.

"I've asked five girls and every one of them turned me down," Judith
ruefully acknowledged. "I thought I'd start early, but it seems others
started earlier."

"I've asked two different girls, but both have escorts," frowned Jane.
"I sha'n't ask any more. I thought Miss Harper, the second girl I asked,
refused me rather coolly. I want to do my duty as a soph, but I won't
stand being snubbed."

"Let's go and see what luck Ethel and Adrienne have had," proposed
Judith.

Indifferently assenting, Jane accompanied Judith to her friends' room.

"Ah, do not ask me!" was Adrienne's disgusted outburst, "These freshmen
are, of a truth, too popular. Four this day I have invited, but to no
purpose."

"I'm going to take Miss Simmons, a Barclay Hall girl, to the dance,"
informed Ethel. "I asked her this morning and she accepted."

"Well, we seem out of luck," sighed Judith. "Do you know whether Mary
and Norma have invited their freshmen?"

"Mary's going to take Miss Thomas, an Argyle Hall girl. Norma hasn't
asked any one yet," was Ethel's prompt reply. "You girls just happened
to ask the wrong ones, I guess. Try again to-morrow. There are more than
enough freshies to go round this year."

After a little further talk, Jane and Judith went back to their room.

"What do you think about it?" Judith asked abruptly the instant they
were behind their own door.

"I don't know. It's probably as Ethel says, 'a happen-so.' I can't think
of any other reason, unless----"

Jane stopped and eyed Judith steadily.

"Unless some one in the freshman class has set the freshmen against us,"
quickly supplemented Judith.

"Yes, that's what I was thinking. It doesn't seem possible in so large a
class. Still one girl can sometimes do a good deal of mischief."

"You mean Miss Noble?"

Judith was too much in earnest to use the derisive name she had given
the disagreeable freshman.

"Yes," affirmed Jane. "If she helped to turn Alicia against me, she is
quite capable of going further. So far as we know, you and Adrienne and
I are the only sophs who've been turned down all around. Norma hasn't
asked any one yet. Anyway, she's a junior."

"It looks rather queer, so queer that I'm going to make it my business
to ask a few questions to-morrow. If there's really anything spiteful
back of this, believe me, little Judy will find it out."

CHAPTER XII

NORMA'S "FIND"

The end of the next day was productive of no better results so fa