The Gavelyte, October 1913

CEDARVILLE COLLEGE 3 "Do you think he will come?" quer-ied one. "Don't know; shouldn't blame hilm if ,he d,i,dn't," was his ans1wer. Just then the shadows parted and into their midst s·te'l)ped· Keene and the other Freshmen. Ingram immediately took charge. "Everytthing' ready now, feillowis. Here',s tJhe banner and up she goes at 11:30. You who1111 I name firPit will sitay in the tower, the others will patrol the town." Careful1y the list was reacl. Ke€ne "'as one of the patrol, as was •als•o Don IngI1a1m. Their orders receiv d, the g•roups silently dis·persedi into sma!ller group.s-then each man to his post. Al 11: 30 the ·banner wa,s up. Don Inigram, mid the admiration of the fellowP, boldly but care.fully mad'e the ,ascent to the top of the tower. but in the descent his care W'as less. Twice he slipped and would have fallen but for an agil<'l motion; twice in •the circle of watchers was heard 1a groan and a !half audible, "God, d1on't let hliim fall." The groan wa,s from Keene; ihe knew the d•ang,er fo•r !he had made the ascent the n•ight before. Though unasked, 1he ,had fo!llowed the tower guard to witness the raising oof 'the banner. With a sigh of !'(:lief he turned quickly a1s 1 ide and de•soended t'he la,dder, and walk– ed with an Indian's c,aution to Ibis, post. Two o'clock had come and gone; all was yEit quiet in the lHtl e town as1eep in the val1ey. High in the 'heavens, in all 1he 0 r glory, the moon was, beaming fort'h, floOldiwg the itown wit'h mEllow Joigiht. Keene was carefully patrolling his -beat, and t'h1n1k!:ng h•a lf ,amusedly, 'half sadly of the day and what it had brou•g1M. "I can't help it; fellows necver trust me, neveT like me until I compel them to. It is hard, though." Jusrt then ihe thougM ,he heard a slight sound; a moment later it c,ame •a•gain. Tmmed-iately turning to– ward it, he ar,rproaclhed a sma11, low 1s1hed, and there in the shad'0 1 W wa" a figure attempting to slink from si gbt. "Oh! i.'\',ho is iit ?" came from the figure and the voice was, Don Ingram's. Astonished Keene repilie'd, "It's Keene; wh-at's wron•g?" "I don't know, Keene-gue,ss I've Jogt-miy nerve. The Sophs iare out-I've known it for an hour, ,a,nd, Keenie,-" 'here Ibis voice hrok,e, "I'm too much of a coward to go lt,hroug1h their lines. E'very a1p1)roach is guarded by a dozen men--the lig,ht is ,so briglb.rt I couM. even irnake out the fellows-and there's a conference go,ing on ove r there back of that c·hurch. Kel'ne, you have t'he nerve? Thos,e rt:ower fellows will lbe carelc>ss, now it's so l 1 ate. Go, I can't, I',m a coward." ''I'll go, Tngram, cheer up. They're ta:lking be 1 hind the church, you sai? All rig·ht, I'm .off." \Vith a noiseless step he mad1e lh,is way in thP frw i:1hadows to a clump of bus•hes where he could hear what was being s•aid. "Yr•s, thf-y liavP their banner on th1at highe"it tower, but we can g0t it clown Rogers has been up at Montico and he says the gu,ard tl!Pt'P nw,; 0 !:-icattered. They don't know we're out." T,hat was enough