Page:The plastic age, (IA plasticage00mark).pdf/164

146 Hugh and Carl grinned at each other, linked arms again, and continued their way across the campus. When they entered the Nu Delta house a shout went up. “Hi, Carl! Hi, Hugh! Glad to see you back. Didya have a good summer? Put it there, ol’ kid”—and they shook hands, grip¬ ping each other’s forearm at the same time.

Hugh tried hard to become a typical sophomore and failed rather badly. He retained much of the shyness and diffidence that gives the freshman his charm, and he did not succeed very well in acquiring the swagger, the cocky, patronizing manner, the raucous self-assurance that characterize the true sophomore.

He found, too, that he could n’t lord it over the freshmen very well, and at times he was nothing less than a renegade to his class. He was con¬ stantly giving freshmen correct information about their problems, and during the dormitory initiations he more than once publicly objected to some “stunt” that seemed to him needlessly insulting to the initiates. Because he was an athlete, his opin¬ ion was respected, and quite unintentionally he won several good friends among the freshmen. His objections had all been spontaneous, and he was rather sorry about them afterward. He felt that he must be soft, that he ought to be able to stand anything that anybody else could. Further, he felt