The Irish standard., 1909-12-18

resentfully. st,
Liked 1t, did he? My eye!"
They danced about him.
TOR he liked it, don't you know.
don't you know?" they chanted, "For
he liked 1t. don't you know-o.oh!"
Then Aurora, rosy-flngered daugh-
ter of the morn," walled in the Greek
q small, chubby lad with pink cheeks.
It was the seesaw chant of the
woods.
The group took it up with a shout
Of Joy. They sent the burlesque Jig
gtng across the campus.
Heads were thrust out above. "Hey,
you freshies! Haw-haw-haw! Keep
quiet, down there!"
A shout Of defiance went up from
the group. They we're drunk with too
much Greek and with release from op.
preston.
A deep voice underran the chant
and snatched 1t from them and made
it beautiful. hurting it out with force.
The group looked at him a moment
doubtingly. Then they gave way and
followed his lead. The burlesQue had
become q march of triumph. Breath.
less they landed him at his own door
Say, you fellows, what do you bet
old Four-Eyes don't let us all of easy
on account Of the farmer?"
Three cheers for farmer!"
"Hip-hip!"
Three cheers for Four-Eyes!"
Heads were thrust out again above.
"Yah-yah-yah! Dry up. down there.
Yah-yah!"
The group broke up and drifted apart
with final yell. Windows descended
with slam. and quiet reigned.
The Greek professor, crossing the
campus five minutes later, heard only
the twittering of English sparrows
and the quiet rustic Of the leaves. I'm.
derneath the quiet. for the professors
ears, ran sonorous epic lines, chanted
to deep measure. The professor held
his head high and stepped to q mighty
tune. ~ e>..
The whole class was entered with.
out condition in Creek thing I'm.
precedented. The faculty gasped
when they heard the news. The
students grinned. News Of the Greek
prodigy got about college. Poor Rich.
ard found his path thorny one. He
could not appear on the campus but
chant in Greek would spring up Of
itself in the distance-swelling or dy.
ing away to an echo, according to the
number of students on hand, and end
ing always with the hooking refrain:
"For he liked 1t, don't you know
o-oh!"
The situation gave him enough to
think about. He forgot to remember
Emily, or even to repember that he
had expected to remember her and be
miserable. She rested in the back
ground Of memory, faint blur,
brushed out Of existence by a grinning
yell Of derision.
He learned to set his teeth and grin
back: and in the end he found his un-
welcome distinction an advantage. It
might not be comfortable to be recoI-
nized and pointed out In every new
class he attended az the learned wood
chopper; but at least he was recog-
nized. No professor forgot his name
or fumbled up and down the class-list
trying to place him. And the fact
that he was older than the majority
of the class, added to the uncanny
Greek distinction, gave him an as
sured place.
When it was known that he was
working his way through college num-
berless opportunities sprang up. The
faculty gave him tutoring and secre-
tary work to do. The student body
put him on the football team. Emily's
image grew SO faint that Cupid must
have wrung his infant hands in de-
SPAR.
The four years went by with undig-
nided haste. Richard was conscious
Of leaving undone half that he meant
to do. He groaned in spirit over vast
tracts of literature-of which he knew
not even the name-that he could get
no time to explore. Nevertheless, he
found himself, at the end Of the
course, taking honors in English: He
gasped little. Then he hunted up
the professor Of English and laid be-
fore him his secret desire.
Want to be Journalistic" said the
professor with smile. Il thought it
was Greek"
Richard made = hasty gesture
'Never!"
The professor laughed out. He was
trim. slight man. Had enough in
college?"
Richard nodded.
The professor drummed with his
fingers on the table for moment.
"Had you thought of trying for col
lege position-English assistant, or
something's" He watched Richards
face.
It flushed a little. Il want. some
thing that will take me into life. I've
never known anything but the woods
and this" 4
The professor WINGED little. well.