The Plastic Age by Percy Marks (best mobile ebook reader .txt) 📖
- Author: Percy Marks
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Through All The Excitement Quietly, Keeping Close To Their Relatives And
Friends. Graduation Wasn'T So Thrilling As They Had Expected It To Be;
It Was More Sad. The Alumni Seemed To Be Having A Good Time; They Were
Ridiculously Boyish: Only The Seniors Were Grave, Strangely And
Unnaturally Dignified.
Most Of The Alumni Left The Night Before The Graduation Exercises. The
Parents And Fiancees Remained. They Stood In The Middle Of The Campus
And Watched The Seniors, Clad In caps And Gowns, Line Up Before The
Union At The Orders Of The Class Marshal.
Finally, The Procession, The Grand Marshal, A Professor, In The Lead
With A Wand In His Hand, Then President Culver And The Governor Of The
State, Then The Men Who Were To Receive Honorary Degrees--A Writer, A
College President, A Philanthropist, A Professor, And Three
Chapter 22 Pg 168Politicians--Then The Faculty In academic Robes, Their Many-Colored
Hoods Brilliant Against Their Black Gowns. And Last The Seniors, A Long
Line Of Them Marching In Twos Headed By Their Marshal.
The Visitors Streamed After Them Into The Chapel. The Seniors Sat In
Their Customary Seats, The Faculty And The Men Who Were To Receive
Honorary Degrees On A Platform That Had Been Built At The Altar. After
They Were Seated, Everything Became A Blur To Hugh. He Hardly Knew What
Was Happening. He Saw His Father And Mother Sitting In The Transept. He
Thought His Mother Was Crying. He Hoped Not.... Some One Prayed
Stupidly. There Was A Hymn.... What Was It Cynthia Had Said? Oh, Yes: "I
Can'T Marry A Stranger." Well, They Weren'T Exactly Strangers.... He Was
Darn Glad He Had Gone To New York.... The President Seemed To Be Saying
Over And Over Again, "By The Power Invested In Me ..." And Every Time
That He Said It, Professor Blake Would Slip The Loop Of A Colored Hood
Over The Head Of A Writer Or A Politician--And Then It Was Happening All
Over Again.
Suddenly The Class Marshal Motioned To The Seniors To Rise. They Put On
Their Mortar-Boards. The President Said Once More, "By The Power
Invested In Me...." The Seniors Filed By The President, And The Grand
Marshal Handed Each Of Them A Roll Of Parchment Tied With Blue And
Orange Ribbons. Hugh Felt A Strange Thrill As He Took His. He Was
Graduated; He Was A Bachelor Of Science.... Back Again To Their Seats.
Some One Was Pronouncing Benediction.... Music From The Organ--Marching
Out Of The Chapel, The Surge Of Friends--His Father Shaking His Hand,
His Mother'S Arms Around His Neck; She _Was_ Crying....
Graduation Was Over, And, With It Hugh'S College Days. Many Of The
Seniors Left At Once. Hugh Would Have Liked To Go, Too, But His Father
Wanted To Stay One More Day In Haydensville. Besides, There Was A Final
Senior Dance That Night, And He Thought That Hugh Ought To Attend It.
Hugh Did Go To The Dance, But Somehow It Brought Him No Pleasure.
Although It Was Immensely Decorous, It Reminded Him Of Cynthia. He
Thought Of Her Tenderly. The Best Little Girl He'D Ever Met.... He
Danced On, Religiously Steering Around The Sisters And Fiancees Of His
Friends, But He Could Not Enjoy The Dance. Shortly After Eleven He
Slipped Out Of The Gymnasium And Made One Last Tour Of The Campus.
It Was A Moonlight Night, And The Campus Was Mysterious With Shadows.
The Elms Shook Their Leaves Whisperingly; The Tower Of The Chapel Looked
Like Magic Tracery In The Moonlight. He Paused Before Surrey Hall, Now
Dark And Empty. Good Old Carl.... Carl And Cynthia? He Wondered....
Pudge Had Roomed There, Too. He Passed On. Keller Hall, Cynthia And
Norry.... "God, What A Beast I Was That Night. How White Norry Was--And
Cynthia, Too," Cynthia Again. She'D Always Be A Part Of Sanford To Him.
On Down To The Lake To Watch The Silver Path Of The Moonlight And The
Heavy Reflections Near The Shore. Swimming, Canoeing, Skating--He And
Cynthia In The Woods Beyond.... On Back To The Campus, Around The
Buildings, Every One Of Them Filled With Memories. Four Years--Four
Beautiful, Wonderful Years.... Good Old Sanford....
Midnight Struck. Some One Turned A Switch Somewhere. The Japanese
Lanterns Suddenly Lost Their Colors And Faded To Gray Balloons In The
Moonlight. Some Men Were Singing On The Union Steps. It Was A Few
Seniors, Hugh Knew; They Had Been Singing For An Hour.
Chapter 22 Pg 169
He Stood In The Center Of The Campus And Listened, His Eyes Full Of
Tears. Earnestly, Religiously, The Men Sang, Their Voices Rich With
Emotion:
"Sanford, Sanford, Mother Of Men,
Love Us, Guard Us, Hold Us True.
Let Thy Arms Enfold Us;
Let Thy Truth Uphold Us.
Queen Of Colleges, Mother Of Men--
Alma Mater--Sanford--Hail!
Alma-Mater--Hail!--Hail!"
Hugh Walked Slowly Across The Campus Toward The Nu Delta House. He Was
Both Happy And Sad--Happy Because The Great Adventure Was Before Him
With All Its Mystery, Sad Because He Was Leaving Something Beautiful
Behind....
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Publication Date: 05-22-2014
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