ep it to yourself, then. I don't care to hear it," coolly returned
Leslie. "You girls make me weary. You are all so ready to start fussing
over nothing."

"You are just as ready!" burst forth Dulcie, in a sudden gust of anger.
"You think we all ought to do precisely as you say and never have an
opinion of our own. I fail to see why I, at least, should be bossed by
you. It isn't we girls that are at fault. It is you. I like you, Leslie,
when you don't try to run everything. When you begin bullying, I can't
endure you. Please don't attempt to bully me, for I won't stand it."

"There is one thing about it," broke in Harriet Stephens decidedly, "we
shall not accomplish much if there is no unity among us. So far as I am
concerned, I would rather have Leslie take the lead. I will never
forgive the Sanford crowd for what they did to us last March. If Leslie
can find ways to get even with them, I am willing to do as she says,
simply to see those hateful girls defeated in whatever they set out to
do."

"That is the proper spirit," approved Leslie. "Believe me, I know what I
am saying when I tell you that we must fight those girls and put them
in the background where they belong. The way to begin this year is to
win over the freshies. The minute it is known we are interesting
ourselves in these greenies' welfare, our popularity will take a jump
upward. Every one of you can either give me your promise tonight to help
or keep away from me the rest of the year. Think it over. Don't promise
and then go to grumbling behind my back about it. If you do, I'll be
sure to hear it."

"It will be rather good fun to play angel to the freshies for a change,"
said Evangeline Hepper. "We might have a picnic some Saturday, or give a
hop for them. Have it understood, of course, that it was the Sans
Soucians who were to be the hostesses."

"We can decide better what to do after we have met a few of the
freshmen," returned Leslie. "I hope there won't be many of those
beggarly-looking girls who come into college on scholarships or scrape
their way through without a cent above their expenses. They are so
tiresome. That Miss Langly, of our class, is a glowing example of what I
mean."

"She is very high and mighty since the Sanford crowd took her up, isn't
she?" shrugged Natalie.

"She always was, for that matter," said Adelaide Forman. "Those girls
have praised her and babied her until she is a good deal more
infatuated with herself than she u