Hall at night and making them rush against the
whole Sophomore class; then's when we're going to quit. Observe?"

Halleck's shamefully fresh manner revived the drooping spirits of his
men.

"See here, we'll call it off if you will," put in the Sophomore
president.

"Yes, I guess you will," drawled Halleck. The mob howled. Smith's class
was notoriously weaker at fighting than their own.

"We've rushed you three times," went on Cap; "you licked us the first
time we fought; then you pulled us out in the mud the night after and
did it again; but we got you the next week by strategy!"

"By a sneaking trick!"

"That's right!" chimed the Freshmen, "Pete's dead right!"

"Well, say," persisted Smith, "we're willing to quit as it is. The score
stands two to one for you fellows, too."

"Two to nothing!" and again the infant class shouted approval while
Lyman, the Senior, looked on amused.

"I really have a chap for you children," he said. "Just because rushing
happens to be your game, you run it to death. How do you suppose the
Faculty are going to look at this thing? If you want rushing choked off
entirely next year, just keep on."

Airily ignoring Lyman's speech, Pete Halleck put his chin out at the
Sophomore.

"Then you won't rush?"

"No," answered Cap, perfectly calm, "not even if you carry canes."

Halleck's face shone.

"Ai--i, boys, that's what we'll do! We'll get out there with canes
to-morrow and we'll make 'em scrap!"

"Yes, you will! I believe it," sneered Smith. "You fellows are just
fresh enough to queer yourselves that way."

"We'll queer _you_!" cried a valiant youngster "if you don't rush
to-morrow we'll tie up your baseball team and cart 'em off to Redwood."

"Yes, sir, and we'll show you how a class president looks braided with
bailing-rope,--we'll show you the pretty picture in a mirror, Mr.
President,--even if we have to haul you out of the arms of twenty Roble
dames."

Pete had taken his class-mates by storm and they piped acquiescence in
thin Freshman voices. Smith flushed angrily.

Here Lyman interfered.

"All right, make joshes of yourselves if you want to," he said, not so
good-natured as at first. "We have given you warning. Just open that
door and you may go on with your little conspiracy."

"Come again when you can't stay so long," wittily yelled Pete down the
hall. "I'll meet you on the field to-morrow."

"Oh, we'll be there," called back Lyman over his shoulder. "So will