Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1917-01-05

| suppose any professor would have
| dared to make trouble. Still, was in
college for the purpose, and besides, it
was a bad thing for us leaders to cut
classes and start that sort of business
among the student body. Lit. was a
CHASTITY bore. 1t was nothing but a
bunch of obituaries and a boost for
.ot of books Oh the back shelves of the
Libraries. Beowulf was about as valu-
able to me as the duke of Bucking-
hams head would have been, and I
didn't care holey sock whether Chau-
Ger lived in the thirteenth century
or in hoe signo vinceS. I de-
clined to bone on the stuff, but it
was easy to stall through it, and it
was a good class, in which to study
types. There were lot of queer folks
in it-people who seemed to think that
sort of thing was important-folks
you'd never meet in the ordinary
course of college life.
was sitting ia Lit. class one day
late in November, with my feet
stretched out, thinking rather intently
on little stunt. l was working up for
the banjo club, when / suddenly heard
a silence-funny how loud a silence
can be. I looked up quickly. Every
eye was glued on me, and Professor
Timmons was looking at me with a
queer smile.
Then I knew I had been called on.
Il beg your pardon" said I to the
professor. did you call on met" /
was very polite and considerable.
II did," said Professor Timmons,
still smiling The class laughed right
out. 1t nettled me little, but I let it
pass. 'What was it?" 1 asked.
The class laughed again. Professor
Timmons laughed too. "Pm sorry to
disturb you. Mr.. Simmons" he said
''but will you kindly tell us upon what
the fame of Cowper chiefly rests?"
1 was perfectly frank. 'T'll be
hanged if know" I said pleasantly.
If the class had had any sense it
would have laughed at my joke as we'll
as at the professors. But there wasn't
giggle. Professor Timmons didn't
say anything for about ten minutes
or maybe ten seconds. Then he cleared
his throat.
'You haven't favored us with very
much knowledge this term, Mr. Sim
MONS" he said il a disquietingIy
quiet way. "Are you planning to re-
main with me permanently"
That was all. But it was enough
Tt finished Professor Tinmons with
me. didn't oper my mouth, and when
the class was dismissed l stalked out
through that bunch as if they had
been red ants. / never had been so
mad in my life. l had been called
down before the class-me, Petey Sim
mons, its president-called down by
cheap professor, who wasn't anything
but a cold-storage warehouse for dates.
| simply boiled. For a minute I
thought of quitting school. / dropped
the idea, however. 1t wasn't the col
lege's fault. But when met Ashcroft,
who was leader of the banjo club, /
burned that bunch up good and plenty
| told him just what | thought about
the whole business. eff | hadn't been
too much of a gentleman" / stormed,
Il would have shown up that old fos-
sill right before his class. / would
have asked him what he was doing for
the coll, besides trying to funk the
students who are putting up fight for
it. But didn't, and it wasn't because
| was afraid of the faculty either"
Hhof r14ac Acb obopao 20 ao,o,o
in with little sympathy. But he
didn't. When had finished there was
another of those stillnesses that you
can almost chew up and swallow.
Il looked at Ashcroft. He was smil-
ing in sort of queer way. Finally he
reached over and patted me-me-on
the back just as if I had been a yellow
dog.
"Never mind, Petey," he said. "We
all have our brainstorms. You'll be
letter pretty soon"
Nice thing to hand out to a fellow,
wasn't it? I was furious. Ashcroft
wasn't so much, anyway. IF I hadn't
come into his old banjo club tho : fall
it would have had hard pulling on the
solo part. I just turned on my heel
as conspicuously as I could and left
him. I figured that about five months
of cold politeness on my part would
teach him few things about courtesy.
| strolled over to the football field,
where the team was having final prac-
tice before the Thanksgiving game, and
| got sorrier for myself at every step.
No matter what fellow does in the
world, he isn't appreciated. He can
work himself into e grave for his
school, and the ydps who stand around
and do the light yelling will kick him
the first chance they get. BY the time
had reached the field had a right
good notion to cease all my activities
for few months and Just let the
| school sweat along. In fact, I decided
/ - i