CHAPTER I.



            "They Play the Game."
  Ever since the day when he had learned to
know the fickle exultation from his associate's
acclaim, "handsome ugly," Hughes Randall had
delighted in being a social economist, a builder of
schemes, a promoter of ideas, an organizer.
While in common-school he had organized the
"Undefeated Shinny Players," the "Base Ball
Terrors," and the "Foot Ball Challengers," lead-
ing each organization through a series of glorious
victories and unlamented defeats until "Cap"
came to supersede the less gracious nickname
"pug ugly." During one vacation he had organ-
ized the "Swimming-Pool Electors," one law of
which required each "Elector" to devote one hour
to cleaning and repairing the pool for the hour
spent in the water; and the farmer on whose land
the pool was located, was so pleased at having
the stock pond put in repair that he presented the
"Electors" with a year old pig. This acquisition
gave rise to the organization of "The Perpetual
Pig Club," a commercial scheme which was to
reap glorious returns from the stock in control;
no doubt the idea of the organizer would have
been accomplished but for two more dominant
factors, one being the necessary upkeep of said
pig, the other being a circus which came to the
city when the "Perpetuals" were short of finance.
                      B