Page 44 - The Adventures of a Freshman

"They may be doing a great many things when I'm not around that I don't know anything about. Sometimes at
the other end of the table they make references to things, and they seem not to want me to understand. I know
the other day when I came in late from football practice, I heard one of 'em say, 'Shut up, Billy, here comes
the Deacon!'"

And this shows why Wilson, the man studying for the ministry, told Young, when alone, "Deacon, you have
an excellent opportunity for exercising a steadying, sobering influence upon that set of gay, thoughtless
fellows--they all respect you heartily."

The Divisional examinations came along soon after the organization of the club, and Young was in great
demand by those taking the academic course like himself. Few of the Invincibles had studied conscientiously
during the preceding weeks. They had rather prided themselves on not being "greasy polers" as they called
fellows like Young's former clubmates, but now they were all poling at a great rate themselves, and some of
them declared they would not get through, though to Young's amazement they seemed not to care whether
they were to be conditioned or not; they considered it a joke.

Perhaps one or two of them would not have passed, if it had not been for Young. "The old Deacon is a
valuable man to have around," said Billy Drew. Most of them landed in the lower divisions, but one of them
proved quite a wonder to Young. His name was Todd, and he had never opened a book, apparently, since the
term began. To Young's knowledge he took long walks into the country--up over the hills to the north of
town--every afternoon after examination instead of studying, and invariably he was the first to finish his paper
and leave the examination-room. And yet when the lists of divisions were posted, much to everyone's surprise,
Todd's name was in the First division--along with Young's.

They jokingly called him "Poler Todd," and made him treat the whole club to cigars on the way back from
dinner. Apparently he was as much surprised as anyone, but he seemed not to care very much, and the
dignified Deacon did not know what to make of him. Young himself felt very much gratified over his success
and wrote home to the minister about it, and confided to him, that he was going to try to capture the Freshman
First Honor prize. The minister wrote back a fine, long letter, wishing him success and congratulating him on
his progress, and also upon his making the team. Will had no idea the minister would be so pleased over
athletic success.

So, every day now it was, "Deacon, how many lines of Homer do we have to-day?" "How do you demonstrate
this, Deacon?"

At first he liked to have them appeal to him, but after awhile it became a little tiresome; not that he minded the
trouble--it was no trouble; but he did not like to be thought of only as a man who always knew where the
lesson was. He began to wish they would treat him more in the hail-fellow well-met way they treated each
other. With Todd, for instance, they were as familiar and free and easy as they were with Billy Drew, and yet
Todd was a First division man, like Young. Sometimes he found himself watching them after dinner, and it
was a matter of wonder to him how Todd could always answer Powelton back, with a witty piece of repartee,
quick as a flash, without looking up from the dessert-plate at which he was aiming tobacco-smoke. Somehow,
Will thought, he would like to be able to do that way.

The truth was they did not dare to be familiar with Young; they respected him too much. Sometimes he felt
tired of cold respect and wanted warm liking.

You see he was a hero to these boys. You and I know that he was made of flesh and blood, and weakness and
strength, like the rest of us.