urt us--the poor men; and
when he's had what he wants of you he'll send you back to the muck
heap."

George shook his head, smiling.

"No, because you've said yourself that whatever power I have comes from
football and not from an empty pocket-book."

"Use all the power you have," Allen urged. "Come in with us. Help the
poor men, and we'll know how to reward you."

"You're already thinking of Sophomore elections?" George asked. "I don't
care particularly for office."

Allen's face reddened with anger.

"I'm thinking of the clubs first. What I said when I came in is true.
The selfish men intriguing for Prospect Street don't dare be friendly
with the poor men; afraid it might hurt their chances to be seen with a
poler. By God, that's vicious! It denies us the companionship we've come
to college to find. We want all the help we can get here. The clubs are
a hideous hindrance. Promise me you'll keep away from the clubs."

George laughed.

"I haven't made up my mind about the clubs," he said. "They have bad
features, but there's good in them. The club Goodhue joins will be the
best club of our time in college. Suppose you knew you could get an
election to that; would you turn it down?"

The angular face became momentarily distorted.

"I won't consider an impossible situation. Anyway, I couldn't afford it.
That's another bad feature. If you want, I'll say no, a thousand times
no."

"I wouldn't trust you," George laughed, "but you know you haven't a
chance. So you want to smash the thing you can't get in. I call _that_
vicious. And let me tell you, Allen. You may reform things out of
existence, but you can't destroy them with a bomb. Squibs Bailly will
tell you that."

"You think you'll make a good club," Allen said.

"I'll tell you what I think," George answered, quite unruffled, "when I
make up my mind to stand for or against the clubs. Squibs says half the
evils in the world come from precipitancy. You're precipitate. Thrash it
out carefully, as I'm doing."

He wondered if he had convinced Allen, knowing very well that his own
attitude would be determined by the outcome of the chance he had to
enter Goodhue's club.

"We've got to make up our minds now," Allen said. "Promise me that
you'll keep out of the clubs and I'll make you the leader of the class.
You're in a position to bring the poor men to the top for once."

George didn't want to break with Allen. The man did control a large
section of the cla