4 BOYS OF ST.

TIMOTHY'S

hardships of school life. Randolph himself acqui

esced in this gloomy view of his constitution, but

had also entertained a hope of improvement. He

had fitted up his room at home with gymnastic
apparatus and for two years had pulled weights
and used dumb-bells daily. But in his mother's
eyes he remained delicate; and because of her
precautions Randolph had abstained from violent
exertion and had avoided hazardous sports. Only
once during his year at the private day school had
he appeared upon the football field; then he had

gone home with a sore knee, which his mother

steamed in hot blankets and kept propped up
with a pillow for two days. Of course she had
forbidden him then ever to play football again,
and he had not been very rebellious.
Now, having unpacked his trunk and dosed
himself with a teaspoonful out of one of the bot
tles —he feared he had caught cold the night before
in the sleeping-car — Randolph emerged from his
alcove and proceeded to arrange methodically
his toilet articles upon his wash-stand which was
just across the corridor. He had put out his silver
soap-box with its perfumed soap, and hung jp