“Here’s your chance to be the class martyr,” offered Pete. “I only wish I was in your shoes!”
“So do we!” chimed in the other fellows with all sorts of enthusiasm since they knew they couldn’t be.
There was no use trying to crawl out of it. I was the unanimous choice and according to Roberts’ rules of order my say didn’t count. The next thing was to hit upon a scheme for luring Eddie out of the house to the scene of his Waterloo. We’d occasionally gone to the movies together and it struck the bunch as a logical idea for me to date Eddie up. Doug Fairbanks was opening at the Grand theatre in “Robin Hood” and Eddie would be crazy to see that because he had always imagined he resembled Doug. The only resemblance I could see was that Doug and Eddie both belonged to the human race ... but we won’t argue about that.
Well ... when I asked Eddie if he’d like to go, at noon-hour the next day, he hesitated a few moments as if thinking, then said, appreciative like, “Don’t care if I do!”
“Good! I’ll call for you at the house at seven-thirty tonight,” I replied, my heart pounding sort of funny.
That afternoon word was passed around among the Sophs that the ducking was going to be pulled off as per schedule. James street was the shortest way down town. We lived half a block off James street on Adams street and it was a sure bet that we’d take the one and only route down past the watering trough on our walk to the Grand theatre.
It was cold enough to wear an overcoat when I set out from the house that night. I almost thought I was going to lose my nerve ... it seemed like such a shame—taking advantage of poor, innocent Eddie that way. And it made me “B-r-r-r!” to think of the sensation he’d have when he flopped into that liquid refrigerator. I remembered the time when a bunch of us fellows thought we’d imitate polar bears and jumped in the bay through a hole in the ice. Never again!
It was a dark night, too. This would be in our favor. The campus was shaded by huge pine trees and the watering trough was in the middle of the block so that the light from the arcs on either corner just barely reached. Without the moon it was almost pitch dark through that stretch.
I rang Eddie’s door bell ... feeling more and more like handing in my resignation but what could I do now? After a few minutes Eddie came to the door but I saw through the glass that he didn’t have his hat or coat on. His face looked grave.
“Sorry, Ralph,” Eddie announced. “There’s sickness in the family and I’ll just have to call it off tonight. I’m sorry I couldn’t let you know sooner ... but I kept thinking I could get away until the last minute.”