The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1922-04-18
E0cning Story
The RIindness of Noah.
BY JANE OSBORN.


young girls in the classroom and lab
oratory and not be distracted by them
/ he wasn't worth educating. and If he
were distracted by them, then the sys-
tenn was mistake.
Noah jenkins assuredly was not of
the latter class. He certainly was not
blind to the charms of the young wo-
men who attended classes with him al
Winton college, but the distraction
had not been sufficiently disturbing to
impair the seriousness of his work
during the first three years of his col
| 1ege course. Then came psychology 4,
when for the first time he and little
! Mary Jefferson were listed in the
same class. Mary jefferson, from her
entrance in Winton as a freshman the
year before had attracted the admir-
ing eye of Noah Jenkins. AS far as
he was concerned, she was the one
perfectly distra citing and fascinating
of all the 500 odd co-eds enrolled
there.
And now he had to attend classes
with her. What was more disturb
ing, he had to attend classes seated
right beside her. Doctor Gregory al
ways had the seats of his classes ar
ranged alphabetically. In this way it
was an easy matter to note the abb
sentees without taking the time to call
roll. And there was no one in psy-
chology 4, this term, whose name
came alphabetically nearer to Jenkins
than Jefferson.
Mary had proved more and more
disturbing and distracting as the term
had progressed, and Noah found him
self taking notes mechanically with
out an idea in his head of what Doc
tor Gregory was explaining. Not that
Mary sought to be disturbing Tho
she and Noah were counted as good
friends outside of the classroom and
she had gone to more than one COL
lege dance with him, she greeted him
with merely a smile and nod of the
mead when she took her seat before
ha
ious of his presence while the lecture
ensued
Then one day Doctor Gregory post
ed on the bulletin board outside the
classroom a list of students with
whom he would like to confer On
such lists were usually written the
students whose midterm tests had
shown that their prospects of getting
tnru f1nal examinations were not of
the most promising. On this list were
the names of Noah Jenkins and Mary
jefferson.
Noah passed a group of four or five
girls of his acquaintance as he made
his way at the appointed time to the
office of Doctor Gregory. He would
nave salute6 them with hail-fellow-
weI-met doffing of his small cap if
IT had not been that one of these girls,
the smallest and darkest eyed of the
group, was Mary Jefferson. So
Noah's greeting showed confusion
with a touch of pique
Poor Noah" laughed the senior in
me me group. Hes got to confer with
good marks right thru his course.
wouldn't it be a crime if Creepy
stuck him? Psychology guess was
his Waterloo, but then any one might
know that he couldn't shine in psy-
chology."
Il don't see why" protested Mary
Jefferson, and then she wished she
had been silent. Noah Jenkins |
Hes a nice boy" soothed one of
Nice echoed the senior, but
such ties
TAnd socks" added Junior in the |
group.
1.-The only time he looks decent is |
at one of the formal Dances" ampIi- |
fled the senior. ''for then he has TO |
wear black. Why. the other day when |
President Smith had US seniors at his |
house for afternoon tea, he wore tan |
shoes and raspberry wool socks, with |
a lemon yellow shirt, and a violet and |
red striped necktie.'
Just plain, lacks taste" said the
junior with finality. "Oh, wen, it is
what mans real nature is like. He's |
simply lacking in taste. That's why |
the girls don't encourage him. Taste |
means so much in a girls happiness" |
Mary Jefferson had listened to this |
vivisectiOn of Noah's character with
well-concealed embarrassment. While |
it was once whispered about that
Mary Jefferson and Noah Jenkins
were NEARLY engaged" the fact that !,
Mary had imported a boy from her /
home town for a. recent dance and |
was no more seen walking with Noah
J Jenkins on Saturday afternoons. made |
it seem apparent to her friends that
she had ceased to be his champion.
The fact was that Mary had become
disturbed and distressed over the
manifest lack of taste on the part of
Noah. He had tried to propose to her
one afternoon two month before. She1
colors, but he had worn these
raspberry socks. with a green shirt
a vivid jade greenland round his
neck was tied a cravat of purple and
yellow. Mary's esthetic nature had
pulled her off from the shoals of SEN
and she had refused.
Meantime Noah Jenkins had gone
to see Doctor Gregory-odd, good
wise old Doctor Gregory
called Greggy by the undergraduates.
but remembered as an understanding
father confessor by more than one of
those who had graduated from Win
ton.
AS Noah entered his office, Doctor
Gregory peered over his glasses and
did not fail to make mental note of
the medley of colors. First he told
Noah bluntIy that his work in psy-
chOlogy 4 was below par and then
that he had looked up his record and
saw that he was usually a good stu
lent
81 want you to tell me, Mr.. Jen-
xins,'' said Doctor Gregory, as physi-
eian asks for symptoms. what pecu-
lar circumstances exist in this class
IF mine that have resulted in your ,
work ?" Then Doctor Gregory 1eveled
his clear eyes on the young man and
seemed to exact the truth.
Il suppose am a fool" began :
Noah when he saw that there was no ;
object or hope of keeping back the
ruth. And somehow before Noah left
Doctor Gregory had learned that Noah .