Page:The plastic age, (IA plasticage00mark).pdf/29

 =CHAPTER III=

FOR the next few days Carl and Hugh did little but wait in line. They lined up to register; they lined up to pay tuition; they lined up to shake hands with President Culver; they lined up to talk for two quite useless minutes with the freshman dean; they lined up to be assigned seats in the commons. Carl suggested that he and Hugh line up in the study before going to bed so that they would keep in practice. Then they had to attend lectures given by various members of the faculty about college customs, college manners, col¬ lege honor, college everything. After the sixth of them, Hugh, thoroughly weary and utterly con¬ fused, asked Carl if he now had any idea of what college was.

“Yes,” replied Carl; “it’s a young ladies’ school for very nice boys.”

“Well,” Hugh said desperately, “if I have to listen to about two more awfully noble lectures, I’m going to get drunk. I have a hunch that col¬ lege is n’t anything like what these old birds say it is. I hope not, anyway.”

“Course it isn’t. Say, why wait for two more