the sun with her arm.
The blond boy said, "Hot!"
Mitch nodded. The line inched forward while he talked to her.
"Then we're in three courses together," he said. "That's swell!"
Afterward, as they sipped Cokes slowly in Mac's, he told her that his name was Charlie Edmonson.
It had grown cloudy while they were in Mac's, and now the rain started heavily on the roof and splashed down at the windows. "My car!" Mitch exclaimed. "The windows are down!"
They ran to the door and stood under the awning, watching the rain teem down. "Can't get to it in this," he said. "It'll be a quick one, anyway."
People in the streets dodged for shelter, and one boy rolled his pants up to his knees and tore off with a newspaper over his head.
"When it lets up," Mitch said, "maybe I can drop you off. What fraternity are you in?"
"Me?" Charlie pointed to himself, laughing. "I'm not a fraternity boy. That stuffs too fancy for an old Kansas farmer."
"Then you're an independent," Mitch said blankly, moving back from the awning where the leak was and the rain came through. She thought of the song they had sung at the Sig Delt house last night, the refrain humming distantly in her ears.
"He's a goddamn independent, He's a G.D.I.
Ignore! Ignore! Ignore the bas-tard!
Ditch the guy, The G.D.I."
"I think it's letting up,' ; he said. "Want to run for it?"
Chapter Four
It was Thursday, the week of the Tri Epsilon house-warming party, and the leaves on the trees along the streets of Cranston were the way they are in October. Mitch stood in the entrance to Jacob Hall, glancing nervously at her watch, moving up and down from the top step to the second step.
"Sorry, Sue," Charlie said when he arrived. "Professor Rudolph got talking after class and I couldn't get away from him.
"We haven't got time for a Coke. I have to get back to the house this afternoon."
They walked along the path to the street while Mitch explained that all pledges had to assist in decorating the house for the party on Saturday. As soon as she had said it, she felt a sudden surge of embarrassment sweep through her. It had been three weeks now that she had been going for Cokes after class with Charlie. He had asked her to go to a movie one Tuesday evening, but the Tri Epsilon pledge study-hall system had started, and pledges could not date on week nights.
"It's just sort of a housewarming," she said, hoping it sounded unimportant and dull. Charlie scuffed his feet near the end of the sidewalk where there was a space between the ground and the asphalt
"Could I walk you on home?"
"Certainly."
Kitten Clark passed them as they turned and she said hello to Mitch and looked at Charlie with a flat expression in her eyes. She had seen Mitch with him before, and she knew that he was an independent. His awkwardness, the plain, loose-fitting clothes, and the conspicuous absence of a fraternity pin pointed out the fact. As yet it was not a matter of concern to Tri Epsilon, because Mitch had not had a week-end date with him, or with anyone else since the trouble with Roberts. On Saturday she would emerge from the cocoon for the housewarming and the date with Bud. It was a complete enigma to Kitten why Roberts even bothered. Perhaps to save face, and more to prove that no girl could hit and run. Not him. She thought of the silverware that Mother Nessy had promised Tri Epsilon if they pledged Susan, and hoped they would have it in time for the buffet dinner on Saturday.
"How come you aren't driving?"
Mitch hardly heard his question after they had passed Kitten. She was thinking that Kitten would want to know who the boy was and what house he belonged to. She wondered vaguely what Jane Bell would say; if she would say that it was just as easy to have a Coke and walk home with a fraternity man after class, and that it was preferable.
"Independents aren't lepers," she had told the pledge class at their last meeting, "but fraternity men are preferable."
There were fraternity men in all of
The blond boy said, "Hot!"
Mitch nodded. The line inched forward while he talked to her.
"Then we're in three courses together," he said. "That's swell!"
Afterward, as they sipped Cokes slowly in Mac's, he told her that his name was Charlie Edmonson.
It had grown cloudy while they were in Mac's, and now the rain started heavily on the roof and splashed down at the windows. "My car!" Mitch exclaimed. "The windows are down!"
They ran to the door and stood under the awning, watching the rain teem down. "Can't get to it in this," he said. "It'll be a quick one, anyway."
People in the streets dodged for shelter, and one boy rolled his pants up to his knees and tore off with a newspaper over his head.
"When it lets up," Mitch said, "maybe I can drop you off. What fraternity are you in?"
"Me?" Charlie pointed to himself, laughing. "I'm not a fraternity boy. That stuffs too fancy for an old Kansas farmer."
"Then you're an independent," Mitch said blankly, moving back from the awning where the leak was and the rain came through. She thought of the song they had sung at the Sig Delt house last night, the refrain humming distantly in her ears.
"He's a goddamn independent, He's a G.D.I.
Ignore! Ignore! Ignore the bas-tard!
Ditch the guy, The G.D.I."
"I think it's letting up,' ; he said. "Want to run for it?"
Chapter Four
It was Thursday, the week of the Tri Epsilon house-warming party, and the leaves on the trees along the streets of Cranston were the way they are in October. Mitch stood in the entrance to Jacob Hall, glancing nervously at her watch, moving up and down from the top step to the second step.
"Sorry, Sue," Charlie said when he arrived. "Professor Rudolph got talking after class and I couldn't get away from him.
"We haven't got time for a Coke. I have to get back to the house this afternoon."
They walked along the path to the street while Mitch explained that all pledges had to assist in decorating the house for the party on Saturday. As soon as she had said it, she felt a sudden surge of embarrassment sweep through her. It had been three weeks now that she had been going for Cokes after class with Charlie. He had asked her to go to a movie one Tuesday evening, but the Tri Epsilon pledge study-hall system had started, and pledges could not date on week nights.
"It's just sort of a housewarming," she said, hoping it sounded unimportant and dull. Charlie scuffed his feet near the end of the sidewalk where there was a space between the ground and the asphalt
"Could I walk you on home?"
"Certainly."
Kitten Clark passed them as they turned and she said hello to Mitch and looked at Charlie with a flat expression in her eyes. She had seen Mitch with him before, and she knew that he was an independent. His awkwardness, the plain, loose-fitting clothes, and the conspicuous absence of a fraternity pin pointed out the fact. As yet it was not a matter of concern to Tri Epsilon, because Mitch had not had a week-end date with him, or with anyone else since the trouble with Roberts. On Saturday she would emerge from the cocoon for the housewarming and the date with Bud. It was a complete enigma to Kitten why Roberts even bothered. Perhaps to save face, and more to prove that no girl could hit and run. Not him. She thought of the silverware that Mother Nessy had promised Tri Epsilon if they pledged Susan, and hoped they would have it in time for the buffet dinner on Saturday.
"How come you aren't driving?"
Mitch hardly heard his question after they had passed Kitten. She was thinking that Kitten would want to know who the boy was and what house he belonged to. She wondered vaguely what Jane Bell would say; if she would say that it was just as easy to have a Coke and walk home with a fraternity man after class, and that it was preferable.
"Independents aren't lepers," she had told the pledge class at their last meeting, "but fraternity men are preferable."
There were fraternity men in all of
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