THE HESPERIAN.
the gayety of the baU. And so they walked
briskly along toward the college; where they
expected to get a nail and a hammer and a
couple of tacks, for a purpose unknown to
men. o
And they didn't get them.
Arrived at the college hall, they surveyed
themselves for a while and decided to saunter
into the library where the plain digs were at
work, to show off their new canes and their
Sunday clothes. They sauntered.
And then, like a swarm of owls in the
night, the evil spirits arose. They stood in
that college hall. They looked at the two
amiable young men with more than brotherly
affection. And they watched, and watched,
and watched.
The two amiable young men sat down in
the library and looked at last week's morning
papers upside down. They gazed mourn
fully into each others faces and thought of
the lemonade and the girls they had left
behind them. They gripped their canes hard
and frowned at the evil spirits, and tried to
make their way to the windows. But alas,
it was dark outside and they had on their
Sunday clothes and the evil spirits were
camped on their trail behind and in front.
So they sat down and grim despair settled on
their amiable faces.
But succor was to come. The little "Man-afraid-of-the-dark"
would get out his wires
and pull. He would vanquish the evil
spirits. He would manage things. The
girl-who-wasi:'t-a-senior might help douse
the electric glim. But she didn't. And the
the little "Man-afraid-of-the dark would have
picked up the two amiable young men on his
brawny shoulders and carried them out of
the dark. But he didn't.
The plain digs left their spades and
watched the performance. The frozen com
edies of old and now sainted players picked
up heart and gave forth dry, dusty chuckles.
Even the Greek dictionary was seen to wink.
The lady-witlvthe-smile-on-her-face went
on with her work, but the little red book-worm
on her desk wiggled in glee. Never before
in all its long life had the heart of the library
been so stirred.
And Tthen the lady-with-the-smile-on-he
face turned a screw. The little happy "Mari-afraid-of-the-dark"
chuckled. But alas!
"A library furnished with all the modern
improvements, electricity and gas" they had
all forgotten, -all except the evil spirits, who
had watched, and watched, and watched.
And the eyes of the two amiable young men
glittered in the gas light.
The evil spirits grinned. The musty old
books in the corner gave forth a long note of
disapproval "If you just had candles now."
The book-worm raised its leaden weight
and wiggled clear across the table and fell
heavily into the waste basket, where it was
found the next morning dead.
And still the evil spirits watched. They
gathered in suggestive circles around the two
amiable young men. They grinned triumph
antly at the good spirits who were looking in
at the windows.
Despair obliterated all the amiable looks'
on the proud faces of the two young men.
Their frowns grew blacker and blacker, their
misery deeper and deeper. Finally one of
them asked the evil spirits for a special favor.
They had shown him plainly that he was a
bad case and he wanted to telephone for a
policeman that he might give himself up.
And so he did. And the evil spirits formed
a circle in the lower hall and sang "John
Jones" to celebrate their victory.
And then the ether amiable young ma
came.to repentance and did likewise, leaving
his cane behind him, in charge of the little
"Man-afraid-of-the-dark." And he, the timid
little man, put it behind the door quickly it
was dark there. Quiet returned. Only a
few good angels were left, studying Greek
and Latin. And the gas-light shed a calii
radiance over the scene.
But soft, lo, where she comes!
The "Man-afraid-of-the-dark" was out in
the hall, the cane was behind tne door ! !
! The beloved stick was behind a pile "of
boards far back in a dark corner away from
the timid little man. And the girl-whq-wasn't-a-senior.
was sitting with the other -good
angels calmly beneatb the gas light. ' .
"The "Man-afraid-of-the-dark" stalked in
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