It was the old Yale wheeze-with just a dash of sex this time.

You see the Smoker Committee needed publicity and the Sportsman's and Boat Show needed publicity. The Managing Editor gave us the assignment and subway fare to Mechanics Hall. The handout, in the best public relations tradition, oozed: "Lovely Ann Curtis, the Olympic swim star, currently appearing at the etc, etc, faces a seathing denunciation at the hands of those vocal undergrads of Harvard if she doesn't accept their bid to the Freshman Smoker. The difficulty began when Ann and her famous Olympic partner, Adolph Kiefer, agreed to perform at the Yale..."You get the angle.

Same Old Uniform

It took us no more than the customary fifteen minutes to argue our way past the same ticket taker we had to argue our way past for the Annual Flower Show, The Annual Shoe Distributor's Exhibit, and the Annual Coin Collector's and Philatelist's Colloquium. The publicity agent however was a stranger-only the uniform looked familiar. His name was John Cotter and he were a double breasted pin striped number with a hand painted tie. His hat brim was turned up.

He led us down the midway, which smelled like a state fair, popcorn and all, to the auditorium. Five dogs were swimming around after a duck in a portable canvas pool, The dogs disappeared and Cotter hustled Miss Curtis onto the stage.

In no time at all she was being perfunctorily tossed into the drink by five bemused freshmen. Then, just in case the photographers missed the picture, Cotter rushed her into a dingy back room where the same freshmen hoisted her again and smiled. This time they didn't let go.

"Ah Miss Curtis..." we said. "No time now I have to rush down and take a shower."

"But Miss Curtis, We're from the "Oh the newspapers. Well that publicity release was wrong. I'm only twenty-two, not twenty four like he said." She glanced over towards Mr. Cotter.

He too was damp, but agreeable, "Sure, honey, sure make it twenty one, anything you like."

"But Miss Curtis," we stammered, "are you coming?"

"Coming, Where? When?" "Why the Smoker, on the twenty third" "How could I? We are scheduled to be in Detroit then."

"Oh!" These five "vocal undergrads" hadn't said a word.