are they?" questioned Jack.

"About as lively as this town affords."

"It's a wonder some of our fellows are going with them," was Fred's
comment.

"Oh, that'll be all right. There won't be anything out of the way," put
in Waxy hastily, afraid that he had said too much. "They'll have a lively
time, but everything will be perfectly all right."

"Maybe," answered Jack, and then, after a few more words with the
assistant, the two cadets hurried off after their chums.

"If McGuire and Rosenblatt have anything to do with that party it will
certainly be a lively one," said Fred, on the way to the school. "They're
the liveliest fellows this town affords."

"It won't be any kind of a party for our girl friends to attend,"
remarked Jack. "I certainly hope May and Ruth don't go."

"Maybe we ought to warn them, Jack."

"If we did that somebody might say we were sore because we weren't
invited, Fred."

"I know it. But it's a shame, just the same."

"We might let Martha and Mary know what we found out, and then they might
put a flea in the ears of the other girls."

It must be confessed that Jack was rather sober that night and all day
Sunday. He could not get the coming party out of his mind, and he
wondered constantly whether Ruth would really accept the invitation which
had been extended to her. Along with a number of other cadets he attended
church in town, but, owing to the fact that it had begun to snow again,
none of the girls from Clearwater Hall were present at the services.

"I guess I might as well call Martha up on the 'phone," he told Fred,
Sunday evening.

"All right," was his cousin's reply. "And don't forget to mention May."

When the young captain had his sister on the wire he learned a number of
things that surprised him not a little. It seemed that the matter of the
coming sleighride party had been rather freely discussed at Clearwater
Hall, and a number of the pupils there were divided on the question as to
whether to participate in the affair or not. Jennie Mason, Ida Brierley,
and four or five others were in favor of accepting, while others had
either declined or were noncommittal.

"Some of the girls have gotten almost into a fight over it," said Martha.
"It's the liveliest thing that has happened in this school in a long
while. I believe if the discussion keeps up none of the girls will be
allowed to go, even though two married ladies from the town are to go
along as chaperones."

"Did yo