Zane Grey

The Young Pitcher Zane Grey

The shock of that battle, more than the bruising he had received, confined Ken to his room for a week. When he emerged it was to find he was a marked man; marked by the freshmen with a great and friendlydistinction; by the sophomores for revenge. If it had not been for the loss of his baseball hopes, hewould have welcomed the chance to become popular with his classmates. But for him it was not pleasantto be reminded that he had "slugged" the Sophs' most honored member. It took only two or three meetings with the revengeful sophomores to teach Ken that discretion was thebetter part of valor. He learned that the sophomores of all departments were looking for him with deadlyintent. So far luck had enabled him to escape all but a wordy bullying. Ken became an expert at dodging. He gave the corridors and campus a wide berth. He relinquished his desire to live in one of thedormitories, and rented a room out in the city. He timed his arrival at the university and his departure. His movements were governed entirely by painfully acquired knowledge of the whereabouts of hisenemies. So for weeks Ken Ward lived like a recluse. He was not one with his college mates. He felt that he wasnot the only freshman who had gotten a bad start in college. Sometimes when he sat near a sad-facedclassmate, he knew instinctively that here was a fellow equally in need of friendship. Still these freshmenwere as backward as he was, and nothing ever came of such feelings. The days flew by and the weeks made months, and all Ken did was attend lectures and study. He readeverything he could find in the library that had any bearing on forestry. He mastered his text-booksbefore the Christmas holidays. About the vacation he had long been undecided; at length he made up hismind not to go home. It was a hard decision to reach. But his college life so far had been adisappointment; he was bitter about it, and he did not want his father to know. Judge Ward was agraduate of the university. Often and long he had talked to Ken about university life, the lasting benefitof associations and friendships. He would probably think that his son had barred himself out by somereckless or foolish act. Ken was not sure what was to blame; he knew he had fallen in his ownestimation, and that the less he thought of himself the more he hated the Sophs.