Intheolddaystherewereangelswhocameandtookmenbythehandandledthemawayfromthecityofdestruction。Weseenowhite-wingedangelsnow。Butyetmenareledawayfromthreateningdestruction:ahandisputintotheirs,whichleadsthemgentlyforthtowardacalmandbrightland,sothattheylooknomorebackward;andthehandmaybealittlechild\'s。
ThereisneitherEastnorWest,Border,norBreed,norBirth,Whentwostrongmenstandfacetoface,tho\'theycomefromtheendsoftheearth!
IThappenedbymerechancethattheSeptemberdayonwhichProfessorVincentBurgess,A。B。,fromBoston,firstenteredSunriseCollegeasinstructorinGreek,wasthesamedayonwhichVicBurleigh,overgrowncountryboyfromaKansasclaimoutbeyondtheWalnutRiver,signedupwiththesecretaryoftheCollegeBoardandpaidtheentrancefeeforhisfreshmanyear。
Andfurther,bychance,ithappenedthatthetwoyoungmenhadfirstmetatthegatewaytothecampus,onecomingfromtheEastandtheotherfromtheWest,andhavingexchangedthecourtesiesofstrangergreeting,theyhadwalked,sidebyside,upthelongavenuetothefootoftheslope。
Together,theyhadclimbedthebroadflightofstepsleadinguptotheimposingdoorwayofSunrise,withthegreatletterS
carvedinstonereliefaboveit;and,afterpausingamomenttotakeinthematchlesswonderofthelandscapeoverwhicholdSunrisekeepswatch,thecollegeportalhadswungopen,andthetwohadenteredatthesametime。
InsidethedoorwaytheProfessorandthecountryboywereimpressed,thoughindifferingdegrees,withthemassivebeautyoftherotundaoverwhichthestainedglassofthedomehangsahaloofmellowradiance。
Involuntarilytheyliftedtheireyestowardthiscrownoflightandsawfarabovethem,wroughtindaintycoloring,thedesignofthegreatStateSealofKansas,withitsinscriptionTheysawsomethingmoreinthatupwardglance。Onthestairwayoftherotunda,ElinorWream,thenieceofthepresidentofSunriseCollege,wasleaningoverthebalustrade,lookingatthemwithcuriouseyes。
HersmileofrecognitionasshecaughtsightofProfessorBurgess,gaveplacetoanexpressionofhalf-concealedridicule,assheglanceddownatVicBurleigh,thebig,heavy-bonedyoungfellow,sogrotesquelyimpossibletotheharmonyoftheplace。
Asthetwomendroppedtheireyes,theyencounteredtheupturnedfaceofaplainlydressedgirlcomingupthestairsfromthebasement,withabigfeatherdusterinherhand。
ItwasoldBondSaxon\'sdaughterDennie,whowasearninghertuitionbykeepingthelibraryandofficesinorder。
Asiftoevenmatters,itwasVicBurleighwhocaughtatokenofrecognitionnow,whiletheyoungProfessorwassurveyedwithfearlessdisapproval。
Allthistookonlyamomentoftime。Longafterwardthesetwomenknewthatinthatmomentanantagonismwasbornbetweenthemthatmustfightitselfoutthroughthelengthofdays。
Butnow,Dr。LloydFenneben,DeanofSunrise,knowntostudentsandalumnialikeas\"DeanFunnybone,\"wasgraspingeachman\'shandwithacordialgripandmeasuringeachwithakeenglancefrompiercingblackeyes,ashebadethemequalwelcome。
Andherealllikenessofconditionsendsforthesetwo。Dayscomeandgo,moonswaxandwane,seedtimeandharvest,coldandheat,summerandwinterglidefourfoldthroughtheirappointedseasons,beforethetwoyoungmenstandsidebysideonacommonlevelagain。
Andtheeventsofthesechangingseasonsringinsorapidly,andinsoinevitableafashion,thatthewholecyclerunslikearealstoryalongthepage。
STRIFE
_Withthefirstfaintnoteoutofdistanceflung,FromthemomentmanhearsthesirencallOfVictory\'sbugle,whichsoundsforall,TohisinnerselfthepromiseismadeTowearynot,restnot,butallunafraidPresson——tillforhimthepaeanbesung。
Thesongforthevictorissweet,issweet——
YettothemusicamemoryclingsOftramplednestlings,ofbrokenwings,Andoffaceswhitewithdefeat!_——
ELIZABETHD。PRESTON
CHAPTERI
\"DEANFUNNYBONE\"
_Naturetheysay,dothdote,AndcannotmakeamanSaveonsomeworn-outplan,Repeatingusbyrote:
ForhimherOld-Worldmouldsasideshethrew,……
Withstuffuntainted,shapedaheronew_——LOWELL
DR。LLOYDFENNEBEN,DeanofSunriseCollege,hadmigratedtotheWalnutValleywiththefoundingoftheschoolhere。
Infact,hehadbroughtthecollegewithhimwhenhecamehither,andhadsetit,asalightnottobehidden,onthecrestofthathighridgethatrunseastofthelittletownofLagondaLedge。Andthetowneagerlytookthenewschooltoitself;atonceitsprideandprofit。
Yea,thetownrisesandsetswithSunrise。Whenthefirstgleamofmorning,hiddenbytheeastridgefromtheWalnutValley,glintsredlyfromthesouthwindowsofthecollegedomeinthewintertime,andfromthenorthwindowsinthesummertime,thetownbestirs;itself,andthefactorywhistlesblow。
AndwhenthelastcrimsongloryofeveningputsahaloofflameaboutthebrowofSunrise,thepeopleknowthatoutbeyondtheWalnutRiverthedayispassing,andthepearl-graymantleoftwilightisdeepeningtovelvetydarknessonthewide,quietprairielands。
LagondaLedgewasabetterplaceafterthecollegesettledpermanentlyaboveit。Someimprovidentcitizenstookanewholdonlife,whilesomeundesirableswhohadlivedinlawlessinfamyskulkedacrosstheWalnutanddisappearedinthatroughpicturesqueregionfullofuncertaintiesthatliesbehindthewestbluffsofthestream。
Allthis,afterthecollegehadfoundanabidingplaceonthelimestoneridge。ForSunrisehadbeenamigratorybirdbeforereachingtheoutskirtsofLagondaLedge。Asafulfillmentofprophecy,ithadarisenfromthevisionsandpocketsofsomeBostonscholars,andithadcometotheWestandwasmadeflesh——orstone——anddweltamongmenontheoutskirtsofaboomingyoungKansastown。
LloydFennebenwasjustoutofHarvardwhenDr。JoshuaWream,hisstep-brother,manyyearshissenior,professorofallthedeadlanguageseverleftunburied,hadputaconsiderablefortuneintohishands,andintohisbrainthedreamofalife-work——
eventhebuildingofagreatuniversityintheWest。FortheWreamswereastubborn,self-willed,bookishbreed,whoheldthatsalvationofsoulscouldcomeonlythroughpossessionofacollegediploma。
YoungFennebenhadcometoKansaswithallhisyouthandhealthandmoney,withhighidealsandcultureandambitionforsuccessanddreamsofhonor——and,hiddendeepdown,thememoryofsomesortofloveaffair,butthatwashisownbusiness。
WiththisdreamofanewHarvardonthewesternprairies,hehadburnedhisbridgesbehindhim,andinanunbusiness-likeway,relyingtoomuchuponaboardoftrusteeswhomhehadinterestedinhisplanshehadeagerlybegunhistask,strugglingtoadapttheWesttohisuniversitymodel,measuringallmenandmeansbythescholarlyruleofhisAlmaMater。Beingayoungman,hetookhimselffullseriously,anditwasatremendousblowtohissenseofdignitywhentheyouthfulJayhawkersattheoutsetdubbedhim\"DeanFunnybone\"——anamehewasnevertolose。
Hiscollegeflourishedsoamazinglythatanotherboomtown,fartherinland,cameacrosstheprairieoneday,andbeforetheeyesoftheyoungdeanboughtitofthemoney-lovingtrustees——
bodyandsoulanddean——andpackeditoffasthePlainsIndianswouldcarryoffawhitecaptive,milesawaytothewestward。
Plumpeddowninabigframebarracksinthepublicsquareoftwentyacresinthemiddleofthisnewtown,atoncerealestatedealersadvertisedtheplaceastheliterarycenterofKansas;
whilelotsinstragglingadditionsfarawayacrosstheprairiedrawswereboomedas\"collegeflatswithinwalkingdistanceoftheuniversity。”
InthisnewsettingLloydFennebenstartedagaintobuildupwhathadbeensorecklesslytorndown。Butitwasslowdoing,andinadowncasthourtheheadoftheboardoftrusteestookcouncilwiththeyoungdean。
\"Funnybone,that\'swhattheboyscallyou,ain\'tit?\"
Thenamehadcomealongovertheprairiewiththeschool。
\"Funnybone,youareaslikelyamanaseverescapedfromBoston。Butyou\'renevergoingtobuildtheEastintotheWest,nomore\'nyoucouldramtheWestintotheAtlanticseaboardstates。
MyadvicetoyouistogetyourselfintotheWestforgoodanddropyourhigherlearnin\'notions,andbeoneofus,orbeatitbacktowhereyoucamefromquick。”
DeanFennebenlistenedasamanwhohearsthereadingofhisownobituary。
\"You\'vecomeouttoKansaswithbeautifuldreams,\"theblufftrusteecontinued。\"Drop\'em!You\'retoolatefortheNewEnglandpioneerswhocomeWest。They\'vehadtheirdayandpassedon。
Thethingforyoutodoistocommercializeyourselfrightaway。
Gotobuyin\'andsellin\'dirt。It\'sallamancandoforKansasnow。
Justboomherrealestate。”
\"AllamancandoforKansas!\"Fennebenrepeatedslowly。
\"Sure,andI\'lltellyousomethingmore。Thistownisbusted,absolutelybusted。I,andafewothers,broughtthiscollegehereasaninvestmentforourselves。
Itain\'tpaidus,andwe\'vethrowedthethingover。
I\'vejustclosedadealwithaNewJerseysyndicatethatgetsmeridofeveryfootofgroundIownhere。Thecounty-seat\'sgoin\'
tobeeighteenmilessouth,anditwillbekingdomcome,a\'most,beforetherailroadextensionisanynearer\'nthat。
Letyouruniversitygo,andcomewithme。Icanmakeyourichinsixmonths。Insixweeksthecoyoteswillbehowlin\'
throughyourcollegehalls,andtheprairiedogslayin\'
outatownsiteonthecampus,andtherattlesnakescoilin\'
roundthedoorsteps。Willyoucome,Funnybone?\"
Thetrusteewaitedforananswer。Whilehewaited,thesouloftheyoungdeanfounditself。
\"Funnybone!\"Lloydrepeated。\"Iguessthat\'sjustwhatIneed——
afunnyboneinmyanatomytohelpmetoseethehumorofthisthing。
Gowithyouandgiveupmycollege?Builduptheprosperityofacommonwealthbystarvingitsmind!No,no;I\'llgoonwiththethingIcameheretodo——
sohelpmeGod!\"
\"You\'llsoongotothedevil,youandyouroldschool。
Good-by!\"Andthetrusteelefthim。
Amonthlater,DeanFennebensataloneinhisuniversitybarracksandsawtheprairiedogsmakingthedustflyastheydiggedaboutwhathadbeenintendedforaflowerbedonthecampus。Thenhepackeduphismeagerlibraryandothercollegeequipmentsandwalkedtenmilesacrosstheplainstohireamanwithateamtohaulthemaway。
Theteamsterhadmuchadotodrivehishalf-bridle-wiseIndianponiesnearenoughtotheuniversitydoorwaytoloadhiswagon。
Beforethethresholdahugerattlesnakelaycoiled,alreadydisputinganyhumanclaimtothiskingdomofthewild。
DiscouragingasallthismusthavebeentoFenneben,whenhestartedawayfromthedesertedtownhesmiledjoyouslyasamanwhoseeshisroadfairbeforehim。
\"ImightgobacktoCambridgeandpokeaboutafterthedeadlanguagesuntilmybrotherpasseson,andthendropintohischairintheuniversity,\"hesaidtohimself,\"butthetrusteewasright。
IcanneverbuildtheEastintotheWest。ButIcanlearnfromtheEasthowtobringtheWestintoitsownkingdom。Icanmakethedeadlanguagesservemethebettertospeakthelivingwordshere。
AndifIcandothat,ImayearnaMaster\'sDegreefrommyAlmaMaterwithoutthewritingofalearnedthesistoclinchit。
ButwhetherIwinhonororIamforgotten,thisshallbemylife-work——
outontheseKansasprairies,totillasoilthatshallgrowMENANDWOMEN。”
ForthenextthreeyearsDeanFennebenandhiscollegeflourishedonthebordersofalittlefrontiertown,ifthatcanbecalledflourishingwhichusesuptime,andmoney,andenergy,Christianpatience,anddoggedpersistence。
ThenanAugustprairiefire,sweepingupfromthesouthwest,leapedthenarrowfire-guardabouttheonebuildingandburnedupeverythingthere,exceptDeanFenneben。Sixyears,andnothingtoshowforhisworkontheoutside。Inside,thesixyears\'
stayinKansashadseenthemakingoverofascholarlydreamerintoahard-headed,far-seeing,masterfulman,whotooktheWestashefoundit,butdidnotleaveitso。Nothe!
Allthepowerofhigherlearninghestillheldsupreme。
Butbydaysofhardworkinthecollegehalls,andnightsofmeditationoutinthesilentsanctuaryspacesoftheprairiesroundabouthim,hehadbeenlearninghowtocomputetheneedsofmenastheangelwiththegoldenreedcomputedthewallsandgatesoftheNewJerusalem——_*accordingtothemeasureofaman_。
SuchwasDeanFennebenwhocameaftersixyearsofservicetothelittletownofLagondaLedgetoplantSunriseonthecrestabovetheWalnutValleybeyondreachofprairiefireorburstingboom。
Firmsetasthelimestoneofitsfoundations,herearedhereacollegethatshouldlive,forthatitsbuilderhimselfwithhisfeetonthegroundandhisfacetowardthelighthadlearnedthesecretofliving。
Milesawayacrossthevalley,thedomeofSunrisecouldbeseenbyday。
Bynight,theoldcollegelanternatfirst,andlaterthestuddingofelectriclights,madeabeaconforalltheopencountryside。
Butifthewayfarer,bychanceorchoice,turnedhisfootstepstothoserockybluffsandglensbeyondtheWalnutRiver,wherefromthetownofLagondaLedgetakesitsname,helosttheguidingrayfromthehilltopandgropedinblackanddangerouswayswheredarknessrules。
AbovethesouthturrethungtheSunrisebell,whoseresonantvoicefilledthewholevalley,andwhatthesightofSunrisefailedtodoforLagondaLedge,thesoundofthebellaccomplished。
Thefirstclasstoentertheschoolnicknameditshead\"DeanFunnybone,\"butthisgavehimnoshockanymore。
Hehadlearnedthehumoroflifenow,thespiritoftheopenlandwheretheviewisbroadtobroadeningsouls。
AnditwastothehandofDeanFennebenthatProfessorVincentBurgess,A。B。,GreekinstructorfromBoston,andVicBurleigh,thebigcountryboyfromaclaimbeyondtheWalnut,cameonaSeptemberday;albeit,theonehadhisheadintheclouds,whiletheother\'sfeetwerecloggedwiththegrassroots。
CHAPTERII
POTTER\'SCLAY
_Thisclay,wellmixedwithmarlandsand,Followsthemotionofmyhand,Forsomemustfollowandsomecommand,Thoughallaremadeofclay_——
LONGFELLOW
THEafternoonsunshinewasfloodingtheSeptemberlandscapewithmoltengold,fillingthevalleywithintenseheat,andripplingbackinwarmwavesfromthecrestoftheridge。
DeanFenneben\'sstudyinthesouthtowerofSunriselookedoutonthenewheavenandthenewearth,everyday-dawncreatedafreshforhiseyes;fortruly,theWalnutValleyinanymoodneedsonlyeyesthatseetobecalledagoodlyland。
Anditwasbecauseofthemagnificentvista,unfoldinginwoodland,andwindingriver,andfertilefield,andfargoldenprairie——
itwasbecauseoftheunconsciouspowerofallthisuponthestudentmind,thatDr。Fennebenhadsethiscollegeuphere。
OnthisSeptemberafternoon,theDeansatlookingoutonthislandofpuredelighta-quiverinthelatesummersunshine。
NaturehaddonewellbyLloydFenneben。Hisheightwascommanding,andhewasslender,ratherthanheavy,witheaseofmovementasiftheplayofeverymusclewasnervedtoharmony。
Hisheavyblackhairwaswornatriflelongontheupperpartofhisheadandfellinmassesabovehisforehead。
Hiseyeswereblackandkeenunderheavyblackbrows。
Everyfeaturewasstrongandmassive,butsavedfromsternnessbyagenialkindlinessandsenseofhumor。
Whoevercameintohispresencefeltthatmagneticpoweronlyakingofhiskindcanpossess。
LongtheDeansatgazingatthegleaminglandscapeandthesleepytownbeyondthecampusandthepigeonscirclinggracefullyabovealittlecottage,hiddenbytrees,uptheriver。
\"Awonderfulregion!\"hemurmured。\"Ifthatoldwhite-hairedbrotherofminediggingabouttherootsofGreekandSanscritbackinHarvardcouldonlyseeallthis,maybehemightunderstandwhyIchoosetostayherewithmycollegeinsteadoftyingupwithauniversitybackEast。But,maybenot。
Weareonlystep-brothers。Heisoldenoughtobemyfather,andwithallhisknowledgeofbookshecouldneverreadmen。However,hesentmeWestwithafatpocketbookintheinterestofhighereducation。
IhopeI\'veinvestedwell。Andourmagnificentgroupofbuildingsuphereandourbroad-acredcampus,togetherwithoursplendidenrollmentofstudentsjustifymyhope。Strange,IhaveneverknownwhosemoneyIwasusing。
NotJoshuaWream\'s,Iknowthat。MoneyisnothingtotheWreamsexceptasitendowslibraries,buildscolleges,andextendsuniversities。
Tooscholarlyfortheseprairies,allofthem!Tooscholarly!\"
TheDean\'seyeswerefixedonatinyshaftofbluesmokerisingsteadilyfromtheroughcountryinthevalleybeyondLagondaLedge,buthismindwasstillonhisbrother。
\"Dr。JoshuaWream,D。D。,Litt。D。,LL。D。,etc。!Hehastakenallthedegreesconferable,exceptthedegreeofhumaninsight。”Somethingbehindthestrongfacesentalineofpathosintoitwiththethought。
\"Hehaspiledupenoughformetolookafterthisfall,anyhow。
Itwasbadenoughforthatnieceofourstobeleftapennilessorphanwithonlythetwounclestolookafterherandbothofusbachelors。
Andnow,afterhehasbeenshapingElinorWream\'slifeuntilsheisreadyforcollege,hesendsheroutheretome,franklydeclaringthatsheistoomuchforhim。Shealwayswas。”
Heturnedtoaletterlyingonthetablebesidehim,asmileplayingaboutthefrownonhiscountenance。
\"HehopesIcandobetterbyElinorthanhehasbeenabletodo,becausehe\'sneverhadawifenorchildtoteachhim,\"hecontinued,givingwordtohisthought。\"Afinetimeformetobegin!
Nowifenorchildhasevertaughtmeanything。Hesayssheisagoodgirl,abeautifulgirlwithonlytwogreatfaults。Onlytwo!
She\'slucky。`One\'\"——Fennebenglancedmorecloselyattheletter——\"
`isherself-will。\'IneverknewaWreamthatdidn\'thavethatfault。
`Andtheother\'\"——thefrowndrovebackthesmilenow——\"`ishernotionofwealth。Nobodybutarichmancouldeverwinherhand。\'
Shewhohasbeensimplyreared,withalltheWreamcreedthathighereducationisthefinalendofman,issetwithaWream-likefirmnessinherhatredofpoverty,hereagernessforrichesandluxury。
AndtoaddtoallthisresponsibilityhemustsendmehispetGreekscholar,VincentBurgess,totryoutasaprofessorinSunrise。ABurgess,ofallmenintheworld,tobesenttome!OfcoursethisyoungmanknowsnothingofmyaffairsbutismybrothertoooldandtooscholarlytorememberwhatI\'vetriedathousandtimestoforget?
Ithoughttheoldwoundhadhealedbythistime。”
Awaveofsadnesssweptthestrongman\'sface。\"I\'veaskedBurgesstocomeupatthree。Imustfindoutwhatmaterialissenthereformyshaping。
Itisapresident\'sbusinesstoshapewell,andImustdomybest,Godhelpme!\"
AshadowdarkenedLloydFenneben\'sface,andhisblackeyesheldastrangelight。HestaredvacantlyatthelandscapeuntilhesuddenlynotedtheslenderwaveringpillarofsmokebeyondtheWalnut。
\"Therearenohousesinthoseglensandhiddenplaces,\"hethought。
\"Iwonderwhatfireisunderthatsmokeonadaylikethis。
Itisafarcryfromthetopofthisridgetothebottomofthathalf-tamedregiondownthere。Onemayseeintothreecountieshere,butitisroughtravelingacrosstheriverbyday,andworsebynight。”
ThebellabovethesouthturretchimedthehourofthreeasVincentBurgessenteredthestudy。
\"Takethisseatbythewindow,\"Dr。Fennebensaidwithagenialsmileandahandclaspworthremembering。\"YoucanseeanEmpirefromthispoint,ifyoucaretolookout。”
VincentBurgesssatateaseinanypresence。Hehadthefaceofascholar,andthemannersofagentleman。Buthegavenosignthathecaredtoviewtheempirethatlaybeyondthewindow。
\"Wearetobeco-workersforsometime,Burgess。MayIaskyouwhyyouchosetocometoKansas?\"
Fennebencamestraighttothepurposeoftheinterview。
Thiskeen-eyed,business-likemanseemedtoBurgessveryunlikeoldDr。Wream,whomeverybodyatHarvardlovedandanybodycoulddeceive。
Buttothedirectquestionheanswereddirectlyandconcisely。
\"Icametostudytypes,toacquiregeographicalbreadth,tohaveseclusion,thatImaypursuemoreprofoundresearch。”
TherewasaplayoflightinDr。Fenneben\'seyes。
\"YoumustjudgeforyourselfofthevalueofSunriseandLagondaLedgeforseclusion。Butwemakeaspecialtyofgeographicalbreadthouthere。
Astotypes,theyassayfairlywelltotheton,theseJayhawkersdo。”
\"WhatareJayhawkers,Doctor?\"Burgessqueried。
\"Yonderisonespecimen,\"Fennebenanswered,pointingtowardthewindow。
VincentBurgess,lookingout,sawVicBurleighleapingupthebroadstepsfromthelevelcampus,agiantfellow,fullysixfeettall。
Theswingofstrength,voidofgrace,wasinhismotion。
Hisfacewasgypsy-brownunderacropofsunburnedauburnhair。
Astiffnewderbyhatwassetbashfullyonaheadsetunabashedonbroadshoulders。Thestore-markoftheready-madewasonhisclothing,anditwasclearthathewaslessaccustomedtocutstonestepsthantospringingprairiesod。
Clearlyhewasarealproductofthesoil。
\"Why,thatistheyoungbumpkinIcameinwiththismorning。
IthoughtIwasstridingalongsideanelephantinbulkandwildhorseinspeed,\"Burgesssaidwithasmile。
\"Youwillhaveashareintaminghim,doubtless,\"Dr。Fennebenreplied。
\"Helookshardlybridle-wiseyet。Enterhimamongyourtypes。
Ididn\'tgethisnamethismorning,butheinterestedmeatonce,asafellowofgoodbloodifnotofgoodmanners,andIhaveaskedhimtocomeinherelater。Someboysmustbemetontheverythresholdofacollegeiftheyaretorunsafelyalongthefouryears。”
\"HisnameisBurleigh,VictorBurleigh。Irememberitbecauseitisnotanewnametome。Picturehiminacapandgownathomeinalibrary,orstandinguptoreceiveaMaster\'sDegreefromauniversity!
Hiskindleaveaboutthemiddleofthesecondsemesterandreverttothesoil,don\'tthey?\"
Burgesslaughedpleasantly,andleanedforwardtogetonemorelookatthecountryboy,disappearingbehindagroupofevergreensinthenorthangleofthebuilding。
\"Theydonotalwaysleavesosoonasthat。Youcan\'ttellthegradeoftimbereverytimebythebarkoutside。”
TherewasadeepertoneinDr。Fenneben\'svoicenow。
\"Butastoyourself,youhadamotiveincomingtoKansas,Ijudge。
Youcanstudytypesanywhere。”
Whethertheyoungmanlikedthisornot,heansweredevenly:
\"IamtogiveinstructioninGreekhereatLagondaLedge。Beastlyname,isn\'tit?Suggestiveofrattlesnakes,somehow!Ishallspendmuchtimeinstudy,forIampreparingacomprehensivethesisformyMaster\'sDegree。Theverybarrennessofthesedullprairieswillkeepmeclosetomylibraryforacoupleofyears。”
\"Oh,youwilldoyourworkwellanywhere,\"Dr。Fennebendeclared。
\"Youneednotputwallsofdistancesaboutyouforthat。
Ithoughtyoumighthaveamoredefinitepurposeinchoosingthisstate,ofallplaces。”
Fenneben\'smindwasrunningbacktothedaysofhisownfirststruggleforexistenceintheWest,andhisheartwentoutinsympathytotheundisciplinedyoungprofessor。
\"Ihaveareason,butitisentirelyapersonalmatter。”
Burgesswaslookingatthefloornow。\"DidyouknowIhadasisteronce?\"
\"Yes,Iknow,\"Dr。Fennebensaid。
\"ShewasmarriedandcametoKansas。ThatwasafteryouleftCambridge,Isuppose。Sheandherhusbandarebothdead,leavingnochildren。Myfatherwasbitterlyopposedtohercomingouthere,andneverforgaveherforit。
Hediedrecently,makingmehisheir。I\'vealwaysthoughtI\'dliketoseethestatewheremysisterlived。Shediedyoung。
Shecouldnothavebeenasoldasyouare,andyouareayoungmanyet,Doctor。Inaddition,myfatherleftinmycaresometrustfundsforaclaimantwhoalsolivedinKansas。Heisdeadnow,butIwanttofindoutsomethingmoredefiniteconcerninghim。
Outsideofthis,Ihopetodowellhereandtosucceedtohigherplaceselsewhere,soon。Allthispersonaltomyself,andworthy,Ihope。”
HelookedatFenneben,whowasleaningforwardwithhiselbowonthetableandhisheadbowed。Hisfacewashiddenandhiswhitefingerswerethrustthroughtheheavymassesofblackhair。
\"Youwillfindagreatfieldhereinwhichtoworkoutyoursuccess,\"
theDeansaidatlength。\"ButImustgiveawordofwarning。
Itriedoncetoreproducetheeasternuniversityhere。
Ilearnedbetter。IfKansasistobeyourtrainingground,mayIsaythatthemanwhoopenshisfrontdoorforthefirsttimeonthegreenprairiesoftheWesthasnolesstolearnthanthemanwhofirstpitcheshistentbesidetheblueAtlantic?Don\'tsayIdidn\'tshowyouwheretofindtheblazedtrailifyougetlostfromitforalittlewhile。”
Dr。Fenneben\'sfacewascharmingwhenhesmiled。
\"OneotherthingImaymention。Youknowmyniece,Elinor?I\'vebeenoutheresolong,Imayneedyourhelpinmakingherfeelathomeatfirst。”
TherewasanewlightinBurgess\'seyesatthementionofElinorWream\'sname。
\"Oh,yes,IknowMissElinorverywell。Ishallneedhermoretomakemefeelathomethanshewillneedme。”
Somehowtheanswerwasatrifletooquickandsmoothtoringright。
Dr。Fennebenforgotitinaninstant,however,forElinorWreamherselfcamesuddenlyintotheroom,atall,slendergirl,withafacesofullofsunshinycharmthatnogreatdefectofcharacterhadyetmadeitsmarkthere。
\"Ibegyourpardon,UncleLloyd;Ithoughtyouwerealone。Howdoyoudo,ProfessorBurgess。”Shecameforwardsmilinglyandofferedherhand。
\"MakesmehomesickforoldCambridgeandUncleJoshuawhenIseeyou。
IwanttogodowntoLagondaLedge,andIdon\'tknowthestreetsatall。
Don\'tyouwanttoshowmetheway?\"
\"Can\'tyouwaitformetodothat,Norrie?Ihaveonlyonemoreengagementfortheafternoon,andMissSaxonwillbewantingtodustinheresoon。”
Dr。Fennebenlookedfondlyathisniece,amantomakeothermenjealous,ifoccasionoffered。
\"Pleasedon\'t,MissElinor,\"VincentBurgessurged。
\"IshallbedelightedtoexploredarkestKansaswithyouatanytime。”
\"Thereisnomistakingthatlookinaman\'seyes,\"Dr。Fennebenthoughtashewatchedthetwopassthroughtherotundaandoutofthegreatfrontdoor。\"IhaveguessedJoshua\'splaneasilyenough,butI\'veonlyhalfguessedhimout。Whydidhementionhismoneymatterstome?
ThereisenoughmeritinhimworththeshapingSunrisewillgivehim,however,andImustdoaman\'spart,anyhow。AsforElinor,there\'saready-mademissionaryfieldinher,soJoshuawarnsme。