The Republican journal., 1905-08-17
A FRESHMAN AT U. OF N.

istered, but were afraid you would be
laughed at or thought ''fresh, and that
would not have suited you at all, al
though you knew that the stairs up and
down which the upper classmen swarm
ed led to the gymnasium-and also to
the chapel. And the stone-ioored
room directly ahead, which you knew
by instinct must be the locker-room,
was alluringly fascinating, but you
were not to be tempted into any indis-
cretions, and turned your faces reso-
lutely toward the swinging doors at the
front of the building. AS they closed
behind you a walk about the campus
suggested itself, and you strolled over
in the direction Of Fernald and Lord
Halls, hardly daring to show your in
terest in the buildings for fear you
would be spotted" AS you walked
you remembered your friend, the Jun
ior's, advice to 60 over to practice
some time soon, and a glance at the
clock in Wingate Hall tower assured
you that the teams would probably be
at work. There were small groups of
students around you, and from the bit
of conversation Jack overhead from
two fellows who passed you concluded
that their destination was the athletic
field and quickening your steps and
keeping the two in sight you crossed
the path between Fernald and Win
gate Halls and kept straight on past
the big dormatory, Oak Hall, remem-
bering with awe the while. and re-
counting to Jack, the stories of some OF
the events there of which you had been
told
You went by the ticket STAND, with
out stopping this time, and on toward
the grandstand. Stopping outside the
fence, where a lot of the fellows were
leaning, your heart thrilled as you
booked for the first time upon the
battle-ground of your college. You
wondered if you would ever be out
there in your dirty canvas suit and
torn old sweater, putting out the best
you had in you, for your college, and
you hoped mighty hope. AS you
looked at the twenty-five tense, active
fellows whose every energy was bent
on the ball a mighty longing to be in
the midst of the fray took possession
of you, and when the high, clear voice
of the quarter chanted out signal
whose closing numbers CHANGED to be
the warning for one of your prep school
teams favorite plays you forgot every
thing and jumped forward with start,
only to be brought back to earth and a
partial realization of affairs by jack
restraining hand on your arm, and the
smiles on the faces of some of your
neighbors. You had forgotten that
you were a Freshman; forgotten that
you were a boy at all, and only longed
to be in the midst of that putting, pant
ing throng. You longed for the
struggle for the feeling of the ball in
your hands, for the very breathless-
ness of the battle. Intently you
watched the practice, and heard the
coachs TRADE of abuse His hammer
and tongs method of going at one did
seem a little terrifying, and different
from what you had been used to, but
you noticed that even the rebuked ones
took it all with good nature and you
resolved to lose no time in getting out
your "togs" which greatly to the dis
gust OF your mother you had insisted
upon packing with far more care than
you had bestowed upon your despised
black suit" When practice was over,
and the weary, dirty, perspiring boys ran
past you to the dressing room, you and
Jack, in company with the rest of the
spectators, started on your homeward
walk. You were about in the middle
of the group as it left the campus, and
it began to grow perceptlbly smaller as
the fellows dropped off at their re-
spective frat houses, on the way down.
town Jack had watched the practice
with cooler, critical eye, and the walk
down town seemed short, you had so
much to talk about. You had caught
up before you left the college road,
with the two Seniors at your house,
who had been up to see practice fol
the first time and whose discussion
of the individual players, the team and
its prospects, proved very interesting to
you.
After supper you and Jack talked fol
a while and then went uptown after
the mail. You were rewarded by a
welcome letter from home and also by
a shorter one Oh tell-tale monogramed
paper. You rather resented Jack S
grin, when he saw that, but you went
back to your reading about the pro
spectiye picnic and the chafngdish
spread as if you hadn't noticed it.
You lad agreed to turn in early that
night for-well, you had decided that
you might need all the energy you
could store up for the next day, SO by
nine o'clock you had finished your let
ter-writing, and it was flights out" for
you and Jack.
H.