"Perhaps if the rhyme always brings about the answer you want, it would be better for me to ask the question that way first, and not bother him with the other twelve ways," suggested Jimmieboy. "That's very thoughtful of you," said the Imp. "I think very likely it would be better to do it that way. Just you tiptoe softly up to him and say, "_If you loved me as I love you,_ _And I were you and you were me,_ _What you asked me I'd surely do,_ _And let you have that silver key._" "I think that's just the way," said Jimmieboy, repeating the verse over and over again so as not to forget it. "I'll go to him at once." And he did go. He tiptoed into the library, at one end of which his papa was sitting writing; he kissed him on his cheek, and whispered the verse softly in his ear. "Why certainly," said his papa, when he had finished. "Here it is," taking the key from the end of his chain. "Don't lose it, Jimmieboy." [Illustration: BEFORE HIM STOOD THE IMP.] "No, I'll not lose it. I've got too much use for it to lose it," replied Jimmieboy, gleefully, and then, sliding down from his papa's lap, he ran headlong into the back hall to where the telephone stood, inserted the key in the key-hole of the little door over the receiver and turned it. The door flew open, and before him stood the Imp. [TO BE CONTINUED.] [Illustration: INTERSCHOLASTIC SPORT] Two weeks ago, in commenting upon the Spirit displayed by a certain class of scholastic athletes--they cannot properly be called sportsmen--I remarked that should ribbons be offered as prizes at future interscholastic track-athletic games, I feared five-eighths of those who enter under existing conditions would take no further interest in the sports. I feared at the time this might be a slight exaggeration, and I hope it is: but that my assumption was well grounded there is no doubt. I heard of one young man, who proudly canters about the cinder track in the spring-time, and claims to be a sportsman, who upon reading the paragraph in question exclaimed: "Ribbons? Well, I guess not. You can bet that if they had ribbons for prizes, _I_ would be one of the five-eighths that would drop out!"