Page:Cartoons by Bradley.djvu/19

 there, however, was not quite what was anticipated. He seems to have had two sides: one a romping side, which led him into pranks of the purely fun-making sort; and the other a graver tendency, under the spell of which he wrote verses for the college literary magazine. Incidents growing out of both these moods are told. They foreshadowed the man very distinctly.

First, he was suspended for hazing. Nothing very unusual, then or now. The notable thing in Luther Bradley's case was that he was not concerned in the particular scrape for which they sent him home. He had, however, been concerned in several hazings of earlier date, and had not been found out. When he was summoned for this new exploit, he considered that "in spirit,"—since he had been a hazer before—he was guilty this time. And he accepted sentence. But the faculty made his sentence light, and he was permitted to return.

The other incident came of his verse-writing. He had contributed to "Yale Lit" a poem, signed only by his initials, which, after a great deal of revision, he decided to try on a "regular magazine." He sent it to the New York Independent, with the stipulation, quite characteristic of his lifelong modesty, that his full name must not be used. This put him at a deadlock with the Independent, whose editor, Dr. William Hayes Ward, was willing to use the verses, but insisted in all cases upon using the complete and genuine name of contributors. There could be no compromise with Luther Bradley. He took back his poem, and gave up for the time his dawning "literary career." Later Frank Leslie's Monthly printed the verses, signed by initials only (see page 27 of this volume).

He took a literary prize, instead of the scientific honors expected of him. Instead of decorating New Haven with comic pictures, he joined the glee club. The one thing in which he seemed consistent with his boyhood was that he "made" the freshman crew. And then, in 1875, his father became anxious to bring him at once into the business, and sent for him to come home. He came, bringing with him, as old companions remember, the big oar he had used with the crew. And almost immediately he had to lay