The Plastic Age, Percy Marks [top 10 books of all time TXT] 📗

Chapter 18

 

Hugh Avoided The Nu Delta House For The Remainder Of The Term And Spent

More Time On His Studies Than He Had Since He Had Entered College. The

Result Was,  Of Course,  That He Made A Good Record,  And The A That Henley

Gave Him In English Delighted Him So Much That He Almost Forgot His

Fraternity Troubles. Not Quite,  However. During The First Few Weeks Of

The Vacation He Often Thought Of Talking To His Father About Nu Delta,

But He Could Not Find The Courage To Destroy His Father's Illusions. He

Found,  Too,  That He Couldn't Talk To His Mother About Things That He Had

Seen And Learned At College. Like Most Of His Friends,  He Felt That "The

Folks Wouldn't Understand."

 

He Spent The First Two Months At Home Working On The Farm,  But When

Norry Parker Invited Him To Visit Him For A Month On Long Island Sound,

Hugh Accepted The Invitation And Departed For The Parker Summer Cottage

In High Feather. He Was Eager To See Norry Again,  But He Was Even More

Eager To See New York. He Had Just Celebrated His Twentieth Birthday,

And He Considered It Disgraceful That He Had Never Visited The "Big

City," As New York Was Always Known At Sanford. Norry Met Him At Grand

Central,  A Livelier And More Robust Norry Than Hugh Had Ever Seen. The

Boy Actually Seemed Like A Boy And Not A Sprite; His Cheeks Were Tanned

Almost Brown,  And His Gray Eyes Danced With Excitement When He Spotted

Hugh In The Crowd.

 

"Gee,  Hugh,  I'm Glad To See You," He Exclaimed,  Shaking Hugh's Hand

Joyously. "I'm Tickled To Death That You Could Come."

 

"So Am I," Said Hugh Heartily,  Really Happy To See Norry Looking So

Well,  And Thrilled To Be In New York. "Gosh,  You Look Fine. I Hardly

Know You. Where'd You Get All The Pep?"

 

"Swimming' And Sailing. This Is The First Summer I've Been Well Enough

To Swim All I Want To. Oh,  It's Pretty Down Where We Are. You'll Love

The Nights,  Hugh. The Sound Is Wonderful."

 

"I'll Bet. Well,  Where Do We Go From Here? Say,  This Is Certainly A

Whale Of A Station,  Isn't It? It Makes Me Feel Like A Hick."

 

"Oh,  You'll Get Over That Soon Enough," Norry,  The Seasoned New Yorker,

Assured Him Easily. "We're Going Right Out To The Cottage. It's Too Hot

To-Day To Run Around The City,  But We'll Come In Soon And You Can Give

It The Once-Over." He Took Hugh's Arm And Led Him Out Of The Station.

 

It Had Never Entered Hugh's Mind That Norry's Father Might Be Rich. He

Had Noticed That Norry's Clothes Were Very Well Tailored,  And Norry Had

Told Him That His Violin Was A Cremona,  But The Boy Was Not Lavish With

Money And Never Talked About It At All. Hugh Was Therefore Surprised And

A Little Startled To See Norry Walk Up To An Expensive Limousine With A

Uniformed Chauffeur At The Wheel. He Wondered If The Parkers Weren't Too

High-Hat For Him?

 

"We'll Go Right Home,  Martin," Norry Said To The Chauffeur. "Get In,

Hugh."

 

The Parker Cottage Was A Short Distance From New Rochelle. It Was A

Beautiful Place,  Hardly In The Style Of A Newport "Cottage" But Roomy

And Very Comfortable. It Was Not Far From The Water,  And The Parkers

Owned Their Own Boat-House.

 

Mrs. Parker Was On The Veranda When The Car Drew Up At The Steps.

 

"Hello,  Mother," Norry Called.

 

She Got Up And Ran Lightly Down The Steps,  Her Hand Held Out In Welcome

To Hugh.

 

"I Know That You Are Hugh Carver," She Said In A Beautifully Modulated

Voice,  "And I Am Really Delighted To Meet You. Norry Has Talked So Much

About You That I Should Have Felt Cheated If You Hadn't Come."

 

Hugh's Fears Immediately Departed. "I Should Have Myself," He Replied.

"It Was Awfully Good Of You To Invite Me."

 

After Meeting Norry's Father And Mother,  Hugh Understood The Boy

Better. Mrs. Parker Was Both Charming And Pretty,  A Delightful Woman Who

Played The Piano With Professional Skill. Mr. Parker Was An Artist,  A

Portrait-Painter,  And He Got Prices For His Pictures That Staggered Hugh

When Norry Mentioned Them Casually. He Was A Quiet,  Grave Man With Gray

Eyes Like His Son's.

 

When He Had A Minute Alone With Hugh,  He Said To Him With Simple

Sincerity: "You Have Been Very Kind To Norry,  And We Are Grateful. He Is

A Strange,  Poetic Lad Who Needs The Kind Of Understanding Friendship You

Have Given Him. We Should Have Been Deeply Disappointed If You Hadn't

Been Able To Visit Us."

 

The Expressions Of Gratitude Embarrassed Hugh,  But They Made Him Feel

Sure Of His Welcome; And Once He Was Sure Of That He Began To Enjoy

Himself As He Never Had Before. Before The Month Was Out,  He Had Made

Many Visits To New York And Was Able To Talk About Both The Ritz And

Macdougal Alley With Elaborate Casualness When He Returned To College.

He And Norry Went Swimming Nearly Every Day And Spent Hours Sailing On

The Sound.

 

Norry Introduced Him To The Many Girls Who Had Summer Homes Near The

Parker Cottage. They Were A New Type To Him,  Boarding-School Products,

Sure Of Themselves,  "Finished" With A High Polish That Glittered

Effectively,  Daringly Frank Both In Their Speech And Their Actions,

Beautiful Dancers,  Good Swimmers,  Full Of "Dirt," As They Called Gossip,

And As Offhand With Men As They Were With Each Other. Within A Week Hugh

Got Over His Prejudice Against Women's Smoking. Nearly Every Woman He

Met,  Including Mrs. Parker,  Smoked,  And Every Girl Carried Her

Cigarette-Case.

 

Most Of The Girls Treated Norry As If He Were A Very Nice Small Boy,  But

They Adopted A Different Attitude Toward Hugh. They Flirted With Him,

Perfected His "Petting" Technique,  Occasionally Treated Him To A Drink,

And Made No Pretense Of Hiding His Attraction For Them.

 

At First Hugh Was Startled And A Little Repelled,  But He Soon Grew To

Like The Frankness,  The Petting,  And The Liquor; And He Was Having A

Much Too Exciting Time To Pause Often For Criticism Of Himself Or

Anybody Else. It Was During The Last Week Of His Visit That He Fell In

Love.

 

He And Norry Were Standing Near The Float Watching A Number Of Swimmers.

Suddenly Hugh Was Attracted By A Girl He Had Never Seen Before. She Wore

A Red One-Piece Bathing-Suit That Revealed Every Curve Of Her Slender,

Boyish Figure. She Noticed Norry And Threw Up Her Arm In Greeting.

 

"Who Is She?" Hugh Demanded Eagerly.

 

"Cynthia Day. She's Just Back From Visiting Friends In Maine. She's An

Awfully Good Swimmer. Watch Her." The Girl Poised For An Instant On The

Edge Of The Float And Then Dived Gracefully Into The Water,  Striking Out

With A Powerful Overhand Stroke For Another Float A Quarter Of A Mile

Out In The Sound. The Boys Watched Her Red Cap As She Rounded The Float

And Started Back,  Swimming Easily And Expertly. When She Reached The

Beach,  She Ran Out Of The Water,  Rubbed Her Hands Over Her Face,  And

Then Strolled Over To Norry.

 

Her Hair Was Concealed By A Red Bathing-Cap,  But Hugh Guessed That It

Was Brown; At Any Rate,  Her Eyes Were Brown And Very Large. She Had An

Impudent Little Nose And Full Red Lips.

 

"'Lo,  Norry," She Said,  Holding Out Her Hand. "How's The Infant?"

 

"Oh,  I'm Fine. This Is My Friend Hugh Carver."

 

"I've Heard About You," She Said As They Shook Hands. "I Only Got Back

Last Night,  But Everybody Seems To Be Digging Dirt About Norry's Friend.

Three Of My Friends Are Enemies On Account Of You,  And One Of 'Em Says

She's Going In Swimming Some Day And Forget To Come Back If You Don't

Give Her A Little More Time."

 

Hugh Blushed,  But He Had Learned A Few Things In The Past Weeks.

 

"I Wish They Would Tell Me About It," He Said With A Fair Assumption Of

Ease. "Why Didn't You Come Back Sooner?" He Was Pleased With That

Speech. He Wouldn't Have Dared It A Month Before.

 

The Brown Eyes Smiled At Him. "Because I Didn't Know You Were Here. You

Haven't Got A Cigarette About You,  Have You? Norry's Useless When It

Comes To Smokes."

 

Hugh Did Have A Package Of Cigarettes. She Took One,  Put It In Her

Mouth,  And Waited For Hugh To Light It For Her. When He Did,  She Gazed

Curiously Over The Flame At Him. She Puffed The Cigarette For A Moment

And Then Said,  "You Look Like A Good Egg. Let's Talk." She Threw Herself

Down On The Sand,  And The Boys Sat Down Beside Her.

 

From That Moment Hugh Was Lost. For The Remaining Days Of The Visit He

Spent Every Possible Moment With Cynthia,  Fascinated By Her Chatter,

Thrilled By The Touch Of Her Hand. She Made No Objection When He Offered

Shyly To Kiss Her; She Quietly Put Her Arms Around His Neck And Turned

Her Face Up To His--And Her Kisses Set Him Aflame.

 

For Once,  He Did Not Want To Return To College,  And When He Arrived In

Haydensville He Felt None Of His Usual Enthusiasm. The Initiation Of The

Freshmen Amused Him Only Slightly,  And The Football Games Did Not Seem

So Important As They Had The Two Previous Years. A Letter From Cynthia

Was The Most Important Thing In The World,  And She Wrote Good Letters,

Chatty,  Gay,  And Affectionate.

 

Custom Made It Necessary For Him To Room In The Fraternity House. It Was

An Unwritten Law Of Nu Delta That All Members Live In The House Their

Last Two Years,  And Hugh Hardly Dared To Contest The Law. There Were

Four Men In The Chapter Whom He Thoroughly Liked And With Whom He Would

Have Been Glad To Room,  But They All Had Made Their Arrangements By The

Time He Spoke To Them; So He Was Forced To Accept Paul Vinton's

Invitation To Room With Him.

 

Vinton Was A Cheerful Youth With Too Much Money And Not Enough Sense. He

Wanted Desperately To Be Thought A Good Fellow,  A "Regular Guy," And He

Was Willing To Buy Popularity If Necessary By Standing Treat To Any One

Every Chance He Got. He Was Known All Over The Campus As A "Prize

Sucker."

 

He Bored Hugh Excessively By His Confidences And Almost Offensive

Generosity. He Always Had A Supply Of Scotch Whisky On Hand,  And He

Offered It To Him So Constantly That Hugh Drank Too Much Because It Was

Easier And Pleasanter To Drink Than To Refuse.

 

Tucker Had Graduated,  And The New President,  Leonard Gates,  Was An

Altogether Different Sort Of Man. There Had Been A Fight In The

Fraternity Over His Election. The "Regular Guys" Opposed Him And Offered

One Of Their Own Number As A Candidate. Gates,  However,  Was Prominent In

Campus Activities And Had His Own Following In The House; As A Result,

He Was Elected By A Slight Margin.

 

He Won Hugh's Loyalty At The First Fraternity Meeting After He Took The

Chair. "Some Things Are Going To Be Changed In This House," He Said

Sternly,  "Or I Will Bring Influence To Bear That Will Change Them."

Every One Knew That He Referred To The National President Of The

Fraternity. "There Will Be No More Drunken Brawls In This House Such As

We Had At The Last House Dance. Any One Who Brings A Cheap Woman Into

This House At A Dance Will Hear From It. Both My Fiancée And My Sister

Were At The Last Dance. I Do Not Intend That They Shall Be Insulted

Again. This Is Not A Bawdy-House,  And I Want Some Of You To Remember

That."

 

He Tried Very Hard To Pass A Rule,  Such As Many Of The Fraternities Had,

That No One Could Bring Liquor Into The House And That There Should Be

No Gambling. He Failed,  However. The Brothers Took His Scolding About

The Dance Because Most Of Them Were Heartily Ashamed Of That Occasion;

But They Announced That They Did Not Intend To Have The Chapter Turned

Into The S.C.A.,  Which Was The Sanford Christian Association. It Would

Have Been Well For Hugh If The Law Had Been Passed. Vinton's Insistent

Generosity Was Rapidly Turning Him