Show av the sophomore joke by JANE OSBORN copyright id it lau 1516 by th the mcclure ci or nejapa let per bynde syndicate at th the im sophomore phone r el class balloting arter ter t the students dt b bid it ahr rither easily dtp dap disposed a sed of such quell questions as an V ho he I 1 la the prettiest girl I 1 in tile the class who is if the best football player what is your 7 a or fare favorite lie color I 1 and what Is the oil be ade ill ht t of your ambition tin question aho A vho he la Is the popular professor in college liebes lie ses was a out not a so camall easily di dismissed aimed there me were several possible bandl Z slates dates but no one an stood stand in the light of decided majority or th then one a of the students sti olow got up in class meeting and grat ioup do with a gracious flourish arih cried 1 I pream propose am prof reginald revealed raymond as the if ollor most anost pop popular member be of t the 1 1 fit faculty city and amid ill deafening foring pral peals 4 tt of laugh langh ter from the members of the class ft a cn hours of second the motion arose and then abets aye tin till the presidents gavel had bad to bring order it was woo regarded n as a capital joke jok an up uproariously Y funny jol joke perhaps no one in the world understands the richness of this particular sort art bof humor so well veil ss as a young american unde undergraduate deals and a sophomore at but from the sop sophomore lumeno point ot of view it we aa something very much to lie be laughed at t that tbt the professor who anent because of at certain t traits tite ite or of itle absent tritt inattention preoccupation and a ansich b priestly actually we was the most unpopular man in the faculty should he have this fact gently brought home to him ji im by seeing his name blazoned forth in call ge as yearbook and periodical and ad announced before all 11 the world at class clam day and ad whispered beat about by p professors rule r and professors as 1 the most meet popular man on apparently c ITT let fram the peals of laughter an or that accompanied the testing casting of the unanimous arous ballot in favor of professor raimond railroad cc every member of the class appreciated the loke joke but when bon ruth Ro rodney dreel the astary decre of the class and as the only wil cor ot of be her r sex BOX in the class generally u greed agreed to be the most meet popular girl in its number rose to read the result of the balloting and ca came to the vote that me mentioned tinned profit professor r R beomond orld there was a look a of bitter amen resentment talent in her express expression lax and from beneath he her lowered eyes she shot a look that wm was not one of Mi kindness edness at the stu dent la in the front tow row who had proposed the lost jest what wh t we w th the matter mathso ruth one me of fit tile girls asked adred her after dais chim meeting you looked daggers at steve stere did yon yen want some same one else to get the tote every one 11 know its a joke sav w wont const reggie boggle snort when he heirs of it e s of course professor esol will ke he offended said it ruth shortly but I 1 flon don t bee to that there Is anything so funny about th that at after all he done anything so very dreadful to our class except to try od and din a little philosophy into our unsophisticated sophisticated hed it I 1 I 1 his fault if college faculties facilities or are still III whites obtuse enough to think that philosophy to he be a 1 compulsory leory sophomore subject IB it ft and it not his hia fault if he hea absent minded in it sea nud like violet hes and if bla bia ey eyes a are so sin s eltive that he he has to t a have the shades drawn in his class clam room re 1 Is it IP ton know knew yourself he hes a a mcf irb ruth win was it lier caution companion flim s conclusion an lose IT really to for mv 1 part 1 think 7 1 I Is a be beautiful joke ion im just crazy for far tomorrows philosophy lec lecture lecours to dee bee how land he Is about its it r put at tile next best morning a surprise we was tn in t tore re for the sophomore coom net nat a rally crough enot iRli P professor f see had bad heard of tile polling tor far are absent an minded n did 1 professors fowers sors usually sea it Y 11 do let alie a he lively el interest 1 in matters of that sort hou m instead of show it hia I 1 annoyance abe he I 1 m appeared in his bis class clam room with an lamented smile upon his face with will not that began the second joke johe or as the students soon thought the bet best joke of all j the poor rrb erah knew be h Is being ing kidd kidded edlo 1 whimpered one sophomore pho in the front row to another and ate after r there them ere groups of stu to desire dents still to anh other how bow In intensely tunny funny the situation was now that poor poll pleggie believed he 11 actually we was I 1 the is to most popular legal man in college that been tile the standing joke of I 1 ili the do mothers ili and eli fathers blell and younger er patera and broth ers ere wile when n they eme came to in visit their at aril bordat had bad the near sighted r hot a always I 1 inyl wore were a iolet locut week ne clitie pointed ot 1 as it the dd deluded it creature a a alio ho really thought though he be als as wt with the I 1 he student and van even staid roen ibern at of the a faculty had bad it ft ZIA little in tun with i uch bell other at poor bug it expense P ruth till sini re no joke in the iran tion a to in tact fact the very tur serenity culty of the professor made it bet a r feel the insult that her close claa had bad lumped heaped upon him the more are it was in pity then and in HB be effort to s show how her 1 classmates that she did an not join them in a their p practical joking that she lie made it A point to linger occasionally am lilt after clues class on some em or other to talk to him she n anted I 1 h he at jenta it to nee me itom it and site she felt torta actual 1 I p pleasure ca in he having the or overtake or b her on alie the compia ilk taky long toni walks walk with till ill him ahr 11 tb taj loads ad that led oft off into the country jut juht imagine how mortified lie he will fecil w ch tie he finds out that it has hero bean lust a li it le auth told her classmates class clam matea mate uit 11 uni 1 11 L ill ilic laai how 1 linua lopeck dirhem thorn for the th holc 1 nesa iino tate she was a by the lh it riga tim hiis lilt hat Up gle was nna to toe ii ne 0 tied find out a it me ana ill knonk the that an fn faculty gathar ings reference raw was made to our popular PI professor f ser and ad on mill buh a occasions tue F fr r ray baymond end always Z liea a ined his utter action thol much to it the is amusement ot of the other ethic members member of the family faculty I 1 in rora these hoie long hout walks developed friends friendship its and from rom friendship d dependence pen per dence ideres and then love loe and before spring come ruth and professor sem emruth Relve send were engaged and when hen ca col bg lege e opened ed the next year they were riepe new married bod ad nicely established 1 in on one of the us new brick terraced little eat cot tases logo on the ex campus with im an at home to the students every week old and special supper and kisul on an fleat frequent at occasions to the cleel class to which ruth anth hod had bel belonged raged the class clam which tied lind paid the renowned honor to pro tensor s red re d first it we was noticed that the professor ft may I 1 left eft off purple week neckties weeklies ties and chose 1 in their those them of to brown and dork dark blue led and I 1 gr ll iv tie to must most he have consulted a new oe oculist eliet for before long he be never bothered with hiving hiring the shades hadre in life his class dhawn then the students began to notice that when he be pa passed it them on th campus instead of shuffling by them with the 1 look 1011 ot of Dinge ites 1 la search h ot of an ht honest mon man he always met them with a cordial adial smile and sometimes found pretext littlest to stop step them and pass the time of due with them at hia big home heme were really the most meet successful at homes on cou the coup campus an to be sure are ruth euth a 8 delicious sandwiches ad mb and the chocolate lat topped with will whipped enslen may my have been the at traction but it wis 9 not onla the stu deals wl aho vho at attended pact parties ca 1 in general only for the eatn w who he made ads a point of attending the linand lin and at be homes professor is somehow machow seemed to get a laugh out at of 1 ties the most at self r conscious and ad okd awkward of his at shi dent guests anil lb lie seemed to milese that once you lave 1 made ads it student laugh hung h with you you yoi have convinced him th thit to vou and he be or anre 0 on a fi friendly footing and ad not at separated by thir the chrism he that lies between faculty and student boda another toomer summer passed and ad wh when the mie el claw to hah ruth had be belonged onge 11 returned to their metal ye ur ir there we waa another balloting the results plainly showed that students ahn change a ge in some ways from sophomores sophomore to senior I 1 r year the fhe honors of pulchritude had p passed ned from the sophomore plemer belle bell to another other girl rl atho he had not even be been noticed two years tests before the favorite color ans now new cri crimson instead of violet and ad ther here were more am students student ft hose ham ambition III lie now how waa to be become st a millionaire than in th the year when the vote tote of tile the class went 1 in favor of writing a ralle erniece of literature I 1 but again the vote to for popularity went at to protestor professor raymond on this occasion however there them were no peals of laughter w when hen the unanimous ballot was cast on the contrary there them w was a sair solemn rion almost contrite cpin expression a on the flex of the students as they voted end and a formal letter tilling telling the professor of his him election was wad sent to him together with I 1 th the announcement that he had be afen elected elef fred bell honorary m member of the class when mr the prior professor or opened the letter to ruth ana a sitting b bide beside ide hi him in his study and it there were tears of bappe happiness c in her or eyes as ad she read the announcement a no or t it contained si 1 I knew the they would re elect von she said laid with an effort at t unconcerned ness rold all put out two strong hands hand and ad pressed both of ruth euth a hed hands in t them it ant donton ina know house he asked that I 1 u understand that vou van be hae we won this tor met could I 1 have been is so blind BB ad not at to see am I 1 anew mcw they despised d me he said with n tile relic of the old bitter ne ness and no man an ever longed ion go d so a for student friendship as I 1 did A and aw you ea came to show how roe in how have to WT wan it he but t b but a I 1 vou on acted led we thought that vou ba t that you yon tho m see the abominable double like joke teb that Thit w wag an mv little lobe on a the lass elm ruth euth debt dear and after ft the thosa II arst t weeks of in cation about 1 oa it railed decided that my 7 ambition me vas first to 0 wt win y your jove and then to m win in that which has come to me today |