alone that night we'd try to learn to love them by morning. So they
put us upstairs and warned us that every window was guarded; then we lay
down together and I began at the first chapter and pumped those chaps
full of Eta Bita Pie all night.

[Illustration: With our colors on and four particularly wicked-looking
chair legs in our hands
_Page 167_]

"It was six o'clock when they finally pledged. When the gang came up
they found us adamant. 'Never!' said I. 'We'll pledge Alfalfa Delt or
die martyrs to a holy cause!' Of course they didn't dare give
themselves away. They couldn't even shout for joy. All they could do was
to wait for the rescuing party. I spent the day teaching the boys the
songs and the yell in whispers; and about three o'clock I got my grand
inspiration about the colors and rigged them out. Then I dug my own pin
out and put on my vest and about four o'clock the rescuing party drove
up. Say, you'd have laughed to see that fight! Ham-actors in Richard the
Third would have made it look tame. The Chi Yis put up a fist or two,
threw a brick and then cut for the timber; and the noble Alfalfa Delts
burst open the door just as I got the chorus going on that grand old
song:

"_'Oh, you've got to be an Eta Bita Pie
Or you won't get a scarehead when you die!_'

"When they saw us there, with our colors on and four particularly
wicked-looking chair legs in our hands, they gave one simultaneous
gasp--and say, boys, I don't believe in ghosts, but I don't see yet how
they disappeared so instantaneously! And anyway, for Heaven's sake,
bring out the prog. We drilled eight miles to a railroad station and my
vest buttons are tickling my backbone."

Just then a telegram arrived.

"Don't look for Smith. Changed his mind and went to Jarhard!

"SNOOTY."

No wonder we couldn't blast any information out of our Smiths! Oh, they
were our Smiths all right--and they weren't such a bad bunch at that.
The fat one turned out to be the champion mandolin teaser in school and
the lean one made the debating team; while our own particular first
edition Smith won the catch-as-catch-can chess championship of the
college three years later.

Just the same, I'd like to get one fair crack at that Smith who went to
Jarhard. I'd get even for those three days, I'll bet a few!

CHAPTER VII

TAKING PACE FROM FATHER TIME

Honestly, Bill, it's so hard to keep up to date these