(Continued from page 76) The Condemned Dormitory his expense. In fact, they would endeavor to show him where he stood in regard to his over-estimation of himself, a thing of which he evidently knew little. John had, as he thought, shown his superior wisdom as well as his better judgment over the other fellows in ignoring the unsafe dormitory as a place to trust his mother's only son and his promising career. So he had selected a room in a good substantial, private house which was, however, some distance from the college. But several times he had been persuaded to risk the dangers, and had entered within the walls and beneath the roof of a condemned building. Although at first he showed much uneasiness and no desire to prolong his stay, he had become rather used to the uneventful visits and had begun to feel as if the old building looked rather amused at him out of its window eyes, as he, on leaving, stepped hastily out of its door and looked back over his shoulder as he approached a position where, should the walls fall, they would not reach him. But as yet no one had ever succeeded in persuading John to spend a whole night in the building—to trust his closed eyes and unconscious mind to repose within its dangerous walls. He had so far refused all invitations. At first he professed open fear; then, as he gradually grew accustomed to the place, and learned to care more for the good opinion of the fellows, he proceeded to excuse his refusals by telling them that he would accept their invitations to stay, had he not made promises to his mother that he would not; though inwardly he was rather glad that the promise had been made. Several times he had stated that he would not be afraid to stay in the building over night, if he was sure the wind would not blow. . At last, being over persuaded, John had promised the fellows that, if it remained quiet during the evening, he would stop on his way home from society and spend the night with his friend, Jack Crawford. John had felt an unusual thrill of pride as he had made the promise, but as he now walked alone past the old building on his way home from dinner, it seemed to renew all of its former terrors and to add a few that were entirely new. The ends seemed to have recently bulged farther out; the front wall seemed not to be standing plumb, and the rusty tin roof appeared to have recently sagged. Secretly he wished that the wind would start to blow. The October night was crisp and clear; not a leaf stirred on the rows of trees that lined either side of the broad walk in front of Condemned Dormitory, as John Trumbull accompanied by a number of his companions made his way toward the old structure. The quietness and the bracing atmosphere, together with the companionship of friends, gave John new courage and, at a little jibe from one of the boys, he told them he had no fear whatsoever of sleeping in the.old building. Games and prearranged amusements lasted until so late that John jokingly remarked that he did not believe he would have a chance to sleepin the Condemned Dormitory after all. But soon, when the other boys considered that John was sufficiently exhausted to go to sleep quickly, they all made ready for bed. Jack had, without previous knowledge to John, changed his sleeping apartment to the third floor of the building. On this John made no comment and to himself reasoned that he would, after all, just as soon fall on top of the building as to have it fall on top of him. Of course he would not have the same chance to get out should it start to fall. Before he entrusted himself to the bed he tried vainly to listen at the window for the sound of wind, without attracting the attention of his chum. The careless way in which Jack plunged into the bed, together with his own physical exhaustion, soon caused John to sleep so soundly that he did not hear the deft moccasined feet as they noiselessly bore a score of owners to their previously arranged positions of vantage. Nor did he notice the shaking forms of two human (Continued on page 106) 92
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