THE HONOR GIRL (16 page)

All that week the battle went on, Elsie plying him at night with new arguments, new information, begging, fairly praying him to waste no more time, and Eugene coming home every night equally fortified with arguments and stubbornness against it. It got to be quite interesting, almost as good as a football game, Jack declared, while he sat and listened, putting in a word now on one side, now on the other. The discussion was not doing Jack any harm. He was learning a lot of things about education and universities, and his interest was being aroused.

Even the father took a hand in the conversation now and then.

Toward the end of the summer Elsie almost gave up hope. One could see by her eyes and by her nervous, eager voice that she had the thing deeply at heart. Eugene was greatly touched that she seemed to care so much, and questioned within himself haughtily, was it because she was ashamed of him as he was? Did she fear her fine friends would come out to see her, and turn away from there because of her ignorant brother? For a whole day this thought held him in its sullen thrall; then suddenly it occurred to him that perhaps he
was
a disgrace to her, that undoubtedly he did not know much, and must appear crude beside the men she had been used to; and a longing desire to be different sprang up within him, and a gratitude to his sister for caring what he was. It was so that he came to realize that Elsie was doing all this out of genuine concern for him. She had no call to come out to Morningside. She might have stayed in town and enjoyed herself, and let her brothers go to grass. It needn’t have troubled her what they were.

At last one night he stayed awake half the night to come to a conclusion about it. In the morning he astounded the family by announcing at the breakfast-table that he was done with the factory and meant to stay home that morning and get ready to go to the university. He would go down and see that dean and, if they would take his credits, he would make a stab at it anyway for a while. If he wasn’t too stupid, he would stick and graduate. If he found he couldn’t hold his own after a month’s trial, he would go back to work, and nobody need say a word about it, for he would be done with it forever.

Elsie in her delight almost upset the coffeepot to rush from her place and put her arms around his neck. Jack sat back forgetful of the buckwheat cakes and maple syrup, and looked at his brother in a kind of wonder, as if he had never quite known him before.

There was something strong and refreshing about Gene’s manner. He seemed to shut his lips a more decisive way, and his very smile was as of a creature made over. He seemed to be seeing things from a different point of view, to have grown up overnight. Jack continued to sit and watch him, wholly unaware that he was doing so, a puzzled, half-pitying expression on his face.

Elsie offered to go to the university with her brother and introduce him to some people she knew there, but he gently and firmly declined her services. Somehow he seemed to have developed a self-confidence and strength that astonished them all. The father sat and stared at his son, and said as he got up to take his old hat and go out to the trolley, “Well, Gene, your mother would have been pleased. I guess you’re doing the right thing.”

Gene was gone all day. Elsie spent much time going to the window and watching every trolley to see whether he was coming, and she grew anxious and restless, wishing she had insisted upon accompanying him, after all. There was no telling what might switch him away from his purpose if he found things different from his expectations.

The fireplace created a pleasant diversion, getting itself finished; and, when the men were done and gone, she built up a beautiful fire and had it ready to light when the family should return.

Gene was the last to arrive, and came in from the trolley just as they had about made up their minds to sit down to the table without him. They greeted him as though he had been lost, and then were silent under his changed, radiant look.

“Well, I’ve had some time!” he said, beaming round upon them all. “Just wait till I wash up a bit, and I’ll tell you.”

“Well, you’ve certainly made a day of it. Just take your time, old man,” shouted Jack, as his brother disappeared up the stairs in three bounds.

Eugene plunged into his story at once when he came down.

“You see I found Tod Hopkins down there, ran into him the first thing while I was inquiring the way to the office; and he just carried me around all day everywhere, introduced me to all the profs and the fellows and helped me mark out my course. Tod Hopkins, you remember him, Jack; played halfback on our football team the first year we had it? Yes, sure! He’s in the university, a senior. Sure, he’s a senior; three years since he left here; and you better believe it was some help to me, too. A senior seems to know about everything, and be able to go everywhere and do anything. What he says goes, at least, that’s the way it is with Tod. Maybe he wasn’t glad to see me. Slapped me on the back, and introduced me to the football team. Told them I used to be the best high school quarterback he ever saw, and a lot of rubbish like that; and then he took me around to his frat house for dinner. It’s some house. You ought to see it. There’s an Oriental rug on that floor that must have cost thousands of dollars. It’s like that big one we saw hanging up on the wall in the store, Jack. I’ll take you down to see it sometime.”

“You’ll take me down!” exclaimed his brother. “Did they give you free range of their frat house?”

Eugene looked proudly around at them.

“I’m as good as pledged,” he said radiantly. Then he caught a troubled look in Elsie’s eye. “Oh, you needn’t worry, Elsie, they don’t drink in this frat, not a one of them. They aren’t that kind. Tod’s president this year, and they’re mostly students that are working their way, and honor men. They’ve got a few rich ones, but they are all real men.”

“Is that why they took you in?” asked his brother dryly, albeit his eyes were shining appreciatively.

Gene laughed. He was too happy to mind his brother’s sarcasm.

“But how about your studies?” questioned Elsie anxiously. Surely Gene hadn’t spent his whole day getting in with the boys and going to a frat house!

“Oh, they’re all right”—as if he hadn’t thought to mention a minor detail like that. “I struck the dump just in time to catch Prexie and the dean. They wanted my credits; so I called up Higginson, our superintendent here in Morningside. I was lucky enough to find him home, too; and he talked to them over the phone, gave them a pretty good line of talk about me; said I was bright, and all that dope, and he was glad I had decided to go on with my studies—as if
I
ever
studied
much!—and Prexie took it all in, and said I could go ahead and not wait till the credits got there; it was all right. Tod took me round, and I got signed up. Tod knocked me down to some of the fellows in the freshman English and math.

“I’m taking the engineering course, you know; that’s what I’ve always wanted to do.”

“Not for mine!” interrupted Jack. “No, sir! If I ever go to college, I’m going to specialize in chemistry. There’s big money in chemistry in the next few years, believe me.”

Elsie’s eyes shone, but she said nothing.

“Yes, I guess there is,” said Gene, “but it isn’t in my line. I’ve always wanted to study engineering. The shop work’s what I’m going to like. I went over to the shop with the fellows this afternoon, and I sure am going to like that. There’s one fellow making an automobile from beginning to end. Some job! Oh, but it’s a great place! I wish you could see it.”

Eugene had not talked so much nor so well for years. His father looked at him in wonder. He was like a new being. Jack was silent with admiration. College life loomed large before his eyes, and his determination against it for himself had suffered a severe blow. Already he was thinking of what he would do if he ever got into the university, and he sighed involuntarily as he reflected on his wasted years in the high school and how he might have been ready to enter without ay trouble by this time, if he had used his opportunities.

All together that was a most interesting evening, for there seemed no end to the things Eugene had to tell about the university; and, when he reached the end of a tale, he began and told it over again with new touches. It was as if he had suddenly broken away from his routine of work and taken a hasty trip to Europe, he had seen and heard so much and it had stirred him so deeply. Elsie was quite content to sit and listen. Even the new fireplace was almost forgotten while they lingered around the dining table long after the maid had cleared it off and washed the dishes.

At last Elsie remembered and slipping into the other room, touched a match to her fire, and called the rest of them; and for an hour or two they sat in the firelight, seeing visions of a future wherein new ambitions and comforts had a part.

It came to Elsie’s consciousness once while she was sitting there listening to her brother’s talk about the university, watching the firelight play on the content of her father’s worn face, and the dreamy wistfulness of Jack’s eyes, that she had entirely forgotten about her aunt and the home she had left behind. It came to her with a pang, as if she had done something wrong to forget them, who had been so kind and dear to her. Yet how could she mourn about going into this new, wonderful place where there was so much to be done and nobody but herself to do it?

It was all very wonderful, but after all quite exhausting; and, when she went up to her room that night, she found that she had quite as many things to worry about, if she chose to let them bother her, as she had to rejoice over. For instance, there was that frat. She had heard a lot about fraternities. What if this should be one of those that led young men to destruction? Of course Eugene would think it was all right if his friend said so, but he couldn’t judge all about it until he got into it. She wished he would wait until he could be sure what kind of boys he was getting in with. Then there was that “Tod” fellow, some old friend of his high school days from Morningside. He might be the wildest fellow imaginable. How unfortunate that Eugene should have met him right at the start! She had wanted to introduce Eugene to a few young men she knew who would steer him into the right crowd, and now it was too late! He would always stick to that “Tod” fellow in spite of anything she might say. On the whole, she had laid out a good job of worry for herself that night; and, if she hadn’t been so very tired, she might have stayed awake all night and attended to it. But as it was she had worked hard all day, and nature got the better of her. She slept soundly and late.

Elsie had succeeded better than her fondest hopes in getting her family of grown-up boys to go to church. Always one of them accompanied her and very often all three went. It was on one of these occasions that Elsie saw Cameron Stewart again.

It was after church that they were introduced to him. The minister was at the bottom of it. He was delighted to see that whole new family in church again, and he came straight down from the pulpit as soon as he reasonably could, to speak to them. It was altogether natural that he should also speak to the young stranger who had been to church once or twice before. It was also natural that he should turn and introduce the young people.

As Elsie acknowledged the introduction, she wondered vaguely where she had seen that man before and what there was about his eyes that seemed so familiar. When she looked up a second time to clear the fleeting memory, she found him looking intently at her.

“I think we have met before, Miss Hathaway,” said the young man with a pleasant smile, “our mutual friend Professor Bowen—” But Elsie heard no more. A flood of memory brought the color to her cheeks, as suddenly she knew that he was also the young man of the trolley who had seen her crying one night and she was overwhelmed with embarrassment. But the minister created a diversion with a question to Eugene.

“You are employed at Brainerd’s, Mr. Hathaway, I think you said?”

“My brother has entered the university, Doctor Baker.” Elsie’s clear voice brought out the information with a ring of pleasure into Gene’s face as he bowed slightly in acknowledgment of the truth of what she had said. The minister’s eyes lighted, and he looked at the young man with new respect, which Gene could not help feeling. There was also a sudden quick light in the eyes of Cameron Stewart as he looked first at the brother and then back to the sister keenly. Had the girl done all that in the short time she had been living at home, or was it a work of months past?

“Oh!” said the minister. “Then it is your other brother, or has he too entered the university?”

“Not yet,” said Elsie with a daring smile, “but we hope he will be able to enter next fall.”

“Ah! That is good. I congratulate you. There is nothing like college days. I wish I could go back and have mine over again. But you are still at Brainerd’s? I mention it because there is a young fellow, a stranger in this part of the country, the son of an old friend of mine, who has just gone over there to work. It should be glad if you will look him up and be a little friendly. His name is Bently, Hugh Bently. If you come across him, just give him a word now and then. I’m sure he will be glad of it.”

There was that in the minister’s tone that implied that Jack was not only a friend of his and a part of the working force of this church, but also that a word from him would be an honor to any stranger to whom it might be granted. And behold, Jack went forth from that church, not only publicly committed to entering the university in the fall, for he had smiled assent to Elsie’s declaration, but a commissioned messenger from the minister to a stranger who needed a kind word. Jack swelled along quite set up with the honor of it. On the whole, Elsie was very happy that day, in spite of her embarrassment before that obnoxious young man. But she didn’t have much time or thought to give to Cameron.

T
here was nothing easy about the life that Elsie had chosen. To get up an hour earlier than she had been accustomed to do in the city that she might eat breakfast with her family and catch an early car, often studying her lessons all the way into the city; to forget that there existed such things as symphony concerts and teas and dinners and receptions and automobile-rides and the numberless rounds of joys that had been hers; and to rush straight home from school to see that the house was in order and cheerful, and perhaps prepare some dainty dessert that the clumsy new maid could not yet master; to give her evenings to study out intricate problems in college algebra, and to correcting and advising about “themes,” and to coaxing Jack to lie on the sofa and let her read Shakespeare, or
The Lady of the Lake
, or
Ivanhoe
, or some other classic she had carefully discovered belonged in the list of college-examination subjects; to bear sudden nameless ears of her own, and strange erratic actions on the part of the three men who were her household; to sing to them, play to them, laugh for them whenever she saw they needed it; all this was not easy. It was “no cinch,” as Jack would say.