pirit of the day, as it were, he
would certainly have made up an excuse to absent himself. As it was,
he meditated trying to get some one else to take his place, and was on
his way to arrange it, just before the hour for the afternoon
exercises to begin, when suddenly he saw, coming up the wide asphalt
walk of the campus, young Terrence, and the girl who had come to be
known among them as the "Freshman Vamp." His eyes hastily scanned the
groups about, and searched the walk as far as he could see it, but
nowhere could he discover Leslie.

With a sudden impulse he dashed over to Julia Cloud, and forgetful of
his late estrangement spoke with much of his old eagerness; albeit
trying his best to appear careless and matter-of-fact:

"Isn't Leslie hereabouts somewhere, Miss Cloud? I believe I promised
to show her the ivy that our class is to plant."

It was the first excuse he could think of. But Julia Cloud was full
of sympathy and understanding, and only too glad to hear the old
ring of friendliness in his voice. She lowered her tone and spoke
confidentially:

"She wouldn't come, Howard: I don't just know what has taken her. She
said she would rather stay at home----"

"Is she down there now?"

Julia Cloud nodded.

"Perhaps you----"

"I _will_!" he said, and was off like a flash. On his way down the
campus he thrust some papers into a classmate's hands.

"If I don't get back in time, give those to Halsted and tell him to
look out for things. I'm called away."

Never in all his running days had he run as he did that day. He made
the station in four minutes where it usually took him six, and was at
the Cloud Villa in two more, all out of breath but radiant. Something
jubilant had been let loose in his heart by the smile in Julia Cloud's
eyes, utterly unreasonable, of course, but still it had come, and he
was entertaining it royally. It was rather disheartening to find the
front door locked and only Cherry to respond to his knock.

"Isn't Miss Leslie here?" he asked, a blank look coming into his eyes
as Cherry appeared.

"Miss Leslie done jes' skittered acrost de back yahd wid a paddle in
her han'. I reckum she's gone to de crick. Miss Jewel, she'll be
powerful upset ef she comes back an' finds out. She don't like Miss
Leslie go down to them canoes all by her lonesome."

"That's all right, Cherry," said Howard, cheering up; "I'll go down
and find her. Got an extra paddle anywhere, or did she take them
both?"