long. All that remained was to flood the enclosed ground with water to
the depth of four or five inches and allow it to freeze. A hand suction
pump had been ordered from a dealer at Silver Cove, but there was delay
and in the end it did not reach the school until two days before
vacation. However, as December proved unusually mild, there was no harm
done. Meanwhile the goals, pucks and sticks had arrived and practice at
shooting and stick-handling was held five afternoons a week in the
gymnasium. At the second meeting of the candidates the Entertainment
Committee was able to report a plan for the entertainment. There was to
be a minstrel show followed by a series of tableaux in the gymnasium the
night before the beginning of Christmas Recess.

"Now," said Jack, who was explaining, "you chaps will have to get busy
and interest every fellow you know in the affair. We want a good big
crowd for the minstrels; we ought to have at least two dozen fellows.
There will be another meeting here to-morrow night and I want each of
you to bring me the names of fellows who are willing to take part. And
you must let me know what they can do, whether they can sing or recite
or do sleight-of-hand tricks, you know. And now I want to propose that
we make Harry Emery an associate member of the Club. You see, we
realized that we wouldn't be able to do much in the way of costuming
without her help, so we laid the matter before her. And she went right
into it; suggested the tableaux feature and offered to take part
herself. (Laughter from the audience.) So I think she ought to be taken
in."

"We ought to make Mr. Cobb and Mr. Buckman associate members, too,"
suggested Chub.

So Harry and the two instructors were duly admitted, and the meeting
went into the plans for the entertainment. Sid, one of the most
enthusiastic members present, reminded everyone that he could play the
banjo, and Jack promised to let him do his worst. Roy was elected
temporary captain and manager and Jack temporary treasurer. Then an
assessment of fifty cents each was levied and Jack spent the best part
of three days collecting the sums. He, Roy, Chub and two others had gone
down into their pockets and advanced the money for the goals, sticks and
pucks, and with Christmas Recess drawing near they were anxious to get
some of it back. The rink was to be paid for in January and the pump on
its arrival. It was going to be necessary to collect something over
sixty dollars