A Masters Degree

第11章

"Oh,wegofairorfoul。Yourememberwefoughtitoutcominghomefromthereonce。”

MeanwhileBondSaxonwashurryingnorthonhisworkofredemption。

AtthebendintheriverhefoundTomGreshsittingontheflatstoneslab。

Thelightwasgleamingthroughtheshrubberyofthelittlecottage,andthehomeysoundsofeveningandthetwitteroflate-comingbirdswereintheair。

"Whatareyouherefor,Gresh?"Bondasked,hoarsely。

"Ithoughtyouhadleftforgood。”

Thevillainous-lookingoutlawdrewaflaskfromhispocket。

"Haveadrink,Saxon。Takethewholebottle,"andhethrustitintotheoldman\'shands。

Bondwaveredamoment,thenflungitfarintothefoamyfloodsoftheWalnut。

"Notanymore。Youshallnotgetmedrunkagainwhileyourobandkill。”

"Youdidthekillingformeonce。Won\'tyoudoitagain?"Greshsnarled。

Bondclinchedhisfistsbutdidnotstrike。

"Whatareyouafternow?"heasked。"YouarethroughwiththeBurleighs;Vicsettledyouandyouknowit。”

EvenwiththewordstheclutchofVic\'sfingersontheoutlaw\'sthroatseemedtochokehimnow。

"IfmylastBurleighisgone,"hegrowledwithanoath,"I\'mnotdoneyet。

There\'sElinorWream。Don\'tforgetthathermotherwasmyadoptedsister。

Don\'tforgetthatmyoldfosterfathercutmeoffwithoutacentandgaveherallhismoney。That\'swhyNathanWreammarriedher。Hewantedhermoneyforcolleges。”Thesneerontheman\'sfacewasdiabolical。"IcanhittheoldmanthroughElinor,andI\'lldoitsometime,andthat\'snottheonlyblowthatIcanstrikehere,andIamgoingtofinishthisthingnow。”

Hepointedtowardthecottagewheretheunprotectedwomansatalone。

"TwiceI\'venervedmyselftodoitandbeenfooledeachtime。OneOctoberdayyouwereheredrunk。Icouldhavelaiditonyoueasy,andmaybefixedFennebentoo,ifalittlechild\'svoicehadn\'tscaredmestiff。

Andthedayofthebigfootballgameyouwouldn\'tgetdrunkandshemustgodowntothatgamejusttolookonceatLloydFenneben。Imeanttofinishherthatday。Thisisthethirdandlasttimenow。

Thereisnotevenadogtoprotecther。”

BondSaxonhadbeenahugefellowinhisbestdays,andnowhesummonedallthepowersnaturehadlefttohim。

"TomGresh,"hecried,"inmyinfernalweaknessyoumademeadrunkenbeast,whotookthelifeofaninnocentmanyouwantedoutofyourway。

Youthought,youfool,thatshemightcareforyouthen。

I\'vecarriedthecurseofthatdeedonmysoulnightandday。

I\'llwipeitpartlyawaynowbysavingherlifefromyou。

Sosurelyastonight,tomorrow,oreveryoutrytoharmher,I\'llnotshowyouthemercyVicBurleighshowedyouonce。”

Strangeformstheguardianangeltakes!

Henceweentertainitunawares。

OfallLagondaLedge,oldBondSaxon,standingbetweenawomanandtheperilofherlife,lookedleastangelic。

Greshunderstoodhimandturnedfirstinfawningandtemptingtrickerytohisadversary。ButSaxonstoodhisground。

Thentheoutlawragedinfury,notdaringtostrikenow,becauseheknewBond\'sstrength。Andstilltheoldmanwasunmoved。

Alifesavedforthelifehehadtakenwassteelinghissoultocourage。

Atlastinthedimlight,Greshstoodmotionlessaminute,thenhestruckhispartingblow。

"Allright,BondSaxon,playprotectorallyouwantto,butit\'sashortgameforyou。Thesheriffisoutoftowntonight,buttomorrowafternoonhewillgetbacktoLagondaLedge。

TomorrowafternoonIgowithallmyproofs——Oh,I\'vegot\'em。

Andyou,BondSaxon,willbebehindthebarsforyourcrime,donenotsomanyyearsago,andyourhonorabledaughter,disgracedforeverbyyou,canshiftforherself。

I\'venothingtolose;whyshouldIprotectyou?"

Heleapeddownthebankintotheswiftlyflowingriver,and,swimmingeasilytothefartherside,hedisappearedintheunderbrush。

Thenextafternoon,somebodyrememberedthatBondSaxonhadcrossedthebridgeandplungedintotheoverflowoftheriveraroundthewestend。ButBondhadbeendrunkmuchoflateandnobodyapproachedhimwhenhewasdrunk。

HowcouldLagondaLedgeknowtheagonyoftheoldman\'ssoulashesplashedacrosstheWalnutwatersandflounderedupthenarrowglentothecave?

Orhow,forDennie\'ssake,hehadbeggedonhiskneesformercythatshouldsavehisdaughter\'sname?Orhowharderthanthestoneoftheledges,thatthetricklingwaterthroughslow-draggingcenturieshaswornaway,wasthestonyheartofthecreaturewhodeniedhim?AndonlyVictorBurleighhadpowertopicturethestrugglethatmusthavefollowedinthatcavern,andbeyondthewallintotheblindblackpassagesleadingatlasttothebluffabovetheriver,where,clinchedindeadlycombat,thetwomen,fightingstill,fellheadlongintotheWalnutfloods。

DownattheshallowsProfessorBurgessandDenniehadfoundthewaterstoodeeptoreachtheKickapooCorral,sotheystrolledalongthebluffwatchingtheriverripplingmerrilyinthefalloftheafternoonsunshine。

Andbrightly,too,thesunshinefellonDennieSaxon\'sripplinghair,recallingtoVincentBurgess\'memorythewoodlandcampfireandtheoldlegendtoldintheOctobertwilightandtheflickeringflameslightingDennie\'sfaceandthewavyfoldsofhersunnyhair。

Butevenasheremembered,acryupstreamcamefaintly,onceandnomore,while,grapplingstill,twoformswerebornedownbytheswiftcurrenttothebendabovethewhirlpool。

DennieandVincentsprangtotheveryedgeofthebluff,powerlesstosave,asTomGreshandBondSaxonweresweptaroundthecurvebelowtheCorral。Acrosstheshallowstheystruggledforafooting,buttheundertowcarriedthemontowardthefatalpool。

AshriekfromthebankcametoBondSaxon\'sears,andhelookedupandsawthetworeachingoutvainhandstohim。

"Youroath,Vincent;youroath!"hecriedinagonizingtones。

ThenVincentBurgessputonearmaboutDennieSaxonanddrewherclosetohimandlifteduphisrighthandhighabovehimintokentothedrowningmanofhispromise,underheaven,tokeepthatoathforever。

Alookofjoysweptovertheoldfaceinthewater,hisstrugglingceased,andoncemoretributewaspaidtothegrimChieftainofLagonda\'sPool——

Theysaidabouttownthenextdaythatitwasthepeacefulestfaceeverseenbelowacoffinlid。And,rememberingonlyhismanyactsofneighborlykindness,theyforgaveandforgothisweaknesses,whiletothefewwhoknewhislife-tragedycametheassuringhopethattheforgivingmercyofmanisbutatypeoftheboundlessmercyofaforgivingGod。

CHAPTERXV

THEMASTERY

_AndonlytheMastershallpraiseus,andonlytheMastershallblame,Andnooneshallworkformoney,andnooneshallworkforfame,Buteachforthejoyofworking,andeach,inhisseparatestar,ShalldrawtheThingasheseesItfortheGodofThingsasTheyAre_——

KIPLING

JUNEtimeintheWalnutValley,andcommencementtimeatSunriseonthelimestoneridge!Norpennorbrushcanshowthegloryoftheradiantprairies,andthedeepblueofthe"unscarredheavens,"andthebrightgleamsfromripplingwaters。

AndattheendofaperfectdaycomesthesilverygrandeurofamoonlitJunenight。

Itwaslateafternoonofthedaybeforecommencement。

VictorBurleighstoodonthestonewherefouryearsagothebullsnakehadstretcheditselfinthelazysunshine。OnlyonemoredayatSunriseforhim,andthelittleheartache,unlikeanyothersorrowalifecaneverknow,washis,ashestoodthere。

Inthefouryears\'battlehehadcomeoffconqueroruntilthesymbolabovethedoorwaynolongerheldanymysteryforhim。

Hischaracterandculturenowmatchedhisvoice。Beforehimwashigherlearning,anunder-professorshipatHarvard,andlateronthepulpitforhislifework。Butnowtheheartacheofpartingwashis,andadeeperpainthanbreakingschooltieswashisalso。

Ayearofjollygoodfellowshipwasending,ahappyyear,withElinorhismostfrequentcompanion。AndofteninthisyearhehadwonderedatLloydFenneben\'sharshjudgmentofher。

Fondnessofluxuryseemedforeigntoher,andwomanlybeautyofcharactermadeheralways"Norriethebeloved。”

ButVictorwastruetoFenneben\'sdemandsandwillingtotrytolivethroughtheyearsafter,ifoneyearofhappyassociationcouldbehisnow。WhateverclaimsBurgessmightassertlater,hecouldnottakefromanothertheclaimtohappymemories。

But,today,therewasthedullsteadyheartachethatheknewhadcometostay。

PresentlyElinorjoinedhim。

"MayIcomedowntonightforagoodbystroll,Elinor?There\'safullmoonandaftertomorrowtherearetobenomoremoons,norstars,norsuns,norlands,norseas,norprincipalities,norpowersforusatSunrise。”

"Iwishyouwouldcome,Victor,"Elinorsaid。"Comeearly。

There\'sacrowdgoingoutsomewhere,andwecanjointheranksofthegreatungraduatedforthelasttime。”

"Elinor,I\'mnothuntingacrowdtonight,"Vicsaidinalowvoice。

"Well,come,anyway,andwe\'llhuntthesolitude,ifwecan\'thuntanyothergame。”Andtheystrolledhomewardtogether。

IntheearlyeveningLloydFennebenandElinorsatontheverandawatchingthesunsetthroughthetreesbeyondtheriver。

"YouaretograduatefromSunrisetomorrow,"Dr。Fennebenwassaying。

"ForaWreamthatistherealbeginningoflife。Ihaveyourbusinessmattersentrustedtome,readytocloseupassoonasyouare`legallygraduated\'

accordingtomybrother\'swishes,butyoumayaswellknowthemnow。”

Hepaused,andElinor,thinkingofthemoonlight,maybe,waitedinpeacefulsilence。

"Norrie,whenIfinishedattheuniversitymybrotherputasmallfortuneintomyhandsandbademegoWestandbuildanewHarvard。Youknowourfamilyholdthatthatistheonlylegitimateuseformoney。”

Norriesmiledassent。

"Ididnotaskwhosemoneyitwas,formybrotherhandledmanybequests,andIwasapoorbusinessmanthen。

IcameandinvesteditatlastinSunrise-by-the-Walnut。Thatwasyourmother\'smoney,givenbyyourfathertoJoshua,whogaveittome。Joshuadidnottellme,andIsupposedsomegood,oldBostonphilanthropisthadboughtanindulgenceforhisignorantsoulbyendowingthisthingsofreely。

IfounditoutonJoshua\'sdeathbed,andonlytopacifyhimwouldIconsenttokeepituntilnow。Henceforth,itmustbeyours。

ThatiswhyIaskedyouayearagotojustbeacollegegirlanddropallthoughtaboutmarrying。Iwantedyoutocomeintopossessionofyourownpropertybeforeyouboundyourselfbyanybondsyoucouldnotbreak。”

Elinorsatsilentforawhile,herdarkeyesseeingonlythelowgoldensunset。SheunderstoodnowwhathadgroovedthatlineofcareinLloydFenneben\'sfacewhenhecamehomefromtheEast。Buthehadconquered,aye,hehadwonthemastery。

"AndyouandSunrise?"sheaskedatlength。,"IcansellthecollegesiteandbuildingstothisnewmanufactorycominghereinAugust。Addedtothis,Ihaveacquiredsufficientfundsofmyowntopayyoutheentireamountandagoodrateofinterestwithit。

Mygriefisthatforalltheseyears,Ihavekeptyououtofyourown。”

Elinorroseup,whiteandcold,andputherhandonheruncle\'shand。

"Letmethinkalittle,UncleLloyd。Itisnoteasytorealizeone\'sfortuneinaminute。”Thenshelefthim。

"Itmakeslittledifferencewhatpassionpossessesaman\'ssoul,ifitpossesseshimhewillwronghisfellowmen,"Fennebensaidtohimself。

"InJoshuaWream\'scravingtoendowcollegeclaimsherobbedthisgirlofherinheritanceandsenthertome,tellingmeshewasshallow-mindedandwhollygiventoaloveofluxuries,thatImightnotseehisplans;whileNorrie,neverknowing,hasprovedoverandoverhowfalsethesechargeswere。

Andatlast,tostillhisnoisyconscience,hewouldmarryher,willingorunwilling,toVincentBurgess。Butwithallthis,hislasthourswerefullofsorrowfulconfession。

WhatdotheseMasters\'Degreesmybrotherboreavailamanifhehavenotthemasterywithin?Meanwhile,mylaborsheremustend。”

Lonelyandcrushed,withhislifeworktakenfromhim,hesatandfacedthesunset。Presently,hesawElinorandVictorBurleighstrollingawayinthesofteveninglight。

Atthecorner,Elinorturnedandwavedagood-bytohim。

Thenthememoryofhisowncommencementdaycamebacktohim,andofthehappynightbefore。Oh,thatnightbefore!

Canamaneverforget!Andnow,tonight!

"DonFonnybone,"BugBulerpiped,ashecametrudgingaroundthecorner。

"Iwanttoconfessing。”

HecametoFenneben\'ssideandlookedupconfidentlyinhisface。

"Well,confessing。I\'vejustfinisheddoingthatmyself,"Fennebensaid。

"Ididabad,longago。Iwanttogoandconfessing。

Willyougowithme?"

"Whereshallwegotobeshriven,Bug?

"ToPigeonPlace,"Bugresponded。"ThePigeonwomanistherenow。

Isawhercoming,andImustgorightawayandconfessing。”

"I\'llgowithyou,Bug。Iwanttoseethatwoman,anyhow,"Fennebensaid。

AndthetwowentawayintheearlytwilightofthisrareJuneevening。

OutatPigeonPlace,whenDr。FennebenandlittleBugwalkedupthegrassywaytothevine-coveredporchinthemistytwilight,Mrs。Mariansatintheshadow,unawareoftheircominguntiltheystoodbeforeher。

LloydFennebenliftedhishat,andlittleBugimitatedhim。

"Ibegyourpardon,Mrs。Marian。Thislittleboywantedtotellyouofsomethingthatwastroublinghim。Ithinkhetrespassedonyourpropertyunknowingly。”

Thegray-hairedwomanstoodmotionlessintheshadowstill。

Herfairfacelesshaggardthanofyore,asifsomedreadhadleftit,andonlylonelinessremained。

"Iwashere,andyouwasaway,andIpeekedinthewindow。

ItwasrudeandIneverdidseeyoutotellyou,andI\'msorryandI

won\'tfor——neverdoitagain。Dennietoldmetocometonight,andbringDonFonnybone。”Bughadhispartwellinhand。

Evenasshesmiledathim,Dr。Fennebennoticedhowherhandonthelatticeshook。

"AndIwanttothankyou,Mrs。Marian,foryourbraveryandgoodnessonthenightIwasassaultedhere。”

Fennebenwasagentlemantothecoreandhiscourtesywascharming。

"Imeanttofindyoulongago,butmybrother\'sdeath,withmyownlongillness,andyourabsence,andmymanyduties——"

Hepausedwithasmile。

"Oh,Lloyd,Lloyd,onaneveninglikethis,whydoyoucomehere?"

Thewomanstoodinthelightnow,atragicfigureofsorrow。

Andshewasnotyetforty。

Dr。Fennebencaughthisbreathandthelightseemedtogooutbeforehim。

"Marian,oh,Marian!Afteralltheseyears,doIfindyouhere?

Theysaidyouweredead。”Hecaughtherinhisarmsandheldherclosetohisbreast。

"LotsoffolksspoonsroundtheSaxonHouse,soIwentawayandlef\'em,"BugexplainedtoViconceafterward。

AndthataccountedforlittleBugsittinglonelyontheflatstonebythebendintheriverwhereDennieandBurgessfoundhimlater。

"Soyouhavestoodbetweenmeandthatassassinalltheseyears,evenwhentheliesagainstmemadeyoudoubtmylove。Oh,Marian,thestrengthofawoman\'sheart!"Fennebendeclared,as,sidebyside,blackhairandthegrayneartogether,theselong-separatedloversrebuilttheirworld。

"Andthislittlechildbroughtyouhereatlast。

`Alittlechildshallleadthem,\'"thewomanmurmured。

"Yes,BugisagiftofGod。”LloydFennebenwasbendingoverher。

"HeisVictorBurleigh\'snephew,whofoundhiminadesertedplace——"

AshriekcuttheeveningairandshewhohadbeenknownasMrs。MarianlayinafaintatFenneben\'sfeet。

"Tellme,Marian,whatthismeans。”

LloydFennebenhadrestoredhertoconsciousnessandshewasresting,whiteandtrembling,inhisarms。

"MylittleBug,mybaby,Burgess!"shesobbed。"BondSaxon,inadrunkenfit,killedhisfather。ThenTomGreshcarriedhimawaytosavehimfromBond,too,soTomdeclared,butIdidnotbelievehim。Bondneverharmedalittlechild。

TomsaidhemeantnoharmandthatBugwasstolenfromwherehehadlefthim。Itwasthenthatmyhairturnedwhite。

Tomtriedonce,ayearagoinDecember,tomakemebelievehecouldbringBugbacktomeifIwouldcareforhim——

forthatwickedmurderer!Oh,Lloyd!"

ShenestledcloseinDr。Fenneben\'sprotectingarms,andshiveredatthethought。

"AndyounamedhimBurgessforyourownname。DoesVincentknow?"

Fennebenquestioned,tenderlysmoothingthewhitehairasNorriehadsooftensmoothedhisown。

"IsthisVincentmyownbrother?Willhereallyownmeashissister?

I\'vetriedtomeethimmanytimes。Ilefthispictureonmytablethathemightseeitifheshouldevercome。Myfatherseparatedusyearsago。

AfterwecameWesthesentmejustoneletterinwhichhesaidVincentwouldneverspeaktomenorclaimmeashissisteragain。Abrother——

alover——andmybabyboy!"

Andthelonelywoman,overcomewithjoy,satwhiteandstillbeneaththewhitemoonbeams。

Joydoesnotkillanymorethansorrow。VincentBurgessandDennieSaxon,whocamejustattherighttime,toldhowtheyhadwaitedwithBugattheslabofstonebythebendintheriveruntiltheyshouldbeneeded。

"ItwasDenniewhoplanneditall,"Vincentsaid,"anddidnotevenletmeknow。Bugtoldhermypicturewasonthetableinthere。

Butsolongasherfatherlived,shekepthercounsel。”

"ItriedfouryearsagotogetDr。Fennebentocomeouthere,"Denniesaid。

AndtheDeanrememberedtheautumnholidayandDennie\'ssolicitudeforanunknownwoman。

Butthejoyofthisnight,crowningallotherjoysintheWalnutValley,wasinthatsacredmomentwhenBugBulerwalkedslowlyuptoMarianBurleigh,sistertoVincentBurgess,lostloveofLloydFenneben\'syouth——slowly,andwithbigbrowneyesglowingwithastrangenewlovelight,and,puttingupbothhischubbyhandstohercheeks,hemurmuredsoftly:

"Isyoumyownmother?Then,I\'llloveyoufornever。”

Meantime,onthislastmoonlitJunenight,ElinorandVicwerestrollingdownthenewsouthcementwalk,afavoriteplacefortheyoungpeoplenow。

Atthefartherend,Vicsaid:

"Norrie,let\'sgodownacrosstheshallowstothewestbluffagain。

Canyouclimbit,orshallwejointhecrowddownintheKickapooCorral?"

"Icanclimbwhereyoucan,Victor,"Elinordeclared。

"Denniewillneverwanttocomehereagain。PoorDennie!"

VicwashelpingElinoracrosstheshallowsashespoke。

UpintheCorralahappycrowdofyoungpeoplewerefinishingtheirlast"picnicspread"fortheyear。Belowtheshallowsthewhirlpoolwasglisteningalltreacherouslysmoothandlevelunderthemoonbeams。

"Why`poorDennie,\'Victor?Herfatherhadnothingmoreforhim,here,exceptdisgrace。Thetributepaidhimathisfuneralwouldhavebeenforeverwithheld,ifhehadlivedadaylonger,andhediedsureofDennie\'sfuture。”

Elinorspokegently。

"Whotoldyouallthis,Elinor?"Victorasked。

"ProfessorBurgess,whenheshowedmethediamondringDennieistoweartomorrow。”

"Dennie,adiamond!I\'mgladforDennie。Diamondsarefinetohave,"Vicdeclared。

Theyhadclimbedtothetopofthewestbluff。Thesilveryprairieandsilverriverandmist-wreathedvalley,andoverhead,theclear,calmsky,wherethemoonsailedinmagnificentgrandeur,wereasettingtomaketheeveningaperfectone。AndinthissettingwasElinor,herselfthejewel,beautiful,winsome,womanly。

"Ihavesomegoodnews。”Sheturnedtotheyoungmanbesideher。

"YouknowtheWreamshavemadealifebusinessofendowingcolleges。

Well,IamaWreambyblood,andtomorrow,oh,Victor,tomorrow,I,too,havetheopportunityofalifetime。I\'mgoingtoendowSunrise。”

Helookedatherinamazement。

"Oh,it\'sclearenough,"sheexclaimed。"ItwasmymoneythatbuiltSunrise。Itshallstayhere,andDr。LloydFenneben,DeanofSunrise,andacting-DeanVincentBurgess,A。B。,ProfessorofGreek,andVictorBurleigh,Valedictorian,whogoesEasttoaprofessorshipinHarvard,andtotheministryofthegospellateron——

allyoumightymenofvalorwillknowhowlittleNorrieWreamcaresformoney,exceptasitcanmaketheworldbetterandhappier。

Ihaven\'tlivedinLloydFenneben\'shomethesefouryearswithoutlearningsomethingofwhatisrequiredforaMaster\'sDegree。”

"Norrie!"Allthemusicofasoulpouredintothemusicofthedeepvoice。

"Victor!Thereisnosacrificeinit。Iwishtherewere,thatImightwearthehonorsyouwearsomodestly。”

"I,Elinor?"

"Iknowthewholestory。Dennietoldmewhenyouhadthatawfulfight,andTrenchietoldmelongago,thatyouthoughtImusthavemoneytomakemehappy。WhyI,morethanDennie,oryou,whogaveBughisclaim?"

ElinorputupherhandstoVictor,whotookthembothinhis,ashedrewhertohimandkissedhersweetredlips。

AndtherewasanewheavenandanewearthcreatedthatnightinthesoftsilverymoonlightoftheWalnutValley。

"I\'dratherbeherewithyouthanovertheriverwithanybodyelse。

Ifeelsaferhere,"shemurmured,rememberingwhentheyhadstriveninthedarknessandthestormtoreachthisveryheight。

ButVictorBurleighcouldnotspeak。Themasteryforwhichhehadstrivenseemedtobringmeedofrewardtoogreatforhimtograspwithwords。

THEPARTING……_ThereisneitherEastnorWest,Border,norBreed,norBirth,Whentwostrongmenstandfacetoface,tho\'theycomefromtheendsoftheearth!_——

KIPLING

COMMENCEMENTdayatSunrisewasjustonegoldenKansasJuneday,whenTheheartissofullthatadropoverfillsit。

VictorBurleigh,lateofaclaimoutbeyondtheWalnut,Professor-to-beinHarvardUniversity,andVincentBurgess,acting-DeanofSunrise,onlyadegreelessbelovedthanDeanFennebenhimself,metonthemorningofcommencementdayatthecampusgate,onetogototheEast,theothertostayintheWest。Sidebysidetheywalkedupthelongavenuetothefootoftheslope,togethertheyclimbedthebroadflightofstepsleadinguptotheimposingdoorwayofSunrisewiththebigletterScarvedinreliefaboveit。AndafterpausingamomenttotakeinthematchlesswonderofthelandscapeoverwhicholdSunrisekeepswatch,thecollegeportalswungopenandthetwoenteredatthesametime。

Insidethedoorway,underthehalooflightfromthestainedglassdomewithitsKansasmotto,wroughtindaintycoloring。ElinorWream,nieceoftheDeanofSunrise,andDennieSaxon,oldBondSaxon\'sdaughter,whohadearnedhercollegetuition,stoodsidebyside,awaitingthem。

Andbeyondthese,ontherotundastairs,Dr。LloydFennebenwaslookingdownatthefourwithkeenblackeyes。BesidehimonthebroadstairwaywasMarianBurgessBurleigh,thewhite-haired,young-facedwomanofPigeonPlace,andBugBuler——everybody\'schild。

Thebarriersweredownatlast:thevalueofcommonlife,thepowerofStrifeandSacrificeandService,thejoyofSupremacy,theconflictofrichredbloodwiththethinnerblue,theforceofcultureagainstmerephysicalstrength,thepowerofcharacteroverwealth——thesethingshadbeenwroughtoutunderthegraciousinfluenceofDr。LloydFennebeninSunrise-by-the-Walnut。

"Comeup,comeup;thereisroomuphere,"theDeancalledtothegroupintherotunda。"There\'sanA。B。forallwhohaveconqueredtheCourseofStudy,andaMaster\'sDegreeforeveryonewhohasconqueredhimself。”

ThecommonlevelsoimpossibleonaSeptemberdayfouryearsago,camenowtotwostrongmenwhenthecommencementexerciseswereended,andSunrisebecametotheoutgoingclassonlyahallowedmemory。

Thehourishighnoon,thegood-bysaregiven,andfromthecrestofthelimestoneridgetheringingchorus,ledbygoodoldTrench,soundsfarandfarawayalongtheWalnutValley:

RahforFunnybone!

RahforFunnybone!

RahforFunnybone!

_Rah!_RAWRAH!!!

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