“Bob is not blue over his two flunks; in fact, he seems to re
joice in them/' replied Reynolds. “When he received notice about
elementary mechanics, he laughingly said: ‘Guess father will see
that I am not cut out for an engineer/ and he takes the chemistry
flunk as something that belongs to the natural, logical sequence of
college life.”
“Well, I wouldn’t feel proud of failing in elementary, especial
ly if I were a mechanical,” sneered Coldford, who was cordially
disliked by almost every student at Juliet College.
“That is Bob’s own private business,” flashed back Reynolds.
“If I were a ‘mucker’ like you, who never attends a class meet
ing and who had not enough class spirit to cut classes the day
of his class banquet, I would be careful about making comments
on the man whose pitching won the class ball game. Bob is tak
ing the mechanical course simply to please his father, but Bob’s
heart is not in that line of work.’’
Meanwhile Bob Langdon was sitting in his room in “Old Main”
alone with his thoughts. Occasionally the soft June breeze
brought to his ears the sweet sound of a woman’s silvery laugh
and filled his room, with that indefinable, indescribable fragrance
peculiar to June. A deep desire to be back into the busy whirl
of newspaper life was deep within him. He longed to be back
on the staff of the Herald , to rush into the city-room, and, throw
ing off his coat, snatch up a pad and scratch off page after page
of “stuff,” which would be eagerly carried away by the copy boys,
and then when the mad, fierce, feverish haste was over to lean
back in his chair, light his pipe and listen to the low grumbling
of the presses and await the “Old Man’s” praise or condemna
tion. Then came the memory of a night down in Cuba; a woman’s
hand was resting in his and the fiery demons that had tormented
him seemed to have fled. She was telling him that the danger
was passed and he noted the touch of gladness in her voice. She
had cared for him then, had loved him then, but now—now that
he was a failure —she probably despised him. He remembered
one night, when the fiery demons had left him and his brain was
clearer and he was quiet, she had bent over him and her lips had