then. Next week comes. What do they get? Another prom
ise. 'Why I forgot all about it; but I will have it tomorrow!'
Tomorrow conies. What then? Au exclamation. '0! I
have been too busy to think about it! Wait till next month!'
And next month—the same is repeated. Not time to think!
Shucks! Do they ever think? No, it is too hard on the brain!
They are regular phonographs. You come to a certain lesson
in their particular branch, put on the proper cylinder, wind
them up, press the button and they are off. Away they go,
rattle-t-bang! Keep up with them if you can; if you can't,
cut across lots. But take them outside of their specialty,
and ask them a question. It is just like placing a blank cyl
inder on the phonograph,--squeak-squeak,-squeak, scratch!
It is worse than a stack of cats that have the fits. 0 you can
shake your head all you please, but it's true just the same."
"Or why don't you write another editorial about delin
quent subscribers?" persisted the Critic. "Keep at them.
What if, as some of the students say, the Lance is not worth
a dollar;' the effort to make it such is surely worth a dollar's
.encouragement. Some of them seem to have the idea that be
cause it is a Free Lance, it is given to them. And you, Mr.
Iditor, should dispel such illusions from their minds most. aw
ful sudden. 0, I see that you seem to think they'll pay some
•day. Perhaps they will; but hurry them tip about it. Why,
they are slower about paying, than the campus men are
about working, and I swear that the latter are the slowest
mortals on earth.
The Critic paused to rest for a moment, went to the win
dow and opened it to get a breath of fresh air. ' He was evi
dently trying to think of something more to say. Could it be
that he had exhausted himself. it did not seem possible,
The Editor and The Critic