“We’re a committee,” repeated young Herricote, sitting down on the edge of a chair, and looking around most uncomfortably at the luxurious apartment. He had not realized it would be like this. He was beginning to feel like a fish out of water. As for the rest of the committee, they were overawed and dumb, all except the little fellow with the tortoise-rimmed glasses. He was not looking at anything but Allison, and was intent on his mission. When he saw that his superior had been struck dumb, he took up the story.
“They appointed us to come and interview you, and see if you wouldn’t give us some new ideas how to run our society so it would be a success,” he put in. “They all liked your speech so much the other night they felt you could help us out of the rut we’ve got into.”
“Me?” asked Allison, laughing incredulously. “Why, I told you I didn’t know the first thing about Christian Endeavor.”
“But we’ve gotta have your help,” said the young secretary earnestly. “This thing’s gotta go! It’s needed in our church, and it’s the only thing in the town to help some of the young people. It’s just gotta go!”
“Well, if you feel that way, you’ll make it go, I’m sure,” encouraged Allison. “You’re just the kind of a fellow to make it go. You know all about it. Not I. I never heard of the thing till last week, except just in a casual way. Don’t know much about it yet.”
“Well, s’pose it was one of your frats, and it wasn’t 183 succeeding. What would you do? You saw what kind of a dead-and-alive meeting we had, only a few there, and nobody taking much interest. How would you pull up a frat that was that way?”
“Well,” said Allison, speaking at random, “I’d look around, and find some of the right kind of fellows, and rush ’em. Get in some new blood.”
“That’s all right,” said Bryan doggedly. “I’m rushin’ you. How do you do it? I never went to college yet; so I don’t know.”
Allison laughed now. He rather liked this queer boy.
“He’s a nut!” he said to himself, and entered into the talk in earnest.