College stories, American; Princeton (N.J.) -- Social life and customs -- Fiction; Princeton University -- Fiction
But it was the campus, as being his future place of work, that
occupied most of his attention and curiosity. He walked slowly over it
all, examining each building and every feature thoughtfully and with a
critical air as one about to buy. There were only about a half-dozen
buildings in all, including both the college and academy. It struck
him as odd that both institutions should be on the same grounds and
apparently of the same importance. The buildings were rather new, and
he missed the dignified, patriarchal aspect of the old campus he had
been accustomed to. He thought he could never feel any veneration for
all this brand-newness as he had toward those old landmarks he loved
so well. Indeed, it all seemed small and puny viewed in this light,
and he walked about with rather a patronizing air, as he thought with
pride of his Alma Mater, and it seemed to him that this institution
was favored in obtaining for an instructor a graduate of such a famous
old institution--and an honorman, too, he said to himself, with a
blush of satisfaction.
Of course, this preparatory school teaching was only temporary with
him. Only a preparation for something else, and that but a step to
something higher, until he became--but the little tutor never
acknowledged just how high his ambition aimed. It was at this point,
as he was leaning against a tree, that the young man had come up and
asked him what class he belonged to.
But he had not minded that in the least; he knew how boyish-looking he
was. It was very natural for them to make such mistakes. A little
thing like that would not discourage him. They did not know him; wait
a few days, and they would learn who he was.
And he was right. The whole college and academy learned who he was the
very next afternoon in chapel. And even the townsfolk soon learned to
know him by sight; they thought it odd that such a little fellow
should be a professor. By the end of the month the children coming
home from school had learned to point out his small figure with the
large head, carried with his peculiar, springing strides, and they
would say to one another, "There goes the Little Tutor."
But as they watched him walking briskly by, holding his body stiff and
straight, they little knew what was going on behind that smile, which
was a curious mixture of gravity and good nature.
For some reason or other things had not gone as he had expected, and
so far, at least, they were not tending toward the future he had
pictured.
He had thought that out there they would appreciate that he came from
such a large, famous old institution, and that he had stood so well in
his class and all that; but neither the attitude of the faculty,
college, nor academy indicated anything of the kind, he thought. And
this wasn't all. No one seemed to take any interest in him as an
individual. That is, beyond a cold curiosity.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account