Page 56 - The Adventures of a Freshman

"No, thanks," said Todd, arising and stretching himself.

"'Fraid, are you?" asked Young.

Todd laughed contemptuously. "I'm not afraid to have you think I'm afraid, if it gives you any pleasure; it
doesn't hurt me. Lucky, are you coming with me?"

"No," said Lee, looking at the Deacon, "I reckon I'll stay awhile."

"Come on, Lucky," Todd said.

Lee shook his head.

Todd turned, watched the others a moment, while they got out the cards and chips, and drew up their chairs to
the table; then, smiling quizzically at Young, he took his hat and left the room.

Now Young may not have been poling just before he arrived, but together with late hours and lack of exercise,
he looked as pale and haggard as the hardest poler in college. And by the strong light opposite him, as he sat
playing at the table, a fellow like Linton might have fancied he saw other lines in his face--unpleasant lines
that meant something besides hard study and lack of exercise.

Somehow, at this game, he did not look like the same Deacon Young who trotted home from football practice
last fall, glowing and glad to be alive.

The attitude of most of the club toward the class at large was very much what Young's was toward Barrows
and Wilson and those fellows. The Invincibles had been frowned upon by the class for being "sporty";
consequently they hated the class. Instead of changing their conduct, they became "sportier" than ever, and
they were fast gaining a reputation throughout the college world, and they considered themselves very
dangerous.

The poker game went on. It was getting late, but nobody noticed that.

"Whose deal is it?"

"Mine," said Lucky, picking up the cards with a nervous hand; he began to shuffle them.

Powelton smiled in his superior way. "Look at Lucky's fingers twitch," he said. The others laughed, and
Young added, indulgently, "The little boy will get over that in time."

Lee was dealing, and he was too much excited to hear or reply to this sally; it was 1 A.M. of the first night he
had ever played cards for money in his life, and with a beginner's luck he had been winning all evening.

"Can you open it, Tommy?" asked Lee, the dealer.

"Nope," said Stevens.

"I can't," said Powelton.

"Can you, Deacon?"

"No, of course not."