The Plastic Age Percy Marks (read full novel txt) 📖

how you can even think of such a thing,” Hugh said in painful wonderment. “Why, I’d rather never join a fraternity than buy myself into one.”

“You aren’t me.”

“No, I’m not you. Listen, Carl.” Hugh turned in his chair and faced Carl, who kept his eyes on the dying fire. “I’m going to say something awfully mean, but I hope you won’t get mad.⁠ ⁠… You remember you told me once that you weren’t a gentleman. I didn’t believe you, but if you buy yourself into that⁠—that bunch of⁠—of gutter-pups, I’ll⁠—I’ll⁠—oh, hell, Carl, I’ll have to believe it.” He was painfully embarrassed, very much in earnest, and dreadfully unhappy.

“I told you that I wasn’t a gentleman,” Carl said sullenly. “Now you know it.”

“I don’t know anything of the sort. I’ll never believe that you could do such a thing.” He stood up again and leaned over Carl, putting his hand on his shoulder. “Listen, Carl,” he said soberly, earnestly, “I promise that I won’t go Nu Delt or any other fraternity unless they take you, too, if you’ll promise me not to go Alpha Sig.”

Carl looked up wonderingly. “What!” he exclaimed. “You’ll turn down Nu Delt if they don’t bid me, too?”

“Yes, Nu Delt or Kappa Zete or any other bunch. Promise me,” he urged; “promise me.”

Carl understood the magnitude of the sacrifice offered, and his eyes became dangerously soft. “God! you’re white, Hugh,” he whispered huskily, “white as hell. You go Nu Delt if they ask you⁠—but I promise you that I won’t go Alpha Sig even if they bid me without pay.” He held out his hand, and Hugh gripped it hard. “I promise,” he repeated, “on my word of honor.”

At seven o’clock Saturday evening every freshman who had any reason at all to think that he would get a bid⁠—and some that had no reason⁠—collected in nervous groups in the living-room of the Union. At the stroke of seven they were permitted to move up to a long row of tables which were covered with large envelopes, one for every freshman. They were arranged in alphabetical order, and in an incredibly short time each man found the one addressed to him. Some of the envelopes were stuffed with cards, each containing the freshman’s name and the name of the fraternity bidding him; some of them contained only one or two cards⁠—and some of them were empty. The boys who drew empty envelopes instantly left the Union without a word to anybody; the others tried to find a free space where they could scan their cards unobserved. They were all wildly excited and nervous. One glance at the cards, and their faces either lighted with joy or went white with disappointment.

Hugh found ten cards in his envelope⁠—and one of them had Nu Delta written on it. His heart leaped; for a moment he thought that he was going to cry. Then he rushed around the Union looking for Carl. He found him staring at a fan of cards, which he was holding like a hand of bridge.

“What luck?” Hugh cried.

Carl handed him the cards. “Lamp those,” he said, “and then explain. They’ve got me stopped.”

He had thirteen bids, one from every fraternity in good standing, including the so-called Big Three.

When Hugh saw the Nu Delta card he yelled with delight.

“I got a Nu Delt, too.” His voice was trembling with excitement. “You’ll go with me, won’t you?”

“Of course, Hugh. But I don’t understand.”

“Oh, what’s the dif? Let’s go.”

He tucked his arm in Carl’s, and the two of them passed out of the Union on their way to the Nu Delta house. Later both of them understood.

Carl’s good looks, his excellent clothes, his money, and the fact that he had been to an expensive preparatory school were enough to insure him plenty of bids even if he had been considerably less of a gentleman than he was.

Already the campus was ringing with shouts as freshmen entered fraternity houses, each freshman being required to report at once to the fraternity whose bid he was accepting.

When Carl and Hugh walked up the Nu Delta steps, they were seized by waiting upper-classmen and rushed into the living-room, where they were received with loud cheers, slapped on the back, and passed around the room, each upper-classman shaking hands with them so vigorously that their hands hurt for an hour afterward. What pleasant pain! Each new arrival was similarly received, but the excitement did not last long. Both the freshmen and the upper-classmen were too tired to keep the enthusiasm at the proper pitch. At nine o’clock the freshmen were sent home with orders to report the next evening at eight.

Carl and Hugh, proudly conscious of the pledge buttons in the lapels of their coats, walked slowly across the campus, spent and weary, but exquisitely happy.

“They bid me on account of you,” Carl said softly. “They didn’t think they could get you unless they asked me, too.”

“No,” Hugh replied, “you’re wrong. They took you for yourself. They knew you would go where I did, and they were sure that I would go their way.”

Hugh was quite right. The Nu Deltas had felt sure of both of them and had not rushed them harder because they were too busy to waste any time on certainties.

Carl stopped suddenly. “God, Hugh,” he exclaimed. “Just suppose I had offered the Alpha Sigs that cash. God!”

“Aren’t you glad you didn’t?” Hugh asked happily.

“Glad? Glad? Boy, I’m bug-house. And,” he added softly, “I know the lad I’ve got to thank.”

“Aw, go to hell.”

The initiation season lasted two weeks, and the neophytes found that the dormitory initiations had been merely child’s play. They had to account for every hour, and except for a brief time allowed every day for studying, they were kept busy making asses of themselves for the delectation of the upper-classmen.

In the Nu Delta house a freshman had to be on guard every hour of the day up to midnight. He was forced to dress himself in some outlandish costume,