be gay and carefree with our pledges; and the rest of us sat around
and listened to our bursting hearts. Of all the all-gone and utterly
hopeless feelings, there is nothing to compare with the one you have
when your frat--the pride of the nation--has just been tossed into the
discard by some hollow-headed Freshman.

I took my head out of my hands just before dinner and went down the
street to keep a rushing engagement. I had to pass the Alfalfa Delt
house. It hurt like barbed wire, but I had to look. I was that miserable
that it couldn't have bothered me much more, anyway, to see that wildly
happy bunch. But I didn't see it. I saw instead a crowd of fellows on
the porch who made our dejection look like disorderly conduct. There was
enough gloom there to fit out a dozen funerals, and then there would
have been enough left for a book of German philosophy. The crowd looked
at me and I fancied I heard a slight gnashing of teeth. I didn't
hesitate. I just walked right up to the porch and said: "Howdedo? Lovely
evening!" says I. "How many Smiths have you pledged to-day?"

The gang turned a dark crimson. Then Matheson got up and came down to
me. He was as safe-looking as somebody else's bull terrier.

"We don't care to hear any more from you," he said, clenching his words;
"and it would be safer for you to get out of here. We're done with your
whole crowd. You're lowdown skates--that's what you are. You're
dishonorable and sneaky. You're cads! We'll get even. I give you
warning. We'll get even if it takes a hundred years."

"Thanks!" says I. "Hope it takes twice as long." Then I went back home
and let my date take care of itself.

* * * * *

We went through dinner in a daze and sat around, that night, like a
bunch of vacant grins on legs. Our grins were vacant because we didn't
know why we were grinning. We'd stung the Alfalfa Delts. We didn't know
why or how or when. But we'd stung them! We had their word for it.
Sooner or later something would turn up in the shape of particulars;
only we wished it would hurry. If it didn't turn up sooner we were
extremely likely to burst at the seams.

It turned up about nine o'clock. There was a commotion at the front door
and Maxwell came in. He was followed by an avalanche of Smiths. There
was our Smith, and a tall, lean Smith, and a Smith who waddled when he
walked. They were all dirty and dusty; they all wore our pink-and-blue
pledge ribbons on thei