ce grew
with their opponents' score. As the last inning dragged its tedious
length, the prospect of the Freshmen forcing a rush had become the
important thing with the crowd. The fighting class limbered up for
action. Now their third man struck out and the catcher's mask was off.

"Ready!" Pete Halleck's voice came out of the silence of the waiting
crowd.

"All set!" and the class was up and off on a trot toward the Sophomore
players, who were trying not to walk away any faster than was usual. One
after another the baseball men were overtaken and went down in clouds of
dust and hard language.

Yet the Sophomores would not rush. Frank Lyman had exhorted them simply,
while the Freshmen were attacking their nine. One or two of the
hot-heads hurried to the Hall for old clothes, but the majority stood
looking on, angry but quiet.

"Now for Smith!" yelled Halleck. His men turned toward the co-ed section
of the bleachers.

"Shall we get out of this?" Cap asked Ashley.

"Get out nothing! Stay right here with the girls. They wouldn't have the
gall."

But the lust of fight was in the Freshman heart as the dust of fight
was on the Freshman skin. They lined up, a ragged mass of impertinence,
as near the women as they dared, and waited for the leader of the
opposition. He chatted on, explaining the college rush to the girl with
him, and gave no sign of moving.

"Shall we go in and take him?" asked an excited youngster.

"I'll give him a chance to come easy," said Halleck. He squared himself,
adjusted his dusty hat, and went straight up the steps.

"Excuse me, Mr. Smith," said he, "you are forgetting an engagement you
made with some of your friends yesterday."

This was the freshest thing in the history of the college. The
Sophomore's fingers twitched.

"I think you can wait until later, Halleck," he said slowly. Then he
turned to the girl.

From the time Halleck climbed the bleachers and went toward Smith and
his guests, the spectators were stiff with astonishment; nobody did
anything. They saw Halleck look for one moment into Smith's angry blue
eyes, go down the steps, and bring back two big fellows. Before the
Sophomore could move away from the girls, the three men had dragged him
down the bleachers; one heave of Halleck's broad back and Smith was
under them, with his wind gone, and a Freshman was getting a rope
ready.

Then just as Ashley tore down the steps in a rage, a slip of a girl
darted past him and put