Part 12 (2/2)

”It's a howling shame!” declared the serious Hicks, a heart full of sympathy for Thor. ”Just as he wakes up and is trying to understand things at old Bannister, bang! the Norwhal is blown up by a stray mine, and down goes his dad's money. Why didn't Mr. Thorwald get the five thousand transferred to the Valkyrie? Oh, if that money hadn't gone down to Davy Jones' locker, Thor would be awakened and have time for college life, too!”

Butch Brewster started to speak when the thunderous tread of John Thorwald sounded in the corridor. The Prodigious Prodigy seemed approaching at double-quick time, and the youths stared at each other. However, when Thor appeared in the doorway, a letter in hand, they gazed at him in bewilderment, for his face fairly glowed.

”Read it, fellows, read it!” he breathed, with what, for him, was almost excitement. ”It just came! Oh, isn't that good news? Read it out, Captain Butch. Won't we wallop Ballard now!”

Big Butch Brewster, mystified by Thor's happiness, and urged on by his equally puzzled comrades, drew out the letter, and a glad smile coming to his honest countenance, he read aloud:

”THE NEW YORK-CHRISTIANIA. STEAMs.h.i.+P LINE (New York Office)

”Nov. 18, 19--.

”MR. JOHN THORWALD, JR., Bannister College.

”DEAR SIR:

”We beg to state that your father, first mate on our liner, the Valkyrie, three days outbound from New York to Christiania, sent a message,wireless, to our New York offices by the inbound Dutch Line's Rotterdam.

The Rotterdam relayed the message to us, and we forward it herewith,

”'DEAR SON: Purser of my s.h.i.+p, the Valkyrie, informed me today that the purser of the ill-fated Norwhal, learning of my transfer to this liner, transferred my $5,000 to the Valkyrie before he sailed to his fate. I am sending thisthe Rotterdam, inbound, and our office will forward it to you. Will write on arriving at Christiania. Father.'

”We are sorry for the delay in forwarding this message, but through an accident, it was mislaid in our office for a few days.

”Yours truly,

”THE NEW YORK-CHRISTIANIA STEAMs.h.i.+P LINE,

”per J. L. G.”

A moment of silence; outside on the campus the Bannister youths, preparing for the ma.s.s-meeting in the Auditorium, started cheering. Someone caught sight of Thor, standing now by the window of Hicks' room, on the third floor of Bannister Hall, and a few seconds later there sounded:

”Thor! Thor! Thor! Thor will bring the Champions.h.i.+p to old Bannister! Rah!

Rah! Rah!--Thor!”

”Oh,” shouted T. Haviland Hicks, Jr., grinning happily, his arm across Thor's ma.s.sive shoulders, ”'All's well that ends well,' as Bill Shakespeare says. It's all right now, Thor. Fate dealt you a hard punch, but it served its purpose; for it made you realize how you would regret to leave college.

Now you won't have to hustle and have all your time filled with toil and study; you can go after every phase of campus life, and serve old Bannister in so many ways.”

John Thorwald stood, a contented look on his placid, impa.s.sive face, gazing down at the campus below and hearing the plaudits of the excited collegians. The stately old elms, gaunt and bare, tossed their limbs against a leaden sky; a cold, dreary wind sent clouds of dry leaves scurrying down the concrete walks. In the faint moonlight that struggled through the clouds, the towers and spires of old Bannister were limned against the sky-line. Across the campus, on Bannister Field, the goal-posts, skeleton-like, kept their lonely vigil. On that field, in less than a week, the Gold and Green must face the crucial test--against Ballard's champions.h.i.+p eleven, in the Biggest Game; and now, almost on the eve of battle, the shackles had been knocked from him; he was free of the great burden, free to serve his Alma Mater, to fight for the Gold and Green, to grow and develop into an all-round, representative college man.

All of a sudden it dawned on the slow-thinking young Norwegian just how much this freedom to grow and expand meant to him, and he turned from the window. From below, the shouts of ”Thor! Thor! Thor!” drifted, stirring his blood, as he looked at Hicks, Butch, Beef, Monty and Deacon.

”'All's well that ends well,' you say. Hicks,” he spoke slowly, his face joyous. ”That's true; but I'm just starting, fellows. I'm justto live my college years, not for myself, but for old Bannister, for my Alma Mater, for I am awake, and !”

CHAPTER XII

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