Suddenly he sent forth a startling shout. “_Wow!_ You're as red as a blushing beet.”
“Y'are!” shouted Fred. “Wow! The ole woman-hater's got the flushes! Oh, look at the pretty posy!”
And, jumping down from the window seat, he began to dance round his much perturbed comrade, bellowing. Ramsey bore with him for a moment, then sprang upon him; they wrestled vigorously, broke a chair, and went to the floor with a crash that gave the chandelier in Mrs. Meig's parlour, below, an attack of jingles.
“You take your solemn oath to shut up? You goin' to swear it?”
“All right. I give my solemn oath,” said Fred; and they rose, arranging their tousled attire.
“Well,” said Fred, “when you goin' to call on her?”
“You look here!” Ramsey approached him dangerously. “You just gave me your sol--”
“I beg!” Fred cried, retreating. “I mean, aside from all that, why, I just thought maybe after such an evening you'd feel as a gentleman you ought to go and ask about her health.”
“No, I mean it; you ought to,” Fred insisted, earnestly, and as his roommate glared at him with complete suspicion, he added, in explanation. “You ought to go next Caller's Night, and send in your card, and say you felt you ought to ask if she'd suffered any from the night air. Even if you couldn't manage to say that, you ought to start to say it, anyhow, because you-- Keep off o' me! I'm only tryin' to do you a good turn, ain't I?”
“You save your good turns for yourself,” Ramsey growled, still advancing upon him.
But the insidious Mitchell, evading him, fled to the other end of the room, picked up his cap, and changed his manner. “Come on, ole bag o' beans, let's be on our way to the 'frat house'; it's time. We'll call this all off.”
“You better!” Ramsey warned him; and they trotted out together.
But as they went along, Fred took Ramsey's arm confidentially, and said, “Now, honestly, Ram, ole man, when _are_ you goin' to--”
Ramsey was still red. “You look here! Just say one more word--”
“Oh, _no_,” Fred expostulated. “I mean _seriously_, Ramsey. Honestly, I mean seriously. Aren't you seriously goin' to call on her some Caller's Night?”
“Well, seriously, Ramsey, there's only one Caller's Night before vacation, and so I suppose it hardly will be worth while; but I expect you'll see quite a little of her at home this summer?”