Terry was almost breathless, but her eyes were shining and Arden, who was beginning to worry over the responsibility she had assumed in urging her chums to come to Cedar Ridge, felt she would not have to be concerned for Terry, at least.

"I'll take the bed nearest the door, as you know I'm apt to be a 'leetle-mite' slow," drawled Terry. "You take the one nearest the window, Arden. Then you can look up at the stars."

Sim laughed and said: "I'll take the middle bed so----"

"So you can be the meat in the sandwich, little one!" interrupted Terry.

"I'm not so little, Terry Landry! It's just because you're such a giantess!" declared Sim indignantly.

"Stop teasing her, Terry! It'll soon be time to go to the Hall, and we haven't so much as washed our faces. Besides----"

Before Arden could finish her speech, the sort Terry called "Arden's good-will talk," there sounded a loud knock on the door.

Without waiting to be invited, Toots Everett, the tall blonde guide, entered with two other girls.

"Stand at attention, freshies!" Toots loudly commanded. "I am Miss Everett. The girl on my right is Miss Darglan and on my left Miss MacGovern. We three have picked you three to haze, when the proper time comes. I'll take the red-head, Jessica," she said to the girl on her right.

"I'll take the baby," decided the sophomore called Jessica. "That leaves the black-haired goddess for you, Pip. Don't be too hard with her," she mocked. "She looks as if she had led a sheltered life."

"But," began Sim, "we don't----"

"We'll do the talking," interrupted Miss Everett coldly. "You girls will report to us every day after classes, for a while. Your time is, henceforth, our time. We hope you have good constitutions. Our room is 416 on the floor below. See that you keep it in good order!"

"Oh, my friends, look!" suddenly exclaimed Pip MacGovern, indicating the fruit-cake in plain sight. "A goodie from home that we must not overlook. It is also to be hoped that you freshies brought a tea set and the wherewithals to go with it."

"Yes," timidly admitted Terry, "we have----"

She was interrupted by a surreptitious kick from Sim.

"Good!" declared Toots. "I can see where you three will be very useful to us!" she exulted. "Does anyone care for a piece of cake?" she asked her chums. "Sometimes our dinners here leave much to be desired."

She walked with exaggerated undulations toward the bureau, like a model showing a new gown, removed the red and gold cover from the box and sniffed appreciatively. Having no knife, Toots took the cake in both hands and was about to break it as a boy breaks an apple when----

Clang-clang! Clang-clang! Clang-clang! Clang-clang! Clang-clang!

An insistent bell, so close to their door that it startled the three freshmen, rang loudly. Arden, Sim, and Terry moved closer together as if for protection.

"What's that?" gasped Terry. "Fire?"

"No, Brighteyes," mocked Toots. "That's the five-five-five. The bell calling us to listen, most humbly, to Tiddy's welcome-home speech. Your fruit-cake is saved, for the time being. But our time will come!"

Whereupon Toots, followed by her fellow hazers, stalked out of the room, leaving Arden, Sim, and Terry staring wonderingly after them.

"I--I think," murmured Terry, "that perhaps the bell was also meant for us."

"Yes," agreed Sim, "it probably was. Well, here's where we go in off the deep end!"

As the three freshmen hastily made ready to attend in the recreation hall, and as the black gloom of night settled down over Cedar Ridge College, out in the old apple orchard a young man in blue overalls wandered beneath the gnarled trees. He looked toward the brightly lighted windows of the recreation hall and then, with a quizzical smile on his bronzed face, while he stroked his mustache, he glanced toward the broken swimming pool and walked softly away through the rows of fruit-laden branches.