The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-04-28
b
Of Homo

admirably adapted for the ducking Of un-
ruly Proctors. and Dove here has been
known TO rise early I'm the morning, and
accompanied by a complainant photogra-
pher. pose as Apollo. with one arm tenderiy
laid round the centerpiece. TIL bridge
that is this instant grooming beneath our
weight. and the college beycad are called
Clare. in honor Of one of Tennyson's most
feted heroines. Both Thackery and Byron
were once inmates of Trinity Asylum, and
IL you will follow me through the great
court, ladies, I shall have much pleasure
in showing you over the apartments Of
Eardie, the notorious stroke
Il ratified on giibly e~nough-you know
how had the knack-and when was out
OF breath. Dove took up the running IN
pretty much the same vein. The palmer
girl listened TO US seriously at first. bur
when the one with the guide-book began 10
laugh. she jumped to the situation and
drew off. I think IL was ! who covered the
difficulty by a general invitation TO tea and
cake. The two girls exchanged glances,
and inclinations got the better of proprlety.
The younger one with the guide-book 1 had
already half-appropriated. She was pretty
I think I've said she was pretty-and
when she sat in Hardie's best chair and
played with the tea-things. l felt hugely
content with the afternoons work.
Dove only stayed long enough to get
the first flavor of the situation; he went
early 10 Hall and left us with many ex-
cuses. l now played host alone; and the
plain girl. favorably affected by her en-
~vironment, expanded and said nice things
about my-or rather. MISUNDERSTANDING.
She enlarged On the joys of an undergrad
yates life, and, IL / remember rightly, said,
4 wish we girls could go to college 1
suggested Girton; but the plain girl averred
that it was not the same thing.
Meanwhile. the younger one was taking
stock OF Hardie's belongings. She had ex-
mine ali the photographs. pots and car
toons. the thwart In the corner, and now
she asked me 10 fetch down the oar.
And did you really row in the boa. race
with this?' she asked. handling Hardie's
most cherished trophy.
The question. the moment. were alike
critical-and / fell.
Yes | modestly returned; and the lie
vas rewarded by a glance Of admiration
that years OF truth-telling had never pro-
cured me.
The photographs aren't good was her
Al'AN RViiAAA'hAH civ Aiti Il AtAiiNlllbtltA
that. indeed. 1 did bear some resemblance
to Hardie.
at was more accidental than real. We
both shaved clean and parted our hair one
way; our heads and build were pretty
much Of a shape. and we were both dark.
Hardie's boating rig might have explained
away some Of the difference, but really
there was more than sufficient evidence In
N 4, favor aoJ IL, ,tb,, ..ors. 1900 ..,.
painted on the doorway and on the stair
case wall. From that moment | was a hero.
The plain girl clinched all her sentences
with my assumed name; the little one swal-
lowed my small talk as though it were
nectar and ambrosia. And now-now / am
a greater light even than Harder" And
Dickie Conybeare sat thinking for a while.
II wonder whether anybody. barring a
few men like ourselves. remember him
now?'
Dickie came to the end Of his reflections
at last and proceeded.
The two girls lived at Swavesey, some
miles out. and asked me about trains. 1t
was time for them TO go. l offered TO sec
them TO the station, and we set out. The
plain girl had some business at the diapers
on the way, and while she attended to it
tic SOunStI Jill dlu 4 IldICLtu up anu
down the pavement outside. | asked ques-
lions. The two were distant cousins. and
she was on a visit TO the others family.
Her home was in America-I thought l had
detected the accent. but she was English
for all that. She was going back in the
autumn.
80 soon" said 1. She smiled at my con-
Germ. And then. as a dozen times before
49,. N --..t. ~-..t. M - ~
there's a young face smiling up at our
own-I asked her to see me again. She was
nearly a child. seventeen or Whereabouts.
and new TO England. and l a hero-Hardie,
the Varsity and Leander stroke, possessor
of countless pots and an emblazoned' oar!
1 asked for several minutes, till she said
she was going a walk down the Huntingdon
road the next afternoon. That was all l
wanted. for we live In the present then, and
now-we pay.
"Of course. l met her. She was a simple
enough little thing. but easy 10 talk TO and
never tired on a walk; knew more OF the
country than of towns. which-but what's
the good OF going over all that. We met
almost daily till the end: l meaning no
harm. OF course. and condescending enough
in the lordly way l had. Her time was up,
but she stayed on: and then one day 1 saw
about half of what L had done. This little
girl loved me-: not in the shallow way of
her class. but utterly and beyond reason.
whilst / was merely playing the fool-mak-
ing a pastime of passion and better things
as so many of us did in those days: and.
God help them. il was more often the wom-
ems faul; than ours"
Dickie cleared his throat before beginning
anew.
We've most of us been there. and time
has put things right again" l said quietly
enough. by way of filling up the interval.
yes. j know. but nobody warns us-no-
body says it's life and death you're playing
with"
My sophistry seemed small enough be-
fore, now-all l could do was to lay a hand
on his and sit silent. My touch may have
soothed him, for he was calmer when he re-
sumed.
Il had a few notions that 1 was pleased
TO call honor. and thought that these were
sufficient 10 meet the difficulty. So | spoke
out as gently as L could, told her tina,
she was taking a thing seriously that had
begun as a joke and was never intended
TO so beyond a few meetings and walks
that / had thought she was OF nv mind