4 ACORN "Be it Resolved, that no Senior boy shall be admitted to the Senior-Freshmen ball unless accompanied by a Freshman girl. "Be it further Resolved, that the said Senior and Freshmen boys shall escort such Freshmen and Senior girls respectfully as this committee approve and duly appoint. Positively no stags allowed. Failure to attend as specified shall be considered a misdemeanor and all parties accused thereof shall be tried before a judge and jury of his respective class and punished as the jury and judge see fit." "Well," began Jack Perry, chairman of the committee after the resolution had been adopted, "You can fix me up first. The early bird catches the worm, so if it please this committee I speak to accompany Miss Hurst to the ball." "I've no objections," replied Smithers, another member of the committee, jokingly, "But there's bashful Hardy over there and I can see by the flush on his cheeks that he's got a sneaking idea that he'd like the job himself." "Don't blame him," laughed Jack. "But come, Hardy, what's up?" "Nothing," responded Hardy, his face reddening as if greatly embarrassed. "Oh, I know," chirped in Smithers again, "From what I saw the other night, I believe he's got half a case on her." The remark caused a great deal of laughter and more flushes on poor Hardy's cheeks, but he took it all as a joke. "I guess it doesn't make much difference which of us brings her," said Jack finally, "So you'll pardon me if I take the liberty of placing my name beside Miss Hurst's. Let me see it's Jessie Hurst, I believe." As Jack wrote the name Jessie opposite his own the blushes left Hardy's cheeks and a big smile stole over his face as if something amused him greatly, but just what it was the committee were at a loss to know. Feeling that it would be very unlikely that anyone other than himself should ask to accompany Jessie to the ball, because of his having been officially paired off with her, Jack was in no great hurry to ask her. Besides he figured that he would have an excellent chance to go over to the Freshman building Wednesday afternoon, when he had no classes, and could then look her up and still be in good time. So we are not surprised, when Wednesday afternoon arrives, to find Jack scampering from the dinner table, to the club-room, to tidy himself up a bit, prior to his visit to Jessie. As he opened the door he was quite startled to see his sweetheart Helen, all decked out in theatre attire, waiting for him. ACORN 5 "Why, Jack," she said, "I thought we were going to be late for the matinee. You know it starts at 2 o'clock." "Yes, deary, I had almost forgotten that we were going. I'll be ready in a minute," he answered as he stepped into an adjoining room to change his clothes and, incidentally, to borrow the price of two theatre tickets from his chums. "This big ball," began Helen as Jack re-entered, "Is certainly a tension upon our nerves. Why, everybody is wild with excitement. Nobody studies and even the faculty don't seem to expect us to. They are exceptionally lenient, and, oh yes! at the class meeting last night you and Miss Hurst were chosen to lead the grand march. Isn't that lovely? Oh! you should have been there. We had just the" "It's time we were off, Helen," interrupted Jack. "You can tell me all about it on the way." With that they hurriedly left the room, Helen talking rapidly as they went. It is needless to say that Jack had dismissed all intentions of visiting Jessie that day. On Thursday the excitement became intense. Everybody was talking "ball," and inquiring of each other if they had been successful in securing their allotted partners. To this talk Jack listened with a slight degree of fear lest he should delay his asking too long. It was utterly impossible for him to do it that day because that was his busy day and he could not find enough spare moments to call at the Freshmen building. But surely he thought someone must have informed her all about it by this time and, so Friday would do just as well. Thus the whole of Thursday and also Friday morning wore tediously away without Jack performing his duty. At 1 o'clock Friday afternoon Jack was free. Now was his chance. In five minutes he had crossed the campus to the now very popular building and was asking if he might see Jessie Hurst. Imagine his great surprise when the professor reported to him that Jessie had been excused that morning to take the Midvale special for home. Now Midvale is a little town about thirty miles from Montrose, so it is not strange to see why Jack would be greatly disturbed and especially when the morrow was Saturday and there was no school. For a while he was in silent meditation, then he suddenly burst out, "I've got it, I've got it I can phone saved at last!" Five minutes later he had opened communication over the telephone with the Hurst family at Midvale; and was eagerly inquiring for Jessie. The voice at the other end of the phone, in answer to his inquiry, politely informed him that Jessie was up town preparing for a grand ball to be given Saturday night at Montrose Academy. This news didn't sound quite so bad to Jack as it might seem. He knew that if she intended going she would undoubtedly go with the partner appointed for her, and since that was none other than himself, he