om without sharing the general scorn of
the Sophomores for the Senior Sphinxes.

"We can meet up here, you see--once a week. And let's have it a secret
society that'll stand ready to serve Lincoln with their very lives--like
those secret bands of men in the South--after the Civil War."

Jerry declared, of course, that Gyp's suggestion was "wonderful."

"We'll have a real initiation when we'll all swear our allegiance to
Lincoln School forever and ever and we'll have spreads and it'll be such
fun making every one wonder where we meet. And we'll have terribly funny
signs."

"What'll we call it?" asked Jerry, ashamed that she could offer nothing
to the plan.

"Let's call it the Ravens and Serpents--that sounds so awful and we
won't be at all. And a crawly snake is such a dreadful symbol and it's
easy to draw." Gyp's brain worked at lightning pace in its initiative.

"What girls shall we ask?"

Gyp rattled off a number of names. They were all girls who were in the
Third Form study-room.

"Can't we ask Ginny Cox?"

Gyp considered. "No," she answered decidedly. "She'd be fun but she's
too chummy with Mary Starr and Mary Starr's a Sphinx. We can't ask her."

Gyp was right, of course, Jerry thought, but she wished Ginny Cox might
be invited to join.

"Let's go down now. Oh, won't it be fun? Swear, Jerauld Travis, that
burning irons won't drag our secret from you!"

"Nothing will make me tell," promised Jerry. They stole down the
stairway, moved George Washington carefully back into place, tiptoed to
the main floor and out into the sunshine.

Thus did the secret order of the "Ravens and Serpents" have its birth.
Gyp assembled various symbols, impressive in their terribleness, that,
during the study hours of the next day, conveyed, with the help of
whispered explanations and a violent exchange of notes, invitations to
six other girls to join the new order. And after the close of school
eight pupils elected to remain indoors, ostensibly to study; eight heads
bent diligently over the long oak table in the library until a safe
passage into the deserted halls above was assured. Then Gyp and Jerry
led the new Ravens to the secret door where, in a sepulchral whisper,
Gyp extracted a solemn promise from each that she would not divulge the
secret of the hidden stairway. One by one, quite breathless with
excitement, they climbed to the tower room where Gyp with ridiculous
solemnity called "to order" the first assembly of t