something out; but when he returned to his seat his laughter became
uncontrollable and he broke forth into a loud guffaw, in which some of
the assembly joined.

At Mott's rebuke the laughter ceased, and then he said again to Hawley,
"That won't do, freshman. You're not rid of it yet. Try it again!"

Six times the huge and good-natured freshman was compelled to repeat his
senseless and silly performance, and then Mott declared that he was
satisfied.

"Don't have a relapse," he said warningly, and then, turning to Will
Phelps, he said, "Now I want my nice little boy, mamma's pet and papa's
joy, to show what a good little boy he really is. He isn't going to do
any of the naughty things that some of the wicked little college boys
do. He is strong, he is, and he promised mamma he wouldn't, and he
won't. Let's give him a song, fellows," he added, turning to his
classmates, and at once the boys began to sing:

"We're coming, we're coming, our brave little band,
On the right side of temperance we always do stand;
We don't use tobacco, for this we do think,
That those who do use it most always do drink."

Some of the singers had very musical voices and the simple little ditty
sounded very clear and strong as they all joined in it. Will Phelps,
however, was thinking of what it was that would be required of him. Then
flashed into his mind the last conversation he had had with his mother
and in which he had given her a promise not unlike that at which Mott
had hinted. And he intended to keep it too, he assured himself. Come