CHAPTER XIII.
Nearly all the guests--relatives and dear friends--remained for somehours after the departure of the bride and groom, some conversingtogether upon the veranda, some wandering in couples or little companiesabout the grounds or sitting in the shade of the beautiful trees on thelawn.
Most of the young people, especially those of them who had beenattendants of the bride and groom, gathered about Grandma Elsie--forthey all loved her, and everyone felt that she had particular need ofsome pleasant distraction of thought just at that time, to prevent herfrom dwelling upon the partial loss of her youngest daughter.
Walter was, of course, one of the group, and he presently plunged intolively accounts of his college-boy experiences, very interesting andamusing to him and presumably so to others, as, in fact, they were tomost if not all of his auditors, his older brothers among the rest; forit seemed to carry them back, in at least a measure, to their ownFreshman days, with all their trials and triumphs, their pleasures andannoyances.
"Did anybody do anything very bad to you, Walter?" asked Grace.
"No; not very," he replied; "hazing has been almost abolished, and whatis still done is by no means unendurable.
"Oh! I must tell you of a bit of fun we had only the other day. On theporch of one of our boarding houses a countryman had set down a basketof eggs--about twenty dozen I was told--that he had brought in forcustomers; and there they stood, looking as tempting as possible,especially to wild young college boys, some of whom, coming there whenrecitations were over and the dinner hour approaching, saw them and wereimmediately smitten with a desire to handle, if not to taste them. Onefellow snatched up an egg and threw it at another; it struck him, broke,and bespattered his clothes. He, naturally, retaliated in kind, andother fellows followed their example, the fun growing fast and furious,till every egg the basket had contained was gone, and porch, students,and their clothing were a sight to behold."
"And what did the farmer say when he came back for his basket and foundit empty?" asked Lucilla.
"He was very angry, but those who had broken the eggs paid him his fullprice, and he went off tolerably well satisfied, though he growled thathe was compelled to disappoint his customers.
"The boarding house keeper was angry, too, but stopped scolding whentold that the mischief should be repaired at the expense of those whohad caused it."
"The clothes of those engaged in the row must have been in a pretty badcondition," remarked Harold.
"Yes, of course; and they had some fine tailors' bills to pay beforethey were again presentable."
"A shameful waste of good food provided by our Heavenly Father, thatsomeone's hunger might be satisfied," remarked Grandma Elsie gravely."Surely the young men engaged in it must have forgotten the teaching ofour Saviour when he said, 'Gather up the fragments that remain, thatnothing be lost.'"
"Mamma! I had forgotten that," exclaimed Walter, blushing vividly.
"A poor excuse, my son," she replied. "'Remember all the commandments ofthe Lord, and do them.' Those are his own words given to Moses to speakunto the Children of Israel. Jesus was and is God; therefore what hecommanded is the command of God. And since he had just proved hisability to create abundance of food, his command to avoid waste musthave been given for the benefit of his hearers; and can you think hewould have approved of the waste of good, nourishing food of which youhave just been telling?"
"No, mother; I am convinced that it was not right; that it was, in fact,wicked waste. I must own that I had a share in it; but I promise you Iwill never be guilty of the like again. It does seem very wrong when onethinks of the multitudes of people in different parts of the world whoare actually starving."
"Yes, I hope you will be more thoughtful in future--will use yourinfluence against such objectionable sport; surely bright young men andboys should be capable of finding or making better or less blameworthyfun. You may feel assured, however, that your mother is interested inall that interests you. So if you have anything more to tell of yourcollege experiences we will be glad to hear it."
"You found the Sophs rather domineering, didn't you?" asked Herbert.
"About as much so as they dared to be, I should say," laughed Walter."For instance, they won't let the Freshes wear white duck trousers tillsome time in May. Nor will they allow them to wear the colours gold andblack till just at the close of their Freshman year."
"Well, that is tyranny!" exclaimed Lucilla, "and if I were a Freshman Iwouldn't stand it."
"Ah! but if you didn't you might have something worse to stand," laughedWalter. Then he went on, "I must tell you about the cane spree. Theyhave it at the time of the first full moon. The players are three menfrom each class--one light-weight, one middle, and one heavy-weight. Thestudents of all classes gather in a circle around them to watch thesport. First the light-weights try a tussle for the cane; then themiddles, and lastly the heavys. It is not so much strength as skill thatwins, and the victors keep their canes as trophies, and are proud toshow them for the rest of their lives."
"Well, really," laughed Maud Dinsmore, "it does not strike me asanything worth taking particular pride in."
"Mayhap that is because you are only a girl, Maud," remarked Chesterteasingly.
"Yes," she returned sportively, "if I were only a boy I might be assilly as the others."
"Does it strike you as very silly, Gracie?" asked Walter.
"Well, no; not for boys," she returned doubtfully, "but rather so for aman. There are so many other things in which--at least it seems tome--it would be better worth while to excel."
"Yes; so there are," he agreed with a thoughtful look. "And yet anoccasional bit of sport is a good thing even for a man."
"That is very true," said Harold; "and certainly as true forbrain-workers as for any who toil with their hands."
"Doesn't it seem pleasant to be at home again, Walter?" asked Grace.
"Yes, indeed!" he exclaimed. "There is no place like home--especiallyhome with mother in it."
"Or with father in it," added Grace as, at that moment, Captain Raymondjoined the circle.
"Such a father as ours," said Lucilla, looking up at him with a smile ofproud, fond affection. He returned it, accepted an offered seat, andasked Walter if he had been entertaining the company with tales ofcollege doings and experiences.
"Yes, sir," returned the lad. "I suppose it is the usual thing for aFreshman to do on coming home at the end of his year."
"Quite; his head being pretty full of them," was the playful rejoinder."Well, little--no, young brother--I hope the old tutor has not beenentirely forgotten, in admiration and affection for the new?"
"No, sir; no, indeed! and never will be," returned Walter, speaking withan energy and earnestness that brought a smile to the captain's lips andeyes. "I shall show myself strangely ungrateful if I ever forgot thepatience and kindness with which my oldest brother instructed me; andall for no reward at all."
"Ah! there you are mistaken," said Captain Raymond pleasantly. "It wasreward enough to know that I was helping to fit you for futureusefulness. I hope, my boy, you will live to be an honour to your motherand a blessing to the world."
"I hope so, sir; it is my ardent wish," Walter said low and earnestly,giving his mother a most loving look as he spoke.
"And if you trust not in your own strength, but look constantly to Godfor help, you will succeed, my son," she responded in low, moved tones.
Just at that moment there were several additions to their group, amongthem Captain Keith and Dr. Percival, and the talk turned upon plans forthe next few days, and after that for the summer. Most of the relativesfrom a distance would linger in that neighbourhood for a week or more,and entertainments of one kind and another would be given by thoseresidents there. The Oaks, The Laurels, Fairview, Woodburn, Roselands,and Beechwood would have their turns. After that must come theinevitable breaking up and scattering of guests to their own homes orsome summer resort, while most of the dwellers in that region would gonorthwa
rd in search of a cooler climate in which to pass the heatedterm. But it was not deemed necessary to settle it all now; only toarrange on which day each estate would be the scene of entertainment. Ittook a good deal of consultation, mingled with merry jests and happylaughter, to settle all that. Then there was a general leave taking andscattering to their homes--temporary or settled.