Produced by Avinash Kothare, Tom Allen, Charles Franks
and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team.
THE NEW BOY AT HILLTOP
AND OTHER STORIES
BY
RALPH HENRY BARBOUR
TO BELINDA
CONTENTS
THE NEW BOY AT HILLTOP
THE PROVING OF JERRY
MCTURKLE, THE BAND
THE TRIUMPH OF "CURLY"
PATSY
HIS FIRST ASSIGNMENT
PEMBERTON'S FLUKE
THE SEVENTH TUTOR
A RACE WITH THE WATERS
A COLLEGE SANTA CLAUS
THE TRIPLE PLAY
THE DUB
THE NEW BOY AT HILLTOP
I
Hilltop School closed its fall term with just ninety-five students; itopened again two weeks later, on the third of January, with ninety-six; andthereby hangs this tale.
Kenneth Garwood had been booked for Hilltop in the autumn, butcircumstances had interfered with the family's plans. Instead he journeyedto Moritzville on the afternoon of the day preceding the commencement ofthe new term, a very cold and blustery January afternoon, during much ofwhich he sat curled tightly into a corner of his seat in the poorly heatedday coach, which was the best the train afforded, and wondered why theConnecticut Valley was so much colder than Cleveland, Ohio. He had taken anearly train from New York, and all the way to Moritzville had sought withnatural eagerness for sight of his future schoolmates. But he had beenunsuccessful. When Hilltop returns to school it takes the mid-afternoonexpress which reaches Moritzville just in time for dinner, whereas Kennethreached the school before it was dark, and at a quarter of five was inundisputed possession, for the time being, of Number 12, Lower House.
"We are putting you," the principal had said, "with Joseph Brewster, a boyof about your own age and a member of your class. He is one of our nicestboys, one of whom we are very proud. You will, I am certain, become goodfriends. Mr. Whipple here will show you to your room. Supper is at six.Afterwards, say at eight o'clock, I should like you to see me again here atthe office. If there is anything you want you will find the matron's roomat the end of the lower hall. Er—will you take him in charge, Mr.Whipple?"
On the way across the campus, between banks of purple-shadowed snow andunder leafless elms which creaked and groaned dismally in the wind, Kennethreached the firm conclusion that there were two persons at Hilltop whom hewas going to dislike cordially. One was the model Joseph Brewster, and theother was Mr. Whipple. The instructor was young, scarcely more thantwenty-three, tall, sallow, near-sighted and taciturn. He wore anunchanging smile on his thin face and spoke in a soft, silky voice thatmade Kenneth want to trip him into one of the snow banks.
Lower House, so called to distinguish it from the other dormitory, UpperHouse, which stood a hundred yards higher on the hill, looked veryuninviting. Its windows frowned dark and inhospitable and no light shonefrom the hall as they entered. Mr. Whipple paused and searchedunsuccessfully for a match.
"I fear I have left my match box in my study," he said at length. "Just amoment, please, Garwood, and I will—"
"Here's a match, sir," interrupted Ken