Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-05-13
CHAPTER x.
The Major Meets His Fate.

The Major Meets His Fate.
Old Duggan, night Waterman and deputy
,o,t+or of the "Co-Educational," had OF
late been having some strange experiences
Student FRANKS he knew of old ana mao
often heen a victim Girlish frohcs in the
for,, of inflow fights and hair-comD SCI
enades he had sometimes heard, but never
seen surreptitious suppers. hoisted 10 up
mar windows from the hands OF lavish class
mates of the sterner sex he had occasion
a11v trailed too late either to seize the sup
MICS or the source thereof The co-eos de-
clarad he was too soft-hearted to 90 either.
Once he had broken up horse noole
Marty and also the fiddle. but that was pc
cause the instrument was productive Oh we
and discordant noises. Duggan mao never
vet arrested the performers IN ny. ~.
musicale where the resultant melody was
sweet and harmonious. The presloenr m
deed had accused him of unbecomlng laxty
in the performance of his duty, lot cue
president had no ear for music. Inc marion
had reported him for aiding and abetting
In Smuggling contraHoand cookies, cardmels
and chocolate creams, and a scotch Ner'pct
was the sole result. In blocking any case
of malicious mischief Duggan was com
rnendaaly prompt and jealous, but IN DEAL
ina with the student body IN minor male
factions the old Irishanan was imbecllity II
self.
When. therefore, he was called TO attend
the president"-the invariable formula IN
which the presidents Mercury conveyed
that informa tion-and asked IF he mad seen
or heard anything of a Midnight proWieF
underneath the west windows OF Chiffon
Hall, Duggan, thinking 1t only another case
of chocolate creams said no, and was START
led by the vehemence of the president
next remark: Then you have been asleep
or in COLLISION. If he appears again anu
you fail to aPprehend him. IN nominate
Z ba tonq I'd of etsG
II seems the matron was the informant or
complainant She said that not only had q
man been seen two nights in succession, ana
list after II, peering up at the WINDOWS Cil
the west side but he had dared TO attempt
10 attract the attention of the occupants
by throwing pebbles up at the windows.
What Duggan did not know was that When
the natron was cross-eXamined as 20 1als
she amended her statement by saying "a
window. Being further questioned the ma
tron reluctantly said II was Miss Hoyts
window, for, in common with many DINERS,
both teachers and students, the matro7 nad
found herself more and more attracted 10
Miss Hoyt, and this in spite Of the rumors
about those letters, the night meeting WI
the unknown, and the episode Of The west
grove.
Then the president gave instructions that
Miss Hoyt should temporarily be moved to
another room and that Miss Hinton. a self
reliant amazon who had grown with the
college from its infancy, should occupy MISS
HOyt g; ana the naITOn WIFI So!Hc HlIsSl'-
ing as to the result, communicated the
presidents wishes to those most concerned.
Miss Hoyt expressed no objection. She was
STILL possibly. too Ill in mind and body TO
be anything but inert. Miss Hinton, how
ever behaved with her accustomed spirit.
She would go on watch, she said, whenever
the president desired. She would sleep,
however, only in the room she h1i been SO
long accustomed to consider her own. IT.
reyerent cO-eds were wont to refer TO that
a ir
owned, TO the occupant herself by the same
quadliteral with its vowels reversed. The
young are prone to attribute to their mon
itors unseemly traits, to which they them
selves would doubtless plead not guilty.
Then Duggan had been called into confer
ence The matron was the de jure head Of
Clifton Hall, Miss Hinton, by reason of an
aggressive personality and many years of
service, the de facto The trustees hooked
10 the former for the maintenance Of proper
discipline In han; the presidents dependence
was on the latter The matron was afable,
the maiden austere. BY their exub Grant
flock. and in spite of her duties, the matron
was beloved; the maiden, in spite Of her
many virtues, belittled, if not bedeviled.
And here came delicious and not-to-oe-neg-
lected opportunity.
He would be an unwise man who would
imagine that bevy of bright-eyed western
girls could be blinded to the fact that there
was something odd IN the sudden eXcha nge
Of quarters between Miss Hinton and Miss
|.
soon as sure of the cause, and acted ac-
cordingly.
Now, the president had told Duggan to
have two stout men to aid him. He had
settled in his mind the Identity OF
the night prowler, and was now bent On
proving his point. The girls of Clifton
sympathzing naturally with the signing
lover who would come serenading under his
lady's window, could not be induced to look
upon the improper proceeding In the proper
light There were dozens of eager, adven-
turous young spirits among their churns and
classmates of the battalion and not a few
even among the supposedly more staid
young men of the senior and Junior classes
There were hurried, merry mischievous
conferences about the halls and corridors OF
the college buildings. There Were plots
and projects unspeakable. Not one OF theii
number would do anything to hurt old Dug
gan. Not one of their number could resist
the temptation, however, TO have fun with
him. especially II in so doing they could ex-
asperate Miss Hinton. Given these condi-
tons any one who knows anything of col
lege boys and college girls needs no en-
largement on tie fact that Duggan was
havingsome novel and strange experiences
Moreover, Miss Hinton was having what
our Iatter-day saints, college girls Of this
decade, would probably term the time OF
her life" Never before had she known
what it was TO have man coming signing
or singing under her window. Now, she
had more than either ne or Duggan could
had prepared to look for one and to mark
him we'll. she looked upon one after another
whom she couldn't mark at ali-whom Dug
gan and his deputies chased in vain-svho
led the swearing odd Celt lively dance In
the darkness, and when at last a capture
was made IT turned out to be vvacious
| sophomore who swore he hadn't bean nea reI
| the hall than the avenue gate Then sounds
| OF haif-slpppressed gigglng at neighboTinu
windows admonished Miss Hinton that the
girls were making game of her. Then, oh
gruesome sight! the atraw-stuffed effigy @.
a man Yves lowered from a cornice of Clif-
ton Hall Just at dawn Of frosty morning
and hung suspended In fun view, close &c
the easement of my lady's chamber"-the
IIair-yet rot so close as at that nour to Of
| tract attention from within. And the first
| thing Miss Hinton knew of 1t was when the
| bell was sounding for morning prayers and
there was q gale of delighted williamsburg