The Plastic Age - Percy Marks (classic literature books txt) 📗
- Author: Percy Marks
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Soon Went Away To The Opera, So I Had A Tete A Tete. Mr. Radclif(42)
Is Still Talked Of For Lady F., But I Have Not Asked Sir Will[Ia]M
Mus[Grave] If It Is True. He Is Very Well Spoke Of, Et Le Nom Est
Assez Beau.
Quinze Goes On Vigorously At Almack'S.(43) Lady S. Says
That You Have Fixed Your Coming Of Age As An Epoque For Leaving Off
That And All Kind Of Play Whatsoever. My Dear Lord, Vive Hodie;
Don'T Nurse Any Passion That Gathers Strength By Time, And May Be
Easier Broke Of At First. I Am In Hopes Indeed That When You Are
Chapter 13 Pg 99Maitre De Vos Biens, As The French Say, You Will Not Invite Scot,
Parker, Or Shafto(44) To Partake It With You. Your Condition Of
Life, And The Necessary Expenses Of It, Will Not Allow That
Coalition. I Never Kept So Long From Play Yet, But I Frankly Own I
Have Not Much Virtue To Boast Of By That Continency. I Know Of No
Good Opportunity Which I Have Resisted. St. John(45) Told Me At The
Play Last Night That You Was To Go And Return From Turin Alone. I
Hope That Is Not So; I Shall Be Very Angry With Robert, If He Does
Not Take Great Care Both Of You And Rover. I Will Finish The Rest
When I Have Seen Sir William.
Tuesday Night.--Sir W[Illia]M Sent Me Word He Did Not Call Upon Me
To-Day Because He Could Not Settle With The Courier Till Thursday;
And Hemmins Did Call, And Assured Me That On Thursday The Badge
Should Be Ready. I Scolded Till I Was In a Fever; I Believe He Will
Not Venture To Put Me Off Any Longer.
(30) "Historic Doubts On Richard The Third."
(31) The Best English History That Had Been Written Up To That Time,
And The First That Made Any Attempt To Literary Merit. The First
Edition Was Published At Intervals From 1754 To 1761. A Second
Edition Had Been Issued In 1762.
(32) Henry, Tenth Earl Of Pembroke (1734-1794). He Married In
1756 Elizabeth, Second Daughter Of The Third Duke Of Marlborough.
(33) Lord Baltimore Had Been Acquitted Of The Charge Of Abduction
Which Had Been Brought Against Him, But The Prosecution Brought
Forward Facts Sufficient To Justify The Public Indignation That Was
Raised. He Soon After Went Abroad, And Died In Naples In 1771.
(34) Richard Fitzpatrick (1747-1813); Second Son Of John, First
Earl Of Upper Ossory And Lady Evelyn Leveson Gower, Daughter Of
Second Earl Gower. His Sister, Lady Mary Fitzpatrick, Married
Charles James Fox'S Elder Brother, Stephen, Afterward Second Lord
Holland. Fitzpatrick Is One Of The Best Known Names In The History
Of The Social Life Of The Last Half Of The Eighteenth Century--The
Duke Of Queensberry Left Him A Legacy In Recognition Of His Fine
Manners. He Was The Talented And Accomplished Friend Of Fox, Whose
Excesses In Gaming And In all The Fashionable Follies Of The Day He
Rivalled. He Served With Credit In The American War; In 1780 Was
Returned To Parliament; In 1782 Appointed Secretary To The Duke Of
Portland, Then Lord-Lieutenant Of Ireland; In 1783 Made Secretary At
War. At His Death He Was A Privy Councillor, A General In The Army,
And Colonel Of The Forty-Seventh Regiment Of Foot.
(35) Lady Isabella Fitzroy, Youngest Daughter Of Charles, Second
Duke Of Grafton. She Married In 1741 Francis, First Marquis Of
Hertford.
(36) George Lane Parker(1724-1791), Second Son Of George, Second
Earl Of Macclesfield. He Became A General And A Member Of
Parliament.
(37) William Wildman, Second Viscount Barrington (1717-1793). He
Filled Various High Official And Court Offices; He Was A Chancellor
Of The Exchequer In 1761, And Subsequently Secretary At War.
Chapter 13 Pg 100
(38) The Bedford Faction Effected A Junction With The Government At
The End Of 1767, And Lord Sandwich, And Lord Weymouth, And Rigby
Entered The Ministry.
(39)5 Caroline Fitzroy, Eldest Daughter Of The Second Duke Of
Grafte Mie Than Half The
Fellows In This Fraternity Can Say. Most Of 'Em Don'T Do Anything But Go
On Parties And Raise Hell Generally. How Come You'Re Picking On Me? Why
Don'T You Ride Some Of Them For A While? I Don'T See Where They'Re So
Hot."
"Never Mind The Other Fellows." Tucker'S Black Eyes Flashed Angrily. He
Was One Of The "Hell-Raisers" Himself, Good Looking; Always Beautifully
Dressed, And Proud Of The Fact That He Was "Rated The Smoothest Man On
The Campus." His "Smoothness" Had Made Him Prominent In activities--That
And His Estimate Of Himself. He Took It For Granted That He Would Be
Prominent, And The Students Accepted Him At His Own Valuation; And
Powerful Nu Delta Had Been Behind Him, Always Able To Swing Votes When
Votes Were Needed.
"Never Mind The Other Fellows," He Repeated. "They'Re None Of Your
Party. You'Ve Got Talents, And You'Re Not Making Use Of Them. You Could
Be As Popular As The Devil If You Wanted To, But You Go Chasing Around
With Kikes And Micks."
Hugh Was Very Angry And A Little Absurd In His Youthful Pomposity. "I
Suppose You Refer To Parker And Einstein--My One Mick Friend, Although
He Isn'T Irish, And My, One Jewish Friend. Well, I Shall Stick To Them
And See Just As Much Of Them As I Like. I'Ve Told You That Before, And
You Might As Well Get Me Straight Right Now: I'M Going To Run With
Whoever I Want. The Fraternity Cannot Dictate To Me About My Friends.
You Told Me You Didn'T Want Parker And Einstein Around The House. I
Don'T Bring Them Around. I Don'T See As How You'Ve Got A Right To Ask
Anything More."
"I Don'T Suppose You Realize That Everything You Do Reflects On The
Fraternity," Tucker Retorted, Slightly Pompous Himself.
"I Suppose It Does, But I Can'T See That I Have Done Anything That Is
Going To Ruin The Name Of Nu Delta. I Don'T Get Potted Regularly Or
Chase Around With Filthy Bags Or Flunk My Courses Or Crib My Way
Through; And I Could Mention Some Men In This House Who Do All Those
Things." Hugh Was Thoroughly Angry And No Longer In Possession Of His
Best Judgment. "If You Don'T Like The Way I Act, You Can Have My Pin Any
Time You Say." He Stood Up, His Blue Eyes Almost Black With Rage, His
Cheeks Flushed, His Mouth A Thin White Line.
Tucker Realized That He Had Gone Too Far. "Oh, Don'T Get Sore, Hugh," He
Said Soothingly. "I Didn'T Mean It The Way You Are Taking It. Of Course,
We Don'T Want You To Turn In Your Pin. We All Like You. We Just Want You
To Come Around More And Be One Of The Fellows, More Of A Regular Guy. We
Feel That You Can Bring A Lot Of Honor To The Fraternity If You Want To,
And We'Ve Been Kinda Sore Because You'Ve Been Giving Activities The
Go-By."
"How About My Studies?" Hugh Retorted. "I Suppose You Want Me To Give
Chapter 13 Pg 101Them The Air. Well, I Did The First Term, And I Made A Record That I Was
Ashamed Of. I Promised My Folks That I'D Do Better; And I'M Going To. I
Give An Hour Or Two A Day To Track And Several Hours A Week To The Glee
Club, And Now I'M Going To Have To Give Several More To The Banjo Club.
That'S All I Can Give At Present, And That'S All I'M Going To Give. I
Know Perfectly Well That Some Fellows Can Go Out For A Bunch Of
Activities And Make Phi Bete, Too; But They'Re Sharks And I'M Not. Don'T
Worry, Either; I Won'T Disgrace The Fraternity By Making Phi Bete," He
Concluded Sarcastically.
"Oh, Calm Down, Hugh, And Forget What I Said," Tucker Pleaded,
Thoroughly Sorry That He Had Started The Argument. "You Go Ahead And Do
What You Think Right And We'Ll Stand By You." He Stood Up And Put His
Hand On Hugh'S Shoulder. "No Hard Feelings, Are There, Old Man?"
Kindness Always Melted Hugh; No Matter How Angry He Was, He Could Not
Resist It. "No," He Said Softly; "No Hard Feelings. I'M Sorry I Lost My
Temper."
Tucker Patted His Shoulder. "Oh, That'S All Right. I Guess I Kinda Lost
Mine, Too. You'Ll Be Around To The Meeting To-Morrow Night, Won'T You?
Better Come. Paying Fines Don'T Get You Anywhere."
"Sure, I'Ll Come."
He Went But Took No Part In The Discussion, Nor Did He Frequent The
Fraternity House Any More Than He Had Previously. More And More He
Realized That He Had "Gone With The Wrong Crowd," And More And More He
Thought Of What Graham Had Said To Him In His Freshman Year About How A
Man Was In Hell If He Joined The Wrong Fraternity. "I Was The Wise
Bird," He Told Himself Caustically; "I Was The Guy Who Knew All About
It. Graham Saw What Would Happen, And I Didn'T Have Sense Enough To
Take His Advice. Hell, I Never Even Thought About What He Told Me. I
Knew That I Would Be In Heaven If Nu Delta Gave Me A Bid. Heaven! Well,
I'M Glad That They Were Too High-Hat For Norry Parker And That He Went
With The Right Bunch."
Norville Parker Was Hugh'S Catholic Friend, And The More He Saw Of The
Freshman The Better He Liked Him. Parker Had Received Several Bids From
Fraternities, And He Followed The Advice Hugh Had Given Him. "If Delta
Sigma Delta Bids You, Go There," Hugh Had Said Positively. "They'Re The
Bunch You Belong With. Apparently The Kappa Zetes Are Going To Bid You,
Too. You Go Delta Sig If You Get The Chance." Hugh Envied Parker The
Really Beautiful Fraternity Life He Was Leading. "Why In God'S Name," He
Demanded Of Himself Regularly, "Didn'T I Have Sense Enough To Take
Graham'S Advice?"
When Spring Came, The Two Boys Took Long Walks Into The Country, Both Of
Them Loving The New Beauty Of The Spring And Happy In Perfect
Companionship. Hugh Missed Carl Badly, And He Wanted To Ask Parker To
Room With Him The Remainder Of The Term. He Felt, However, That The
Fraternity Would Object, And He Wanted No Further Trouble With Nu Delta.
As A Matter Of Fact, The Fraternity Would Have Said Nothing, But Hugh
Had Become Hypersensitive And Expected His "Brothers" To Find Fault
With His Every Move. He Had No Intention Of Deserting Parker, But He
Could Not Help Feeling That Rooming With Him Would Be A Gratuitous
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