The Plastic Age

rary until it had closed at ten, and he had been in the mood to study. His lessons for the next day were all prepared, and prepared well. He had strolled ac

anford, mot

rd us, hold

rectangles of soft yellow light. Somewhe

he said pleasan

, Jones. I

taken him to her heart. The music in the chapel swelled, lyric, passionate-up! up! almost a cry. The moonlight

to reach his room and Carl's flippancy. He passed

ome in and b

wn the hall, feeling a vague resentmen

that he had the makings of a great half-back, but he had already been fired off the squad because of his irregularity in reporting for practice. Except for what the boys called his stand-offishness-some of them said that he was too damned high-hat-he was extremely

ing that sounded suspiciously like a sob from across the hall. He

he thought, instantly d

nswer; nor was there any when he tapped a second time. For a moment he

in his arms, his shoulders shaking. He was crying fiercely, terrib

intrude on Morse, but he couldn't let the poor fellow go on suffering like that. As he stood there hesitant, shaken, Morse buried his head deeper in his arms, moaned convulsively, twisting and trembling after a series

Morse? What's

ly through his red hair, shoo

ce trembled; it was husky with sympathy

, but his anger passed at once. He could not miss the tenderness and sympathy in Hugh's face; and the boy's hand was still pressing with friendly insistence on his

face and eyes vigorously while Hugh was closing the door, and then blew his nose as if he hated it. But t

hether to sit down or not. Morse was clutching his handkerch

said in a dead

is hands together. He felt weak and frightened, and absolut

"but I just can't help it. I-I just can't help it. I don't want to cry, but I

oftly; "I'm just sorry; that's all.... I h

ied impulsively. "A darn good kid. I like you, and I'm going

think that there was a possibility of laug

is pocket, pulled it out again and dabbed his eyes

esick, damned homesick. I've been homesick e

by nervous relief, but part of it was caused by what seemed to him the absurdity

of asked me a question to-day, and I didn't know what he had been talking about. He asked me what he had said. I had

He knew that he would die if he ever m

claimed. "Wha

He quit razzing me and I tried to pay attention, but I couldn't; all I could do was think of

ingly. "Pretty soon you'll get to know lots o

at or sleep. I can't study. I can't do anything. I tell you I've

that you'll be crazy about college in a month-same as the rest of us. When you feel blue, come i

re's just one person that I want to talk to, and that's my mother." He shot the word "mother" out defiantly and glared at Hugh, silently daring him to laugh, which

ngly; "you'll see her Christmas vaca

s head. "Now!" he roared. "Now! I've got to. I'm going home on the midnight." He whirled

t the restraining hands, ready to strike them off. Hugh had a flash of inspiration. "Think

nted," he admitted miserably. "What can I do?"

sickness would pass away, offering to study with him. At first Morse paid little attention, but finally he quit sniffing and looked up, real interest in his face. When Hugh got

egg yourself," he said grate

of bull.... Remember, we do Latin at ten to

heard as he closed th

l had written his nightly letter to the "old lady," and he was a little homesick himself-softened into a tender and pen

Where y

e, he told him of his experience with their red-headed neighbor. "He

r boy stretched out in a big chair before the fire, his ankles crossed, his face gentle and boyish in the r

to puff his pipe; "no, he won

y all his life." Hugh was frankly derisive. "Soon as he ge

e mask of sophistication had slipped off his face; he was pleasantly in the cont

h. Morse is sick, sick-not lonesome. He's got someth

, some one he hadn't met before. Gone was the slang fli

nob of an andiron, sank deeper into

g, but you don't get me at all. I guess you've never run up against anybody like me before." He paused. Hugh said nothing, afrai

the limit. What I didn't tell you is that we're nouveau riche-no class at all. My old man made all his money the first year of the war. He was a commission-merchant, a middleman. Money jus

much education; neither has the old lady. Both

Kane. Well, Kane isn't strong for nouveau riche kids, not by a damn sight. At first old Simmonds-he's the head master-

g so softly that he had trouble in hearing him, bu

ht me back. Cry? I bawled all the time when I was alone. I couldn't sleep for weeks; I just laid in bed and bawled. God! it was awful. The worst of it was the meals. I didn't know how to eat right, you see, and the master who sat at the table with our form would correct me. I used to want to die, and som

the time-that was just the first few months-but they never really accepted me. I never felt at home. Even when I was wi

indignantly. "You're as much a

I know all the tricks, the parlor stunts. Four years at Kane taught me those, but they're just t

I'm just from a country high school. I'm not in your class." Hu

th scorn. "You see, I'm a bad egg. I drink and gamble and pet. I h

Carl had suggested by sly innuendos that there wasn't anything that he hadn't done, and Hugh had felt a slight di

he limit either,"

hed. "You poor fish; don't you su

gnantly. "I might've. Why, I was out w

t kinda pure; that's all. I'm not pure at all; I'm just a little afraid-and I keep thinki

but-but, oh, God, Hugh, she's white, white as hell. I guess I think more of her than all the rest of the world put together. That's why I write to her every night. She writes to me every day, too. The

the chair and stretched hugely. "You're a good egg, Hugh,

was just what he

rning he was his old flippant self, swearing because he had to

with him, inveigled him into going on several long walks. Morse was more cheerful and almost pathetic

but I can't stand it. I'm going home to-day. Give my

T M

where there's li