as they made. They knocked
their canes on the floor. on the way up
the aisle to their seats and, when seated, |
one by one began to slip and fall to the |
floor with smash. 1t seemed as if every |
freshman was simply picking up and drop |
ping his cane, and as there are a hundred
and twenty in the class you can i'm
agine what a racket they made We began !
TO smile, couldn't help it, because we knew
that there must be something wrong !
and if it continued the faculty |
was sure to be heard from. The racket |!
continued during the time when the fell !
lows were coming in and Prex's face was
a study. Prex always conducts the even
ing service, and at first he didn't notice |
the racket. or pretended that he didn't,
but as II grew worse and worse his frown |
by direct proportion
Then we felt sure that there was trou-
Die ahead, and when the organ stopped !
PreX rose and from the expression on his |
lace we knew it was coming, and it did |
He gave those freshmen the worst call
iown ever heard, describing the disturb
ince as irreverence, ungentlemanlike con-
iuct, and a lot more things, and it must
rave been decidedly humiliating for them. |
)f course the rest of the college was laugh |
ng at them.
Young had simply gone to see three or |
our of the most prominent freshmen dur |
ng the afternoon and had told them |
'arefully prepared fairy tale to the effect |
hat of course the hostility between the |
,lasses was at an end, now that they had |
heir canes, and that he wanted to own |
up that we were beaten. and wanted to |
them on getting the better of /
Is. OF course the freshies thought it the |
inest thing on earth of him to own up as |
lie did, and they had quite a peace jubilee. |
But just as he was about 10 leave he hap |
,ened to remark that he supposed they had |
leen told about the old college custom of |
making a racket with their canes in chapel |
hat evening. Every class had done it. he |
aid. and surely they didn't wish to be the |
lass to break up the old custom. The more
loise the better OF course they hadn't |
ieard of the custom, as il had originated |
hA far 10 hrDf pf II;