THE COLLEGE AND THE CIRCUS
make a raid on the college campus? No; they were minding their own business. We began it."
"And we'll end it," cried the voice from the corner, boldly now.
"Shut up!" cried Stehman angrily; "I have the floor!" Now the bull was stirred up. "You fellows are acting like a lot of kids; you're hot-headed; you're rattled; you make me tired!" The bull was roaring now. But a bull is not of much use in a situation somewhat more delicate than a china shop. In order to make hot-headed kids do as you want them to do, you should tell them anything but that they are kids and hot-headed. A loud, sneering voice now came from the far corner, "Oh h—l!" was what it said.
It was the first hostile tone directed toward Stehman, publicly, since his greatness began, and it paralyzed him. He was too astonished and rattled to be angry now. He looked about the room confusedly and sat down, defeated.
For a moment there was that same thick
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