The Trail of the Hawk: A Comedy of the Seriousness of LifeLewis, Sinclair
General
The Trail of the Hawk: A Comedy of the Seriousness of Life
Lewis, Sinclair
City and town life -- Fiction; Minnesota -- Fiction
"Well, young man, so you are going to let us know how to run Plato,"
teetered the president. "I'm sure everybody will feel much obliged to
you."
Carl did not move. He was aware of Genie Linderbeck rising, to his
left. No one else was up, but, with Genie's frail adherence, Carl
suddenly desired to rouse every one to stand for Frazer and freedom.
He glanced over at the one man whom he could always trust to follow
him--the Turk. A tiny movement of Carl's lips, a covert up-toss of his
head, warned the Turk to rise now.
The Turk moved, started to rise, slowly, as though under force. He
looked rather shamefaced. He uncrossed his legs and put his hands on
the pew, on either side of his legs.
"Shame!" trembled a girl's voice in the junior section.
"Sit down!" two or three voices of men softly snarled, with a rustle
of mob-muttering.
The Turk hastily crossed his legs and slumped down in his seat. Carl
frowned at him imploringly, then angrily. He felt spiritually naked to
ask support so publicly, but he _had_ to get the Turk up. The Turk
shook his head beseechingly. Carl could fancy him grunting, "Aw,
thunder! I'd like to stand up, but I don't want to be a goat."
Another man rose. "I'll be darned!" thought Carl. It was the one man
who would be expected not to support the heretic Frazer--it was Carl's
rustic ex-room-mate, Plain Smith. Genie was leaning against the pew in
front of him, but Plain Smith bulked more immovable than Carl.
No one joined the three. All through the chapel was an undertone of
amazed comment and a constant low hissing of, "Sssssit down!"
The president, facing them, looked strained. It occurred to Carl that
S. Alcott Wood had his side of the question. He argued about the
matter, feeling detached from his stolidly defiant body. Then he
cursed the president for keeping them there. He wanted to sit down. He
wanted to cry out....
President Wood was speaking. "Is there any one else? Stand up, if
there is. No one else? Very well, young men, I trust that you are now
satisfied with your heroism, which we have all greatly appreciated, I
am sure. [Laughter.] Chapel dismissed."
Instantly a swirl of men surrounded Carl, questioning: "What j' do it
for? Why didn't you keep still?"
He pushed out through them. He sat blind through the first-hour quiz
in physics, with the whole class watching him. The thought of the
Turk's failure to rise kept unhappy vigil in his mind. The same
sequence of reflections ran around like midnight mice in the wall:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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