CHAPTER IIITHE NEW PRESIDENT
Ray Wendell received an ovation as he took the chair. Prolonged cheering greeted him, accompanied by cries of “Speech! Speech!” When the noise had subsided, Ray began:
“Gentlemen, I have no speech, nor, unless I am much mistaken, do you want one. I thank you most sincerely for your kindness, and promise you in behalf of the nine that we will strive very hard to deserve your interest. This is speech enough, I am sure.
“Of course you want to know what I think of our prospects in baseball this year, and accordingly I say here to-night what I have said to many of you personally—that I consider our chances very good. It is true that we have only three of our old nine left, but the material which we have to choose from in the class nines is good this year, and we ought to have a fine team.
“Now as to the condition of the treasury—I have been informed by the secretary that the funds of the Association are almost exhausted. Will Mr. Larcom report on this? What is the exact balance in the treasury?”
Tony turned over the pages of his note book and figured busily for several seconds.
“There is a cash balance of $39.50,” he finally called out.
“You can see from this,” continued Ray, “that the usual contribution list will have to be started. You will all hear later from Mr. Larcom concerning this, and I hope we can look for as generous support as in previous years, for the nine needs an almost complete new outfit, and a number of repairs will have to be made at the ball grounds, to say nothing of the pay of the janitor and assistants at the club house, and the expenses of our baseball tour.”
At this moment Alfred Carter, the leader of the College Glee Club, took the floor and said:
“Mr. President, I want to offer the services of the Glee Club for the benefit of the team. I have made arrangements to give a concert just before the Easter vacation—that is, in about ten days, the proceeds of which are to go to the baseball association. The concert will be given in the large examination hall up stairs, and,” he added, with a smile, “all members of the college are cordially invited to attend—price 50 cents per head.”
Carter sat down amidst a great stamping and clapping of hands.
Ray answered immediately:
“This is a most unexpected favor, Mr. Carter, and I thank you sincerely in behalf of the Association for this benefit, which, I am sure, will go a great waytowards supplying the deficiency in our treasury. Is there any further business before the meeting?”
“Mr. President,” asked Elton, “when does the convention meet this year?”
“I am forced to say that I do not know as yet. For some reason no word has reached me from the secretary of the League, Mr. Slade of Halford College, although it is much later than the usual date for sending such notifications. Has Mr. Larcom received any word today?”
“No, sir,” answered Tony.
“I shall probably hear tomorrow, and it is more than likely that the convention will be held on some day in the early part of next week. As soon as definite notice reaches us, your representative will go on to Berkeley, and a full account of the business of that meeting will be reported in theChronicle. This is as complete information as I am able to give on the subject this evening. Is there any other business? If not, the——”
“Mr. President,” interrupted Tony, “may I have one moment? I have no baseball business to bring before the meeting, but I have received today a letter which is addressed to the ‘students of Belmont College,’ so I presume that this is the time and place to read it. Am I in order?”
Ray nodded.
“It is from Park College,” added Tony, taking from his pocket the letter which I had read down at the boat house.
I watched the faces about me with interest, and I shall never forget the rapid changes of expression that passed over them—first curiosity, then eager attention, astonishment, anger, and finally scornful amusement, as the challenging letter was finished.
When Tony sat down, there was a chorus of howls, accompanied by various exclamations such as “What cheek! Want our cannons, do they? What are they going to do about it? Tell them to come and get them! Maybe they’d better ask for the whole town!——”
Ray hammered on the desk.
“You have heard the letter, gentlemen. What shall we do with it?”
A sharp discussion followed. Some were in favor of answering it with a heated reply, challenging Park College to do their worst, whatever that might be, but the majority were of the conviction that any notice of the letter at all would be unwise.
“Mr. President,” exclaimed one of the latter, “I move we lay it on the table—permanently.”
“I have an amendment to offer,” said Elton. “I move we lay it under the table. There is a waste basket there.”
“These motions are out of order. They have not been seconded,” said Ray.
“Then I don’t make any motion,” said Elton, rising again. “I merely suggest that the best way to treat such a letter as this is to ignore it utterly.”
All were coming around to this view of the matter,so that when Ray asked again, “Gentlemen, what action shall we take in reference to this letter?” no one spoke.
Ray looked about for several seconds. “There being no motion, the matter is dropped,” he said. “If there is no further business the meeting is adjourned.”
Immediately there was a roar of mingled conversation, whistling, and shuffling of feet as the meeting broke up, and the crowd pressed out through the large double doors.
When the room was nearly empty, and just as I was passing out, Ray Wendell, who was still standing at the platform, and talking with Tony Larcom, called out,
“Hullo, Elder, wait a minute.”
I turned around, and, as I walked back, Ray said,
“We were just speaking about you, Harry. You know each college sends three delegates to the convention—the president and secretary of the Association, and a member of the nine. I have selected you to go with Tony Larcom and myself. What do you say?”
“Only too glad,” I answered; “but how about Dick Palmer? I don’t want to crowd him out if he wants to go. You know, he has been a member of the nine as long as I have.”
“Oh, that is all right. You have the advantage because you were a regular member of the nine from the start, while Dick was only substitute year before last. I have spoken to him, and he acknowledges that you have the choice by all odds.”
“All right,” I said, “I can go next week.”
“I don’t know yet for sure when it will be, as I said in the meeting. It is curious I haven’t received a word. I ought to have heard long ago. If I don’t get a letter tomorrow morning I will telegraph to Slade.”
“Well, a few hours’ warning is enough for me,” I answered. “Good meeting tonight, wasn’t it? Lots of excitement and enthusiasm.”
“Yes,” said Tony, “and what puzzled me more than anything else was Len Howard. No wonder I fell flat. I was simply paralyzed. He must have been crazy to make such a proposition.”
“Perhaps,” said I, looking at Ray, “he was trying to work off a grudge he has had against you ever since you went out one Saturday afternoon last month and beat him in tennis on his own court.”
“Oh, I don’t think there was anything personal in it. I don’t think Howard nurses any grudge against me.”
“Well, don’t bank on that, Ray,” said Tony. “I happen to know that he had a lot of money upon that tennis game, and it ground him terribly to be beaten.”
“Is that so?” rejoined Ray, raising his eyebrows in surprise. “I never suspected there was anything back of it when he asked me to play with him that afternoon. Now, I remember he did seem to take his defeat pretty badly. Still, it was his business. I had nothing to do with it.”
“Howard is very conceited about his tennis playing,so you injured him at his most sensitive point.”
“Well, I’m sorry and yet, I don’t believe he bears a grudge against me.”
“He may have more reason now, after his humiliation this evening.”
“Well, let him, then,” said Ray. “He brought it on himself. If he was foolish enough to bet, he must suffer the consequences, and if hewillmake foolish speeches, as he did tonight, he must stand the result of that, too. He can’t blame me. I haven’t time to bother with him—which reminds me that I have to prepare for a recitation in astronomy tomorrow, and I must get about it at once or I won’t be in bed before midnight.”
He looked at his watch as we walked out of the room.
“Phew!” he exclaimed. “It is half past nine—I’m off—you will hear from me later—good night.”
And Ray walked hastily away toward Warburton Hall, the handsome new dormitory in which his apartments were located.
As I parted company from Tony Larcom, my first intention was to go immediately to my room, but the air being balmy and inviting, I walked leisurely down the wide pathway toward the gate. Once there, I seated myself by one of the old cannons, and gave myself up to the pleasant influences of the quiet night.
I was thinking over the incidents of the meeting, its interesting results, and how they would affect our baseball prospects. Then I fell to contrasting the noiseand excitement of an hour before with the silence that now reigned over the peaceful campus. A sense of drowsiness came over me as I pursued these contemplations, a drowsiness that gradually increased until my head sank down, and at last, stretching myself out at full length, I fell asleep.
How long I lay so I do not know, but I was suddenly aroused by the sound of low voices close beside me. I lay still indifferently, thinking that it must be a couple of students enjoying the night air like myself. The low whisper and the general tinge of mystery with which they moved about, however, aroused my suspicions. Thinking some mischief was brewing, and that it would be fun to startle them, I roused up and exclaimed,
“Hello! who’s there?”
The results far surpassed my expectations. There was a quick exclamation of alarm, a sharp scuffling of feet, a black shadow shot past me, and then I felt a terrible, crushing blow on the side of my head, which rolled me over and over into the pathway, where I lay stunned and bewildered.