"I'm on to you, Peter: You have a ton of rope and a barrel of paint somewhere about your den, and you're going out to-morrow to tie up the Sophs at the ball game. Now you fellows have had three rushes this year; when are you going to quit and give us a rest?" Halleck held the position that delighted his soul,--center stage,--and he was a respecter of neither the Faculty nor his seniors. "We're going to quit when we get even with you for pulling twenty-five lone Freshmen out of the 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 the Faculty," and with this covert hint the peacemakers turned the corner.