College stories; College students -- Fiction; Harvard University -- Fiction; Short stories, American
“I was in the carriage with Mrs. Wellington. Any of us could have gone
with her just as well, I suppose, because we were all Hugh’s friends,
although I was the only one who knew that we were. But I wanted to ride
with her somehow, and I’m glad now that I did, for a very queer thing
happened; I’ve never quite understood it. She didn’t say anything for
ever so long, not until we got across the bridge and the carriage began
to go slower. Then she put one of her hands on mine, and said,--
“‘I didn’t know at first that you were Haydock, not until I found your
note. I’m very, very glad to know, because Hugh used to talk more about
you in his letters and when he was at home than he did about any of the
others. I think he looked up to you most of all,’ and she told me some
of the things he had said and written.”
Haydock often wondered if repeating things to your mother that you
wouldn’t repeat to any one else, made up for the things you couldn’t
tell her at all. This passed through his mind now.
“I’m afraid it’s just as well I never met Wellington,” he added. “Well,
there wasn’t much else. When we got to the station, I left Nate and the
others to attend to things, and went into the car with Mrs. Wellington.
She had the stateroom,--I’d got that for her when I went in town in the
morning,--and there wasn’t anything to do but give her her ticket, and
say good-bye. I had a feeling as if I ought to go on with her and see
the thing through; but I’d cut one examination already--I managed to
flunk two more--and she probably wouldn’t have let me anyhow. I did hunt
up the conductor and give him the other ticket,--you have to have two,
you know,--and told him to take care of it, and not let her see it; it
had a grisly word scribbled across it. She smiled when she said
good-bye--oh, so sadly.”
Haydock stood up and stretched himself.
“Did you ever hear from her again?” asked Mrs. Haydock.
“Oh, yes, I had a letter very soon. I had all his books and furniture
and stuff packed up and sent home, you know. She told me to keep
anything I wanted, because--oh, I’ll show you the letter some day. I
kept the picture with ‘For Hugo’ written on the back. It’s over in my
room.” He went down the steps, Mrs. Haydock following. They walked along
the Delta, past John Harvard, and across to one of the paths in the Yard
once more, sprinkled now with men hurrying to Memorial.
“It was such a queer waste, his having lived and come here at all,”
mused Philip. “I suppose that sounds awfully kiddish and tiresome to
you, doesn’t it?” he asked more lightly, looking at his mother.
“No,” she answered; “it sounded very old the way you said it.”
BUTTERFLIES
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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