wouldn't
say that myself of any girl, but Shorty had been working for the place
for a year, and when the twenty girls who had never known what it was to
have a sassy cab rumble up to Browning Hall and wait for them cast their
votes solidly and elected the Missouri Prairie Fire he felt justified in
making comments.

By this time it was a case of save the pieces. The whole thing had been
as mysterious as the plague. We were getting mortal blows, we couldn't
tell from whom. All political signs were failing. The game was going
backward. A lot of the leaders got together and held a meeting, and some
of them were for declaring a constitutional monarchy and then losing the
constitution. My! But they were bitter. Everybody accused everybody else
of double-crossing, underhandedness, gum-shoeing, back-biting, trading,
pilfering and horse-stealing. I think there was a window or two broken
during the discussion. But we didn't get anywhere. The next day the
Senior class elected officers, and every frat went out with a knife for
its neighbor. A quiet lady by the name of Simpkins, who was one of the
finest old wartime relics in school, was elected president.

That night I began putting two and two and fractional numbers together
and called in calculus and second sight on the problem. I remembered
what the Hicks girl had said to me the year before. That was more than
the ordinary girl ought to know about politics. I remembered seeing her
doing more or less close-harmony work with the other midnight-oil
consumers--and the upshot was I went over to Browning Hall that night
and called on her.

She came down in due time--kept me waiting as long as if she had been
the belle of the prom--and she shook hands all over me.

"My dear boy," she said, sitting down on the sofa with me, "I'm so
delighted to renew our old friendship."

Now, I don't like to be "my dear boyed" by a Sophomore, and there never
had been any old friendship. I started to stiffen up--and then didn't. I
didn't because I didn't know what she would do if I did.

"How are all the other good old chaps?" she said as cordially as could
be. "My, but those were grand days."

[Illustration: "How are all the other good old chaps?" she said
_Page 270_]

I didn't see any terminus in that conversation. Besides, she looked
like one of those most uncomfortable girls who can guy you in such an
innocent and friendly manner that you don't know what to say back. So