Page:The plastic age, (IA plasticage00mark).pdf/219

Rh In March he angered his fraternity brothers again by refusing a part in the annual musical comedy, which was staged by the Dramatic Society during Prom week. Hugh’s tenor singing voice and rather small features made him an excellent possibility for a woman’s part. But he was not a good actor, and he knew it. His attempts at acting in a high-school play had resulted in a flat failure, and he had no intention of publicly making a fool of himself again. Besides, he did not like the idea of appearing on the stage as a girl; the mere idea was offensive to him. Therefore, when the Society of¬ fered him a part he declined it.

Bob Tucker took him severely to task. “What do you mean, Hugh,” he demanded, “by turning down the Dramat? Here you ’ve got a chance for 1 lead, and you turn up your nose at it as if you were Cod Almighty. It seems to me that you are getting 1 bunch of thoroughly wet ones; you never come to fraternity meetings if you can help it; you aren’t ialf training down at the track; and now you give
 * osh-awful high-hat lately. You run around with

he Dramat the air just as if an activity or two vas n’t anything in your young life.” “The Dramat is n’t anything to me,” Hugh re¬ plied, trying to keep his temper. Tucker’s ar‘ogance always made him angry. “I can’t act vorth a damn. Never could. I tried once in a day at home and made a poor fish of myself, and