Into Mischief and Out

Auckland Star, Volume XXI, Issue 270, 15 November 1890, Page 1 (Supplement)

Into Mischief and Out

A COLLEGE STORY.

#V ELIZABETH STUART PHELPS.

CHAPTER XIV. OVERBOARD ! was a lovely day in May, of Don Marcy's Junior year. Harle harbour tossed to fche tune of a stiff breeze. The waves had th e cold, repellent blue colour which strikes tbe Water in a late spring. Ibgave some of the .boys the shivers to look at ifc; bufc they did not say so. Ifc was * tho thing' to make light of all such points. Outside of the bar the * white-caps ' began to nod irritably. Xn fact, there was quite a sea. As one stood on the promontory that day booking inward to the decorous university town, and outward to the lawless surf, bracing forward to keep one's hat on, beaten by fche chilly wind, and blinded by tha blazing water, one would nob have felb irresistibly drawn toward ' Life on the ocean wave;' unless one were very young and very excitable, or very au fait in the life of Harle. One would have experienced some surprise afc seeing, a mile away, the long, Blender, sharp outline of a college shell piercing the rough water-line, and making straight, for the bay. One of these crazy little crafts led, by a boat's length, an eighfc-oared paper wherry, find piloted ifc toward the bar )with as much composure as if the harbour had been a pan of rising cream. Thisshell belonged to the captain, and the larger boat was manned by the Junior crew. They were practising for the regatta, to be rowed wifch a great jrival university in midsummer. Marcy had put a Senior afc the sbroke, and had taken io a single-scull so aa fco see how fche crew looked, to criticise, and to perfecfc their Jorm as much as possible. There had been Borne difference of opinion about the condition of fcho water that Saturday afternoon. Some of the crew thought it a little too choppy for practising, for, as is well-known, the shell is a boafc not adapted to surf rowing. Bub on the crew there were several fellows of the sorfc who always think a thing can be done anyhow, and who are incapable of personal fear, especially in nautical concerns. Trouncey O'Brion was one of these, and the captain of the Junior crew, who, as we have said, Was no other than Donald Marcy, was another. Some students on fche bank, lepresenfcing the class-spirit so universal in college, looked on wifch vigorous applause and Indian yells and cat-calls ; thus supplying the element of the spectator, which is so necessary to give the zesfc fco, and which so often causes the blunder in, a venturous deed. The Freshmen applauded the Junior crew, which the Seniors and Sophomores criticised at their pleasure. Such, in the main, was the turn of sympathy ; bufc as several of these skilled oarsmen were on the 'varsity crew, the interest was more divided than it would otherwise have been.

Among the Sophomores, Lee Calhoun's tall figure sauntered easily. He had lost a good deal of the swagger with which he had ornamented Freshman year and Harle society, and was becoming more like other lellows. His tremendous hazing experience had obviously changed either fche Jcurrent of college feeling toward Calhoun, JDr elfe the boy himself, ifc was difficult) to feay which; perhaps both results had occurred, ahd each had acted and reacted ton the other. When he recovered from his terrible illness, Lee Calhoun found it novel jand agreeable to receive the sympathy of the fellows, which they in turn liked him none fche less for their having given to him. Perhaps a certain college pride sprang up in hia case, an instinct to make amends for his hard luck. Perhaps Leo, who was never to be outdone in any species of personal pride which he could comprehend, took ib bo be bhe plucky thing to ignore the past and bury the hatchet. His father had come on and hotly informed Presidenb Baxter that he must withdraw his son from Harle University, bub Lee himself, when he got well, insisted on remaining. ' Would you have a son of yours hazed out of a Northern college V he demanded. « As a man of spirit—and a gentleman— I've got to stay.' Soon after Donald Marcy's return from his msbicafcion in Vermont, an interview had taken place between himself and Calhoun, the particulars of which were never made known to the college. Ib was of Marcy's seeking (bhough ifc was said to be of Jamie Fleet's instigating), but ifc waß certain, whatever took place, that.Calhoun received bis hazor nob unccurbeously, and fchab bhe two boys remained on civil terms during the rest of Don's college career. It is perhaps unnecessary to say thab they never became what could be called intimate. But, at least, they always atoned for any radical deficiency in their personal relations by that excessive politeness which is so convenient a substitute for affection in human affairs. Great things were expected of Harle that year. Bets in the regatta wenb heavily in her favour, already, ab this early day. Her Junior crew was her particular glory. This crew had challenged the Juniors of the other great New England university to a contest, to take place irrespective of the intercollegiate races. Indeed, so much confidence was placed in the Junior members of fche 'varsity crew thab an international challenge to an undergraduate crew of an English university was actually proposed in Harle, if never definitely pub in motion. All this was tremendously exciting. The boys talked boat from Monday morning fcill Saturday night. Don Marcy vret\b jyild wibh bhe resb. Ib was generally held to.be unfortunate that Marcy waa competing for the greab De Courtney prize—fche moat important prize in Harle College; a thing whose value is well known in all collegiate circles ; the honour which decided a man to be the best writer and speaker in his class, and whose literary and oratorical rank follows him some way into tbe real life which succeeds college play. Nobody had expected that Marcy, the captain of the distinguished Junior crew, whose fame he bad done more than any other man to create, would disturb the nautical glory of the university by attention to any of those -trifling scholastic honours which were reserved for less muscular and more studious men. Ifc was quite a shock to Harle when Don came home from Vermont in Sophomore year, and, in collage phrase, ' swore off on bumming,' cook to his books, went to recitation, doubled his electives, was thought to cultivate designs on the scholarly Senior society, wrote one or two themes thab had received the approval of th© professors, brushed up his naturally fine elocution, and was even suspected of Btudying for rank. That these things interfered seriously With fche interests of any college crew was well known. Ib was thoughb to be a greab pity that the happy-go-lucky, handsome, graceful fellow, one of the best oarsmen in Harle College, should have his mind diverted by the trifles of the recitation room and the platform. Few of the boys (and, as for those few, who listened to them ?), a very few, said : 'Too bad thab a fellow who haa a chance for the De Courtney should be mixed up with racing.' » , ~ But the groups on the banks on practising days said only : , , ~ 'Whata shame that the captain should be bobhered by the De Courtney !' On this particular Saturday afternoon pon was rery toppy. He bad worked

hard all fche week, and felb. thab he had earned hia play even by that eupernafcurally high standard of diligence which it had become his pleasure to cultivate of late.

A certain little lady, with the scholar in her brows and fche romp in her eyes, had never seen fit entirely to discourage Don's nautical tastes. She was too good an oarswoman herself. Secretly, she was rather proud of his rowing. In fche spring vacation of Sophomore year she had Btopned over a day to see her brother, and Don took her oub on the bay. Fay viewed his stroke critically. * You'll be captain of the junior crew,'" she said, when fchey landed. « You'll row afc the regatta.' ' By your permission ?' asked Don, with a courtly bow, so low that ifc hid the gentle look in his eyes which waited obedient on the lightesfc wish of a girl,who thought so little aboub her power upon him that she never tried to use it, and, by her sweeb unconsciousness, increased its force tenfold. ' On one condition,' nodded Fay, springing from fche boafc wifchoub fche help of the young man's hand. 1 That is V 'The De Courtney prize,' said Fay. ' The De Courtney V gasped Don. ' Why, that is—l mean—why, Id rather have ib than the valedictory.' ' You couldn't, have thafc, anyhow,' retorted Fay ; ' Jamie will geb thab. Everybody says so.' •Of course he will,' said Don. ' Bufc he can. I couldn't geb the De Courtney.' 'And, pray, why not?' demanded Fay. 'Why, I never thought of it,' said truthful Donald. From thafc hour ib might be almost said that he bhoughb of nobhing else. There was no doubb about ifc either among fche feilowa or the faculty. Marcy had ' gone in ' for the Do Courtney prize. He had forgotten it, though, that rough afternoon—he had to forget it. No man could take a shell across Harle harbour thafc day and not give soul and body to the shell. Don's colour waa high, his rowing cap pushed far back upon his bright curls, his keen young eyes pinioned fco fche reefs and buoys thab lined the track, his finelydeveloped arm steady at ehe stroke, the muscles starting on his straight, broad back—what a handsome lad! Even the fellows felb ifc. Even Calhoun on fche bank, tossing his cigar, said idly : ' Well-builb chap—Marcy.' The group upon fche bank followed the crew with more fchan usual interest. There certainly was sea enough to make ib exciting. The shells cufc the wafcerdainfcily. The waves splashed over them playfully to begin with, then in good earnest. The captain now pilobed them, and now drew back, and good-naburedly bub keenly criticised bhe various attitudes and strokes. The crew responded to him in splendid style. It was a daring adventure. No other crew, nofc even the 'varsity crew, would have dared go ouj in such water. The boldness of the thing excited fche admiration even of rival classes. The hurrahs of the boys upon the bank resounded through the merry air. The very sun seemed to lie upon the water like a warship, and to move swiftly and silently along wifch the boys as if he had gone off his dignity and stopped to practise with the other boats.

There bhe town lay, slipping rapidly behind them. Beyond, fche bar dashed white, and the sea called loudly. 'Can't make ib,' said Trouncey. 'No water for us beyond thab bar, Captain.'

' Waib your orders,' laughed bhe capbain. ' I don'b propose fco drown you. We'll turn to leeward and spurt back. About, there ! Aboub ! Don'b you heart Aboub, I say !'

With this Donald gave a mighty stroke and the frail shell whirled madly into the teeth of the wind.

A cry started from the crew. Another ran from the spectotors on the bank. ' The captain ! The captain ! Marcy's overboard ! It's the captain's boab !'

The single shell had gone over ; the wind had caught ib broadside ; the waves had overturned ib; Donald was in bhe waber.

Now the water was very cold. The wind had risen ; the sea with it. Upon such a sea as now tossed around fche venturesome crew, nobody would have thought) of starting ; but they were 'in for ib.' The captain, of course, was a swimmer, bub they were a good quarter of a mile from shore. It was seen in a very few moments that Donald was chilled through, and thab he kept himself upon the surface weakly. He made for the shore afc firsfc; then seemed to waver, weaken and turn. Often a tender accompanies the crews, rowed by a relief, in view of possible accident. But in bhis case none was on dufcy. The situation was really very serious for Don. He had begun to have blind and sober thoughts—of his father, of dying, of Fay ; a flash of many startling dreams and memories, and of strangling fear. Under these wilder visions ran a sense of mortification that the captain of the Junior crew should drown himself, and alongside of the whole medley one sfceady, matter-of-fact thought. «If the cramp takes-me I'm a goner.' ' Great God V cried Don, suddenly, ' I've given oufc. I'm too cold. I'm going down.' The roar of the water in his ears took on a sfcrange, sweefc tone—like a girl singing, Sunday night, in a peaceful home. If ever fche boy heard her in the world, he heard Fay at that moment. What was ifc ? Something about Jesus, the lover of her soul: ' When the billows o'er me roll." Then ifc was thab he felt his arm seized by a mighty grasp. He knew that clutch. Who in all Harle could mistake it ? Nobody but Trouncey O'Brian could grip a man like thafc. To say tbafc the Junior crew was paralysed when they saw Marcy disappear would be putting ib mildly. Were ifc nofc for the superior weight and buoyancy of their craft and their presence of mind when the gust struck them abeam, they, too, would have goneunder. A wild thought swept through Trouncey O'Brian's whirling brain. Donald mus'fc be saved ab any cosb ; he would be the man to do ib. The feafc which he now performed is yeb talked of in Harle College. * My God, boys !' came from hia sfcernlyset lips. His voice hissed like a musket-ball through fche sfcorm. 'Besb on your oars. Balance for your lives ! Sfceady ! Don't mind bhe water or you're goners. Ive got to jump !' He had lefchis oar driftaside. Dexterously be had slipped his feeb from the sbraps, and without so much as letting a teaspoonfui of wafcer into the shell already half swamped, the trained athlete had jumped into fche air, and landed in the water. ' Oh Trouncey !' gasped Don, reproachfully —«God bless * you !' he spluttered tenderly. Bub Trouncey O'Brian said nothing. Holding the exhausted boy wibh his tremendous clasp, he seb oub mighbily for shore. He wasted no breath in words. Donald felb thab they were making headway but thafc he was very cold ; the blackness settled in between fchem and the shore. ' You—can'b—do it, Trouncey,' he mufefcered ; and fchen fche sky seemed fco go oub utterly, like a quenched lamp. Ab thab moment another hand grasped his shoulder. The reinforcement of a fresh, unchilled man, unexhausted by the exercise of rowing, and the better able to bear fche shock of tha water, came bravely up to the relief ef the two boys. It was Lee Calhoun. He had learned to swim in Charleston harbour—warmer waves than these ; bub, after all, they had not trained a nobler hearb. Thafc night, when the captain sat in his room, a little pale, a little shivery, coddled by Jane, with a soapstone hot. enough to burn bis shoes, and lemonade that tasted of

tbe rust in the bottom of the pan adorning the top of the stove, and generally ' receiving' the Junior crew, Trouncey O'Brian said, in a lower voice than Trouncey was in the habit of using : ' Don't mention ifc, Marcy ! Remember you leb on Sophomore year, fco let me oub, eh ! I don't come of a good family, I know ?' added honest Trouncey, ' but I don't forget a thing like that, Captain.' ' Ya-es,' drawled Lee Calhoun, • / thought of that affair myself. Couldn't omit it from tbe curriculum when I saw you going down.'

He did nob explain himself further. But everybody remembered that it was Marcy who took the Freshman oub of fche coffin, nob many minutes too soon. The three principals in that memorable event looked afc each other with something of fcho curioua tenderness of reconciled sections after civil war. Donald coloured slightly. Trouncey shook his big head. Bub Lee was quiefc, self-possessed and cool. It is bhe delightful thing aboub college friendships, that they easily over-ride grudges and trifles, and gather together all sorbs of sympabhies and loyalties, from all kinds of nabures ; each bound bo many by thab young glow and fervour of feeling which adoration for his Alma Mafcer, and nothing else in life, can give a man.

Bub Donald was thinking of another thing.

Donald had a sore throat. He was wondering what effect this waa likely to have upon the daily elocutionary drill which he practised for the De Courtney. There wa3 bufc one competitor whom Marcy really feared ; his most importanb rival—a fellow by the name of Hallo well, who had entered Harle and the Junior class thab year. Tom Hallowell was four years older than Donald ; and a more practised writer. But ho was a poorer speaker. Donald depended upon his own elocution, perhaps quite as much as he was justified in doing. For some reason, nobody could tell jueb why, Hallowell was not popular in Harle College. For one thing he had gone too hard and too fasfc into class politics. He was a brilliants, black-moustached, selfsatisfied fellow, who had a vague name for being too shrewd, what is called ''a little tricky,'—-in short, a college politician. Yet. no misdemeanour had ever been clearly proved against bim ; and Don used to say good-nafcurodly : ' Whab'a the matter with Hallowell 'I #e'sall righb.' Donald was 'on excellent terms wifch his rival. This was considered good form.

CHAPTER XV. A disguised blessing. The sore throat following the ducking in Harle harbour proved to be no light matter fco Donald Marcy. He was not ill. Hi s superb health gave him force to throw off a chill which would have endangered the life of a weaker boy. Bub he worried through a rasping, obstinate inflammation of the larynx, which came to the verge of a case of laryngitis, arid could nob be fooled with. The professor of elocution sent Donald to a doctor ; and the doctor ordered bhe daily drill for the De Courtney stopped for two weeks. This was a great blow fco Don. He writhed under ib smarbly. He had never known what ifc was fco be thwarted by sickness in anything he wished exceedingly fco do ; and his rebellious young soul rose defiant ab bhe first sbroke of byranny on the part of bhe body whose terrible power over human success he had never thought of. Jamie Fleet comforted him, and took care of him like a mother and a sister and a chum combined in one thoughtful,unselfish, tender fellow. But even Jamio could nob console tbe worried boy. The fellows came in—but what could the fellows do ? His mother wrote him, advising some of her doctor's troches, which gfire him a sick headache immediately. His father sent word thab be wart top busy to write, and thab Donald probably deserved the misfortune. Tom Hallowell condoled with him ; but there was a spark of ill-concealed delight in his rival's ©ye. Miss Merry Gorond wrobe him a nobe (she was always writing him notes) which he read impatiently and tossed into the fire. She stopped him on College street, hung upon his arm, and insisted on expressing her sympathy through a dotted red lace veilj and in a very closefitting new walking-jacket, of tan-coloured corduroy, wibh gloves fco match. • Say—Marcy ! So sorry for you ! Thab you've gob balked on fche De Courtney.' 'No, ab all,' said Donald, bowing icily. * I have by no means abandoned competing for the De Courfcnoy.'

1 Oh, well, whab's fche odds ?' asked Miss Merry, lightly. ' It's a stupid thing, anyhow. I never knew any real society fellows to get it. Don'b be down, Don—why don'b you ever come to see a girl, in these days ?' ' I have been very busy.Miss Merry.'

* You have never forgotten—nor forgiven me,' said Merry, in a changed tone. Her eyes fell. Her handsome face grew grave. She could not know how uneasily the modesty of expression which she assumed at thafc moment (partly for fche effect of it, but partly indeed because she did feel ashamed of herself), safe upon her brilliant, hardened features. ' Mosb fellows I know, would,' said Merry, sighing. * I am nob your judge, Miss Merry,' replied Donald, coldly. * Besides,' ho added, * I waa nob wholly pleased wibh myself, either, thafc night. I think fche less we say of it the befcter.'

' Good-morning,' he pursued, with some embarrassment, for Merry did nob answer Her eyes looked dark and dim. If Bhe had been a differenb girl, he would have thought those real tears, which she bent to bide from him. But, somehow, Mary's emotion did nofc touch him. Ifc trickled off his sensibility. He lifted his hat to her with cold courtesy, and passed on. A vision of a different girl passed with him ; seemed to keep step with him—a girl with elastic tread, and sweet, bright, njodesfcfa.ee ; she did nofc touch him; but there was something in her look which enfolded him as if he walked in a sun-lib cloud, and trod upon fche summer air. When he got back to his room he found a letter from her, wribten from Northampton. Fay did not write often. She graduated this year ; and was too busy to think too much even of Don.

'Dear Mr Don .—I wouldn't be blue about it> would you 1 ? wrote Fay. 'I own, it's awfully hard. I was so upset when you wrote me about it, th*t I put my mucilage brush into the inkbottle, pasted my thesis with it, and then sprinkled my luncheon with sachel-powder. Really, I think it's too bad. but really, sir, I don't believe it's going to make a bit of difference. Noldon't! It's my opinion you are going to get that prize. I would if I were you. Hurriedly and sincerely yours. Fay Fleet.' This little note gave Donald incredible courage. With all his nonchalance and social ease, and apparent self-confidence, he was easily disheartened; and as sensitive as a thermometer to the righb emotional or intellectual weather. Fay supplied it. It seemed to Mm that she always did. He said : * Bless her !' Then, after a moment's thought : ' God bless her !' He took the little note and would have pressed ib bo his lips. Bub then he remembered that he had no righb to do this. He thoughb bhab Fay might nob like it. So he locked ib up in his desk benderly, insbead. Jamie came in and asked if he might see whab Fay had to say ? Donald said: *Oh, cerbainly.' For he thought Fay would rather he did not refuse. She never wrote one word that her brother could nofc have seen. Donald began to cultivate a patience as foreign to him as the Sanskrit grammar. He rested his throat, avoided the nervous friction of rebellious worry, and gave himself over for two weeks to close Work upon the thought and sbyle of his oration. His subject) was: * The Influence of Imagination upon Science;' one of those extraordinary themes upon which college boys are expected to pbur the accumulated wisdom oft wen by years.

Donald had said all he knew aboub ib, and a, good deal more. In face, he stood very much in awe of thab oration, lb needed some clarification, ab leasb to the mind of the orator, if nofc to those of his hearers. That two weeks' work ' told' upon Marcy's address. Perhaps—who can say ?—the patient bearing of a hard thing, fche endurance of denial, the presence of physical pain and inferiority, fche feeling of helplessness against uncontrollable powers, and the exercise of tense brain application —because ib was all he could do in the matter —perhaps these thing 3 told, too. Don's courage came up again. Afc the end of the fortnight he reburned to fche elocutionary professor, and the drill went bravely on. Bub three weeks now remained before fche De Courtney. Don's hopes rose. Jamie believed in his chance, and said so, loyally. Most of his friends did as much. Tom Hallowell smoothly congratulated him upon his prospects, and expressed doubfc as fco his own success. Bufc the bsts in general were about evenly divided between Hallowell and Marcy. There were eighb obher competitors. Jamie Fleet was nofc ono of them. Jamie was nofc a speaker, and Studied too closely for rank fco tak© the time. Trouncey O'Brian was nob one either. Trouncey was low-spirited in these days. Poor Trouncey, do his besb, was nob a scholar. He was afraid of being dropped.

CHAPTER XVI. who wins ? The June day on whioh Harle College compebed for fche highest oratorical prize of bhe course dawned gloriously. A wellregulated excitement pervaded tho whole institution. The boys usually behaved very well on that day. The honour appertaining to the De Courtney was felb to be ! great. The prize was a long-established one, full of historic interesb. Some of the mosb eminent men in America, in politics, in bhe bar, in the pulpife, had been De Courtney mon in Junior year afc Harle. Even Marcy's preoccupied father had blazed oub in a libtie flash of interest in bis son's chances. 'It's the thing, you know,' he wrote. 'It's quite tho thina;—Do Courtney. It will help you on. It will give you prentifre. I will come on if I can possibly get off; Your mother sends her best wishes, and regrets. She would come if it were not for the condition of her spine or her heart—l forget which, She is quito under the weather just now.' Neither Mr nor Mrs Marcy was present to hear Donald, bub many strangers were. Guests came from near and far. Each one of fche competitors was honoured by a group of adorning relatives, all believing that their individual darling was sure to be the successful man. Many visitors, also, camo from a merely general interest in the occasion, which was always a pleasant one to 6h« university town and its suburbs. Summer toilets filled the streets, and glistened in the packed hall. Smiling nods and bright eySH dotted the audience with little sparks of good humour and expectation. The house was thronged. An hour before two o'clock nofc a seat; was to be had. Dr. Fleeb had come on from Vermont, and was securely packed away by Jamie in one of bhe scabs of honour by haff-pasfc ono. A reserved scab was empby beside him. Ib was a great event for the minister to take thab journey bo Harle. He sa.id thab he thought he'd better see Jamie, who was going to the eea-sido to tutor some boys directly after commencement, and would not be in Tipton till—who knew when? Jamio knew very well that his father would nob have lost the chance to hear his ' other boy for fche De Courtney, if he had to wear his old overcoat all winter fco make up for the travelling expense. It was a * real trial ' (so she said, and she seldom said thafc of anything) to gentle Mrs Fleet not to go,fcoo ; bub thab was oub of the question. She had to content herself with writing Donald the prettiest little goodluck note in the world, and in making him a special necktie for fche occasion out of a piece of her wedding dress. Jamie himself was keenly excited. He was as pale as if he had been going fco speak himself; paler than Don, whose rich live colour was a trifle abated, but no more. Jamie hovered over Don till the lasb momonb with his lingering, loving eyes, then wrung his hand hard, said : ♦ Good luck to you, old boy !' and pulled his hab over his eyes and ran off. Donald was in the green-room. He called after his chum : ' Say ! You'll take a carriage from the station ? Pub ib on my bill, please. Oh, come '.—you will, won't you V ' Y-yes,' answered Jamie—' if you want it so much.' ' And be sure you're in plenty of time,' cried Don, nervously. ' Geb in early, sure" pop !' Nobody had ever seen Don nervous before, that I know of. Bufc when ifc came quarter of two o'clock he was fco be seen fidgeting up and down in fronb of the hall ab a greab rate. The green-room couldn't hold him. The boy, in his dress-suit, wifch Mrs Fleet's wedding-tie exquisitely knobbed under his well-cub chin, and fche blue ribbon, .binding "The Influence of Imagination Upon Science," sticking oub from his breast-pocket, marched bo and fro wibb a resblessness nob calculabed to calm the nerve that was to win the greab De Courbney prize. Fifbeen minufces .'—ten minutes before two '. Where was Jamie ? What could this mean ? Nine minutes — eight — seven! Don dashed hia wabch into his pocket in a rage of anxiety. Six minutes ! Ah, there 1 A carriage rolling, like mad, up the blazing, dusby road. _ It dashed up, the door flung open, Jamie leaped out, wiping hie hob face, looking as if he had been the horse and pulled thab hack bhe whole way. • •Train late !' he panted. ' Go in, Don, go in ! Father'll keep fche seat. She's all right.' A prebfcy figure in a plain pale-brown summer travelling dress, and little straw bonnet, with a dash of blue in ifc, jumped after Jamie and held oub bobh hands bo Don, impulsively. ' She held a blue fan in one. Blue was Fay's colour. • I thoughb you'd never come!' cried Donald, rapturously. ' I shall get ifc now I shall win, now you're here.' •Of course you'll win, anyhow !' said Fay, blushing delightfully. They talked in ecstatic snatches as Jamie hurried them toward the Hall. * So you graduated yesterday 1' ♦ Wasn't it nice ? That's why I could come to-day. * You don'fc look a bit more learned, thab I see. You haven't gob thab Greek expression yeb.' 'Greek meb Greek, sir—l don'b need ib. Are you scared ?' 'Nob a bit. I was a little. I'm nob now.' 'Good luck go wifch you, Mr Don ! Best luck, the glorious best—' Bufc Jamie dragged her off then. Donald wrung her hand and dashed back fco the green-room and tried fco cool his emotions in a big pail of very strong lemonade, provided to encourage bhe speakers, and waa principally successful in this case in puckering bis mouth very much and ravaging his soul with despair, because he could not get a glass down in fche audience fco Fay ; who musfc be so warm and dusty, poor thing ! Bub how like a shaded flower she looked ! So pretty, so fresh, so cool, so sweet, so—so—so — Bufc fche speaking had begun. The buzz in the great hall had ceased. The first competitor, a'boy of eighteen, chiefly legs, and looking as white as an ice-cream, was telling fche audience, in a trembling voice, his views on the relation of fche tariff to fche future of American history. Donald was to speak ninth. Tom Hallowell followed him. Hallowell wag in the green-room, looking extraordinarily self-popfceesed. Don looked afc him. Why was ib that nobody exactly liked Hallowell ? He was a gentlemanly fellow, and he pbood, well. 3«

twirled his heavy black moustache with a slight smile as he returned Marcy's look. Any fellow in the Junior class would have given eighty marks for that moustache. ' Have an effect on the audience, too,' fchoughb Don. 'Ib increases his chances, blame him !'

Bub he shook hands cordially wibh Hallowell, who inquired after his throat. Then Donald sat down on an overturned ice cream keg in a corner; ifc was the coolest spot he could find ; and drawing fche blueribboned manuscript from his pocket, devoted his attention exclusively to the ' Influence of Imagination upon Science,' until his moment came.

' Donald G. Marcy, New York City. The Influence of —'

But Don heard no more. He stood upon ehe stags with his brain in a whirl. He knew that the professor's voice had ceased announcing him, that his own struck in upon the dreadful silence; thab ib hesitated, strengthened, rose, and filled the hall; thab his courage rose with his voice, and that, in three minutes he was past all peril of stage-fright, and would just as lief havo addressed twenty thousand people as two.

While he spoke he saw everything— everybody, the flutter of fans all over the hall; there was one—a scarlet one—far by tbe doors. He knew thafc blazing fan ; ifc was Merry Gorond's. He Baw the president and his family sibfcing in state near the front, and knew by the hitch in the president's left eyebrow that he was doing pretty wall so far. Proxy never cultivated that look for a failure. He saw bhe professor's daughter, whom he used to take to drive ; he thought she looked a little old co-day. He saw all the fellows. He noticed that Georgo Washington Clay, the negro, had on a new frock coafc, and wondered if he had hired ib from a pawnbroker's. He saw Calhoun and O'Brian quite distinctly. Trouncey was one of the uahers. He waa listening, all ears, all eyes, a big, good-hearted, unreasoning adorer, hoping with all his mighfc that the speaker would ' come in at the death.' Lee Calhoun was attending oolifcely, nofc wishing him ill either. Jamie, pale with emotion, half hidden by a pillar, lifted to the young speaker fche face of gentle trusb which had steadied him through so many college scrapes, and had for three years been so dear to him —Jamie ready, Don half believed, to give up his own hope of fche valedictory if he could secure tbe De Courtney for his chum.

And here sat Dr. Fleefc. his fine, scholarly face illuminated wibh critical pleasure. Evidently fche doctor expected his obher boy to win his spurs ab bhab oration. And here —

After his eye had firsfc dared meet hers, ifc seemed fco Donald thafc ho saw nothing, that he knew nothing, thab he felt nobhing, in all this great, still house, bub Fay. She simply filled the place. She sat, leaning forward a little, her head slightly benb, her libble blue fan, with fcho white lace edge, held poised, like a thought arrested, against the curve of her soft cheek. Her sweeb, intelligent; face was upturned. Herdeopeyea seemed to veil themselves aa if there were something more within them than her modest feeling would reveal among so many people. Her attitude, her breathlessness, her fitful colour, her half-averted look, all said :

4 1 believe in you ! Bub I'm not going to tell ! You're doing well ! Steady, sir— steady ! Don't look at me so hard ! Stea-dy 1 You'll yet it !' The girl's inspiration was finer than wine to him.

Donald felfc as if he spoke on wings, and lived upon fche hopei of Paradise; and there ! Before he knew it- the young orator had come to the end, had paused, bowed, and turned to leave the stage. A thunder of applause recalled him. Donald turned surprised. He did nob expect such a storm. Wave upon wave ifc broke about him. Marcy was a very popular fellow afc Harle. Hia success was considered certain, and fche general pleasure was emphatic: Flowers fell on him as he stood bowing. The professor's daughter classically asked Trouncey fco toss a wreath of laurel; Merry Gorond stood upon a scab and bhrew, wifch precision, a blazing bouquet of the reddest roses to be found in Harle; but Fay—Fay threw no flowers; she cab wibh downcasb eyes. Donald felb a momentary pang, when, softly, almost unobserved, there fell at his feet, a tiny cluster of white violefcs, hidden in their own leaves. Dr:» Fleeb threw them in a very quiefc way ; Fay's card was not even tied to them; but thab was not needed. Donald igathered them quietly out of sight and hid them in his breasb pocket, as he bowed himself off the stage. 'Good elocution,' he heard one of the committee whisper, as ho passed by. ' The orafcion was well constructed, too.' Tom Hallowell followed the little furore which his predecessor's address had caused, with perfect self-possession. Marcy's success did nob seem to trouble him ab all. He delivered his oration wibh a grave self-con-fidence which ifc was impossible nofc fco regard respecfcfully. His elocubion was inferior to his rival's. Three sentences settled that. Bufc the material of his address was, ifc musb be admitted, remark ably, even unexpectedly excellent. He compelled attention, and held what he had compelled. His thought was clear, strong even original his style practised and charming. Alas, he was an older boy than Don, and his maturity * told.' When he had finished his oration he retired, among fewer flowers and less enthusiasm than his rival; but followed by anxious looks upon the parb of some of Donald's friends. Fay did not look anxious. She looked startled. Her cheeks were brightly flushed, and her eyes flashed with a singular look. She made as if she would speak to her father, bub changed her mind, and said nobhing, sitting lost in thought while the committee wenb oub to make their decision. It was a shock, but ifc was nob wholly a surprise to,many in that audience, when, after half-an;hour'a debate, the commibbee reported that the De Courtney prize was awarded to Thomas J. Hallowell, of Chicago. (To be Continued.)