ince the escapade, and now as he recognized the sophomore his
feeling of anger or disgust arose once more, and he was inclined to pass
him with only a light nod of recognition.

But Mott was not to be so lightly turned aside or ignored, and as he saw
Will he stopped, and his manner at once betrayed the excitement under
which he was laboring.

"Have you heard the news, Phelps?" he demanded.

"I haven't heard anything," replied Will coldly.

"You haven't? Well, you ought to. It's all over college now."

"What's all over college?"

"Why, the report of the typhoid."

"What?" demanded Will, instantly aroused.

"I mean what I say. And there are all sorts of reports about what's to
be done. Some say the faculty have decided to shut up shop for a few
weeks, and some say they've sent for experts, and I don't know what
all."

"Who are the fellows that are down with it?"

"Schenck--"

"Peter John?" demanded Will sharply.

"Yes, and there are seven others. He's the only freshman; there are two
sophs, two juniors, and one senior. Wagner is the senior."

"Where are they?"

"They're all in the infirmary, and the whole shop has been quarantined."

"When was it found out?"

"Only to-day, this afternoon, I think. You see all eight have been under
the weather for a while, and the doctor here thought it was first one
thing that ailed them and then another. Last night or this morning they
had a consultation, and decided that every one of the eight had typhoid
fever. It's a great go, isn't it?"

"And you say Peter John is one?"

"Sure."

"Is he in the infirmary?"

"Yes, every one of them is there."

"Is he very much sick?"

"Can't tell yet, but he's sick enough."

"Can anybody see him?" inquired Will thoughtfully.

"No. There isn't any one allowed in the building except the nurses,
doctors, and the families of the fellows, that is, when they come. I
understand that word has been sent to all the families, and nurses have
already been engaged, and that some of them are on the ground now."

"It's terrible!" said Will with a shudder.

"I know what I'm going to do," said Mott glibly.

"What's that?"

"I'm going home. Of course, the governor won't believe me at first when
I tell him why I've returned to the ancestral abode, but you may rest
easy when he sees it in the papers, then he'll believe it all right
enough. Fine to have your daddy believe a lying newspaper before he
takes the word of his own offspring,