Harvard Stories: Sketches of the UndergraduatePost, Waldron Kintzing
History
Harvard Stories: Sketches of the Undergraduate
Post, Waldron Kintzing
College stories, American; College students -- Fiction; Harvard University -- Fiction
Blathers got into a scrape in his Senior year that nearly caused his
expulsion from the University, and compromised his master seriously. An
aunt of Rattleton's came out to Cambridge one afternoon, for the purpose
of attending the Thursday Vespers in Appleton Chapel. She notified Jack
that she expected him to escort her. Jack got his room in order, with
some difficulty, expurgated the ornaments and pictures, put his aunt's
photograph on the mantel-piece and a Greek lexicon on the table, and
sent Blathers to spend the afternoon with a friend. Aunt could not abide
a dog, especially one of Blathers' type of beauty. So Mr. B. went off
with Jack Randolph.
Randolph's room was in the back of Thayer, and his window commanded the
approaches to Appleton Chapel. Blathers was squatted in the window-seat
with his head on one side, idly watching the birds, and wondering where
his master could have gone. Suddenly his eye fell on that very person,
and with him one of that kind of humans whose legs are all in one piece.
Blathers had seen lots of that kind, and knew well enough what they
were; but what could one of them possibly be doing with his master,
right here in Cambridge, at this time of year? He had never seen such a
thing as that before, except once on Class Day. It was for this, then,
that he had been dismissed for the afternoon! Well, well, well, pretty
goings on! He betrayed his astonishment and irritation by a low "wuff!"
jumped down from the window-seat, and scratched at the door.
"No," said Randolph, looking at him, "you can't get out. Did you see a
cat?"
Blathers came over to the arm-chair, stood up, putting both hands on
Randolph's knees, and looked at him appealingly.
"Yes, I know," said Randolph, "your master has deserted you for the
afternoon, hasn't he? Mean trick, isn't it? And where do you suppose he
has gone? To Vespers, think of that! Don't shake your head, Blathers,
it's true----" "Wuff!" "Yes, rather remarkable, I know; no wonder you
say so. But don't blame him; he couldn't help it, and it will do him
good."
A few minutes afterwards Randolph threw away his book, and took his cap.
"Come, Blathers," said he, "we'll go over to the Pud for awhile. You may
find your friend Topsy there."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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