The Plastic Age by Percy Marks (best fiction books to read TXT) 📕

Through All The Excitement Quietly,  Keeping Close To Their Relatives And

Friends. Graduation Wasn'T So Thrilling As They Had Expected It To Be;

It Was More Sad. The Alumni Seemed To Be Having A Good Time; They Were

Ridiculously Boyish: Only The Seniors Were Grave,  Strangely And

Unnaturally Dignified.

Most Of The Alumni Left The Night Before The Graduation Exercises. The

Parents And Fiancees Remained. They Stood In The Middle Of The Campus

And Watched The Seniors,  Clad In caps And Gowns,  Line Up Before The

Union At The Orders Of The Class Marshal.

Finally,  The Procession,  The Grand Marshal,  A Professor,  In The Lead

With A Wand In His Hand,  Then President Culver And The Governor Of The

State,  Then The Men Who Were To Receive Honorary Degrees--A Writer,  A

College President,  A Philanthropist,  A Professor,  And Three

Politicians--Then The Faculty In academic Robes,  Their Many-Colored

Hoods Brilliant Against Their Black Gowns. And Last The Seniors,  A Long

Line Of Them Marching In Twos Headed By Their Marshal.

The Visitors Streamed After Them Into The Chapel. The Seniors Sat In

Their Customary Seats,  The Faculty And The Men Who Were To Receive

Honorary Degrees On A Platform That Had Been Built At The Altar. After

They Were Seated,  Everything Became A Blur To Hugh. He Hardly Knew What

Was Happening. He Saw His Father And Mother Sitting In The Transept. He

Thought His Mother Was Crying. He Hoped Not.... Some One Prayed

Stupidly. There Was A Hymn.... What Was It Cynthia Had Said? Oh,  Yes: "I

Can'T Marry A Stranger." Well,  They Weren'T Exactly Strangers.... He Was

Darn Glad He Had Gone To New York.... The President Seemed To Be Saying

Over And Over Again,  "By The Power Invested In Me ..." And Every Time

That He Said It,  Professor Blake Would Slip The Loop Of A Colored Hood

Over The Head Of A Writer Or A Politician--And Then It Was Happening All

Over Again.

Suddenly The Class Marshal Motioned To The Seniors To Rise. They Put On

Their Mortar-Boards. The President Said Once More,  "By The Power

Invested In Me...." The Seniors Filed By The President,  And The Grand

Marshal Handed Each Of Them A Roll Of Parchment Tied With Blue And

Orange Ribbons. Hugh Felt A Strange Thrill As He Took His. He Was

Graduated; He Was A Bachelor Of Science.... Back Again To Their Seats.

Some One Was Pronouncing Benediction.... Music From The Organ--Marching

Out Of The Chapel,  The Surge Of Friends--His Father Shaking His Hand,

His Mother'S Arms Around His Neck; She _Was_ Crying....

Graduation Was Over,  And,  With It Hugh'S College Days. Many Of The

Seniors Left At Once. Hugh Would Have Liked To Go,  Too,  But His Father

Wanted To Stay One More Day In Haydensville. Besides,  There Was A Final

Senior Dance That Night,  And He Thought That Hugh Ought To Attend It.

Hugh Did Go To The Dance,  But Somehow It Brought Him No Pleasure.

Although It Was Immensely Decorous,  It Reminded Him Of Cynthia. He

Thought Of Her Tenderly. The Best Little Girl He'D Ever Met.... He

Danced On,  Religiously Steering Around The Sisters And Fiancees Of His

Friends,  But He Could Not Enjoy The Dance. Shortly After Eleven He

Slipped Out Of The Gymnasium And Made One Last Tour Of The Campus.

It Was A Moonlight Night,  And The Campus Was Mysterious With Shadows.

The Elms Shook Their Leaves Whisperingly; The Tower Of The Chapel Looked

Like Magic Tracery In The Moonlight. He Paused Before Surrey Hall,  Now

Dark And Empty. Good Old Carl.... Carl And Cynthia? He Wondered....

Pudge Had Roomed There,  Too. He Passed On. Keller Hall,  Cynthia And

Norry.... "God,  What A Beast I Was That Night. How White Norry Was--And

Cynthia,  Too," Cynthia Again. She'D Always Be A Part Of Sanford To Him.

On Down To The Lake To Watch The Silver Path Of The Moonlight And The

Heavy Reflections Near The Shore. Swimming,  Canoeing,  Skating--He And

Cynthia In The Woods Beyond.... On Back To The Campus,  Around The

Buildings,  Every One Of Them Filled With Memories. Four Years--Four

Beautiful,  Wonderful Years.... Good Old Sanford....

Midnight Struck. Some One Turned A Switch Somewhere. The Japanese

Lanterns Suddenly Lost Their Colors And Faded To Gray Balloons In The

Moonlight. Some Men Were Singing On The Union Steps. It Was A Few

Seniors,  Hugh Knew; They Had Been Singing For An Hour.

He Stood In The Center Of The Campus And Listened,  His Eyes Full Of

Tears. Earnestly,  Religiously,  The Men Sang,  Their Voices Rich With

Emotion:

                "Sanford,  Sanford,  Mother Of Men,

                 Love Us,  Guard Us,  Hold Us True.

                 Let Thy Arms Enfold Us;

                 Let Thy Truth Uphold Us.

                 Queen Of Colleges,  Mother Of Men--

                 Alma Mater--Sanford--Hail!

                 Alma-Mater--Hail!--Hail!"

Hugh Walked Slowly Across The Campus Toward The Nu Delta House. He Was

Both Happy And Sad--Happy Because The Great Adventure Was Before Him

With All Its Mystery,  Sad Because He Was Leaving Something Beautiful

Behind....

Publication Date: 05-22-2014

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