s.

After that we gave up. I tried to resign as campaign manager, but the
boys wouldn't let me. They admitted that no one else could have done any
better, and, besides, they wanted me to go over and see Miss Hicks
again. They wanted me to ask her what her crowd wanted. When I thought
of her pleasant conversational hatpin work I felt like resigning from
college; but there always have to be martyrs, and in the end I went.

Miss Hicks received me rapturously. You would have thought we had been
boy and girl friends. She insisted on asking how all the folks were at
home, and how my health had been, and hadn't it been a gay winter, and
was I going to the prom, and how did I like her new gown? While I was at
it I thought I might as well amuse myself, too, so I asked her to marry
me. That was the only time I ever got ahead of her. She refused
indignantly, and I laughed at her for getting so fussed up over a little
thing.

"Marriage is a sacred subject," she said very soberly.

"So was politics," said I, "until you came along. If you won't talk
marriage let's talk politics. What do you girls want?"

"Oh, I told you a while ago," she said.

"But, Great Scott!" said I. "Aren't you going to leave a thing for us
fellows who have done our best for the college?"

"Now you put it that way," she said quite kindly, "I'll think it over.
We might find something for you to do. There's a couple of janitorships
loose."

"Hicksey," says I.

"Miss Hicks," says she.

"I beg your pardon--my dear girl, then," said I. "I've come over to the
bunch to confess. You've busted us. We're on the mat nine points down
and yelling for help. We don't want to run things. We only want to be
allowed to live. We surrender. We give up. We humbly ask that you
prepare the crow and let us eat the neck. Isn't there any way by which
we can get a little something to keep us busy and happy? We're in a
horrible situation. Aren't you even going to let us have the Athletic
Association next spring?"

"I was thinking of running that myself," said Miss Hicks thoughtfully.

I let out an impolite groan.

"But I'll tell you what you might do," said Miss Hicks. "You boys might
try to win my crowd away from me. You see, you've played right into my
hand so far. You haven't paid any attention to my supporters. Now, if
you were to go after them the way you do the other girls in the college
I shudder to think what might happen to me."

"You mean take them to parties a