the college ever produced. Mac, you must come,
and I must bring you home. You know the old college is home for you.
You can't fool me, Mac. You love it better even than this." And I
waved my hand toward the bay.

Mac's face showed emotion. I expected it would. I had prepared for the
interview, and I knew Mac. I thought I had won; but he changed the
conversation abruptly.

"Look over there, Bruce," and he pointed with his whip toward the
distance. "Away off on the other side of the Island is where Schurman
of Cornell was born. There are lots of such men who come from around
here. Down in that village is the birthplace of your Secretary of the
Interior. These people, my people, worship God first and learning
next. They are prouder of producing such men than they are of the
Island itself, and to use student language, that is 'going some.'"

"Yes, I suppose you are right, Mac," I answered, not quite seeing why
he had thrown me off, "but they do not seem to know _you_."

"No," he answered quickly. "they do not, and I do not want them to. It
would frighten them off. It would require explanations. What
difference if I have six letters after my name? To these people,
worshiping what I know rather than what I am, I would not be Alec any
more."

"But Mac, you will come back now, won't you! The college wants you;
you mustn't refuse."

There was still more emotion in Mac's voice, when he answered: "Bruce,
old man, don't tempt me. You can not know, and the faculty can not
know. You say I ought to love all this and I do; but not with the love
I have for the old college, though I was born here. Can you imagine
that old Roman general, whom they took away from his plow to lead an
army, refusing the offer but keeping the memory of it bright in his
heart ever after? That is my case now, old man. There is nothing in
this world I would rather have had than your message, but I must
refuse the offer."

"Now Mac," I urged, "be reasonable. There is nothing here for you.
Scenery won't make up."

"Don't I know it?" and Mac stopped the buggy again. "Don't I know it?
But there is something bigger to me here than the love of the things
God made me to do--and he surely made me for Greek, Bruce. Do not
think I am foolish or headstrong, I long for my work. But Bruce, if
you can not have two things that you love, all you can do is to give
up one and go on loving the other, without having it. That's my fix,
Bruce."

"Yes, Mac, but are you su