The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-12-31
EVENING STORY


Jones Pread and Bill Dawson--aH as
sembled in Bill Dawson's room one
evening: the entire class of Dr. Mar
tinson's mathematics 139-an except
1.-The girl'-she made the seventh.
well. If no one else will, why
suppose 1 must" said Bill, the spohes-
man. with an emphasis on the suppose
that indicated how great was his sac
You fellows hadn't any intention
any one of you-of taking a hano. |
You cooked it up that 1 was to be the ,
Jaw, can that" was Larry Jones's
comment 'fWe'd do it if we could
but she wouldn't look at us. Fact is
tried to kid her a little toward the
freckles and my pug nose stood IN the
way. You're the lady killer, you know
YOU are. You can do it.
The fact was that it had been de-
cided that one of the six men in the
class should cultivate the acquaintance
of the one girl in the class-with OBJ
ject, if not matrimony, at least some
sort of courtship. 1t was drastic |
needed. For a decade Martinsons
Mathematics 139 had been the test for
the winning of a certain very desira-
BILE cash prize in the large city col
lege. Students IN the eng1neerins
course were eligible for the prize and
the fact that the prize was awarded
to the student having the best grades
in one of the advanced courses in
mathematics, instead OF engineering,
was not to the liking of the students
who wished to compete for it. Mar
| tinson, being one of the younger, more
serious professors, made his course
| extremely difficult-the' thousand dol
lars left by the benevolent one as
reward for highest credit in that
| course, it was felt, was well earned
so difficult had Martinson contrived to
make the course But this had neon
venienceS; so within the past TOUR or
five years there had been prear-
I rangement on the part of the students
/ who wished to compete for the prize
and no one took the course except
with that idea in mind that the prize
would be divided among them. 1t
was also agreed that as it didn't really
matter, with this arrangement, which
man stood highest. no very intense
studying should be done So the
course became one of the more COM
Portable courses where the men en-
joyed considerable peace of mind with
a certainty of a share of the booty at
| the end. But this year after every
thing was arranged and it had been
agreed that Larry should do just
enough more work than his compan
! ions to be sure of taking off the prize
| that was later to be divided among
| them, the girl arrived Professor
; Martinson had been heard to address
was known of her, save that she was
not at all bad looking and-what at
first was much more important-she
was a shark mathematician with
mania for mental application
| 1t was quite clear that she would
carry off the prize and generally turn
the erstwhile peaceful sessions of the
class into mental combats if some
thing was not done to quell her en-
thusiasm No girl had ever been
L., fO toll iT1D
| fact q special permit had to be gained
from the dean to admit her, it was
later understood.
Not only was there an indisposi-
ton on the part of the men to lose
their booty-for they would never
have taken so unpopular course save
as a means of gaining this reward
but it went against the grain of each
one to see a girl walk off so easily
with honors that any one of them
might, if he bestirred his intellect,
have secured for himself.
I'll tell you what" It was Bill
Dawson's suggestion day or so be-
f re the conference in his room. IF
that girl could be sidetracked she
wouldn't be dangerous If some one
could persuade her that there was
some other career ahead of her be-
sides that of studying engineering she
wouldn't use such mental gymnastics
trying to show up our stupidity. Some
things got to be done.
You mean that one of us might get
acquainted and then propose to her or
something of that sort?" asked Larry
cautiously.
in regular co-educa tional colleges that
as soon as the girls begin to get en-
gagged to the men-and all the good
lockers usually do, you know, in their
senior year-why they begin to think
less about their marks and grades"
So it was agreed and later Bill was
appointed to the task and, still rebel
lious, he insisted on having lots drawn
lLarry-snub-nosed, freckle faced Lar
ry-drew the card that appointed him
as the victim. At least he had de-
clared his admiration for her and had
gone SO far as to open the door for
her on several occasions
And Larry went to his task with
out delay and with no further rebel
lion, altho he felt singularly handi-
capped by his freckles and pug nose.
1t was soon observed that he met
Miss Baxter sometimes after class and
escorted her away from the college
buildings in the direction of the car
line-presumably he saw her home.
After month a meeting was called
in Bills rooms Evidently whatever
else Larry had convinced her he had
not convinced her to give up her
. rapid-fire mental activity in the class
room.
Larry report was not entlTely sat
. isfaetory nor was it devoid of reasons
for hope. Il think she likes me-" he
said simply, but I'm darn sure she
t isn't dazzled, and tho she's nice and
pretty, there'd have to be consider
able more soft music to lead me up to
a proposal. I've done my best and
l all that has happened is that I've
l spent several hours a week discussing
: higher mathematics. She talks mathe-
mates as most girls talk about da noes
and house parties I'll tell you she's
, a firSt-rate tutor"
There was -dissension in camp after
I this and. tho Larry did not give up,
Jones Pread and Carter Webb and
! then finally Bill himself were emboId-
hi h. 1t