Stanford Stories: Tales of a Young UniversityIrwin, Will
General
Stanford Stories: Tales of a Young University
Irwin, Will
College stories, American; Short stories; Stanford (Calif.) -- Fiction; Stanford University -- Fiction
"Oh, pardon me," he said, "I must go slow with my slang; you've had only
a few days to learn it. I'm just joshing the weakness of the lemonade
the Associations give us. Let's try some, though; shall we?"
They made their way to the lemonade booth. Such a vain, silly little
Freshman she was, to be sweetly conscious that people looked after them
as she passed along with this handsome, athletic young hero whom
everybody admired. Lillian Arnold was in the booth, dividing her
attention between filling glasses and entertaining four men. She gave
Pocahontas a cool bow and cast a look at Smith which the Freshman
interpreted "What are you doing with _her_?" At the same moment Lillian
thought of a foolish confidence she had made to the dig when they were
room-mates. Jack, however, was describing to Hannah the recent rush and
the glory of her class, and Lillian's glances were lost upon him. The
lemonade finished, he took the Freshman over to Professor Craig's
mother, and left her with a pleasant fairy tale about meeting her again.
"Who's your friend?" laughed Perkins, as Smith dived back into his own
element.
"Some little Roble dig. Don't ask me her name. I think people like that
are really lonesome, Ted. Say, those Phis have trotted Haviland 'round
long enough. Let's break up their interference."
Others came up to Mrs. Craig, and Hannah found herself introduced to a
variety of men, but she cared little if she met no one else just then.
She stood watching Jack as he passed from group to group, chaffing
merrily, shaking hands with many people. There was no one else in the
room so well worth watching.
That night, while the Junior breathed regularly on her side of the
alcove, Pocahontas lay a long time thinking dreamily. She knew he would
be like that; somehow he had looked so the first day at the station with
all those noisy boys. She should have answered something more than yes
and no at the reception. He would think her stupid. They had given her
advanced standing in Latin; perhaps he would be in the class when it met
on Monday; it would be splendid if he were; lots of the boys walked to
Roble with girls at half-past-twelve; she would ask him all about the
football; they would not have to talk about the Latin;--she felt so
small beside him as they went along the board walk--he looked down at
her and laughed--there was a seat under the Ninety-five Oak--all the
other people were talking, a long way off--the lemonade bowl under the
tree--shall we--
She met him on Monday morning near the Chapel. He came loafing along the
arcade one arm flung about "Pellams" Chase. He looked at her
good-humoredly a second, then, without recognition, glanced over her
head to the girl behind her.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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