As they left school that afternoon they were treated to the same dose of "silence." Tuesday morning neither Dodge nor Bayliss showed up at all at school.
On Thursday morning High School readers of "The Blade" were greatly interested in the following personal paragraph: _"Bayliss and Dodge, both of the senior class, High School, have severed their connection with that institution.

It is understood that the young men are going elsewhere in search of better educational facilities."_ That was all, but it told the boys and girls at Gridley High School all that they needed to know.
"That is the very last gasp of the 'sorehead' movement," grinned Tom Reade, in talking it over with Dan Dalzell.
"Well, they did the whole trick for themselves," rejoined Dan.
"No one else touched them, or pushed them.

They took all the rope they wanted---and hanged themselves.

Now, that pair will probably feel cheap every time they have to come back to Gridley and walk the streets." "All they had to do was to be decent fellows," mused Tom.

"But the strain of decency proved to be too severe for them." In the High School yard that Thursday morning there was one unending strain of rejoicing.
Some of the other late "soreheads," who had escaped the full meed of humiliation---Davis, Cassleigh, Fremont, Porter and others---actually sighed with relief when they found what they had escaped in the way of ridicule and contempt.
"The whole thing teaches us one principle," muttered Fremont to Porter.
"What is that ?" "Never tackle the popular idol in any mob.