CHAPTER VII
LINK AGAIN
There was a rush of the celebrating seniors toward the place where thedisturbance arose. Then others left the big bonfire to see the fun.
An automobile horn tooted discordantly--defiantly, Andy thought.
"Who has had the nerve to come in here, of all nights--on the one whenwe have our fire?" he thought. "It can't be any of the freshmen; theywouldn't dare."
"What are you going to do?" asked Ben in Andy's ear, as he trottedbeside his chum.
"We'll upset his apple cart--that's the least we'll do, for one thing."
"I should say yes!" chimed in Chet. "Surely!"
They had now reached the spot where, from all appearances, was locatedthe center of disturbance. A crowd of the freshmen, whose labors ingathering wood for the fire had now ceased, were gathered around a largetouring car that, in defiance of all rules and customs, had been run tothe very center of the school campus.
"Come down out of that!"
"Get away from here!"
"You fellows have nerve!"
"Puncture their tires!"
These are only a few of the cries and threats hurled at those in theauto--four young fellows who seemed anxious to make trouble not only forthemselves, but for the school boys, whose celebration they hadinterrupted.
The campus was a sort of sacred place. It stood in the midst of theschool buildings and dormitories, and, though visitors were alwayswelcome, there was a rule against vehicles crossing it, for the turf wasthe pride not only of the students, but the faculty as well. So it is nowonder that the sight of a heavy auto rolling over the lawn aroused theire of all.
"Get out of the way there, you fellows, if you don't want to be runover!" snapped the youth at the steering wheel of the auto. "I'll smashthrough you in another minute!"
"Oh, you will, eh?"
"Isn't he the sassy little boy!"
"Yank him out of there!"
The freshmen surrounding the auto thus reviled those in the car.
The auto had come to a stop, but the engine was still running, freefrom the gears. Now and then, as he saw an opening, the lad at the wheelwould slip in his clutch and the car would advance a few feet. Then moreof the school boys would swarm about it, and progress would be impeded.
"Smash through 'em, old man!" advised one on the rear seat. "We don'twant to stay here all night!"
"That's right; run 'em down," advised his companion. "We're--we're--whatare we, anyhow?" he asked, and it did not need a look at him to tell thecause of his condition. In fact, all in the auto were in a ratherhilarious state, and the running of the car over the campus had been theresult of a suggestion made after a too-long lingering in a certainroad-house, where stronger stuff than ginger ale was dispensed.
"We're all right--noshin matter us," declaimed one. "Run 'em down, oleman!"
"Look out! I'm going through you!" cried the lad at the wheel. Thefreshmen in front of the car parted instinctively, but before the youngchauffeur could put his threat into execution, Andy and his chums hadreached the machine.
"Get out of here!" cried Andy, and, reaching up, he fairly pulled thesteersman from his seat. The chap came down in a rush, nearly upsettingAndy, who, however, managed to yank the lad to his feet.
"Pull 'em all out!" came the cry from Tom, and a moment later he, withthe aid of Ben, Chet and Frank, had pulled from the car the other youngmen, who seemed too dazed to resist.
"Hop in that car, Peterson," ordered Andy, to a freshman who couldoperate an auto. "Run it out to the street and leave it. Then we'll rushthese chaps out to it and chuck 'em in. We'll show 'em what it means torun over our campus."
All this time Andy had kept hold of the collar of the youth whom he hadpulled from the car. Then the latter turned about, and raised his fist.He had been taken so by surprise that he at first had seemed incapableof action.
At this moment the big bonfire flared up brightly, and by its glare Andyhad a look at the face of the lad with whom he had clashed. The sightcaused him suddenly to drop his hold and exclaim:
"Mortimer Gaffington!"
"Huh! So it's you, is it, Andy Blair? What do you mean by acting thisway?" demanded Mortimer, the shock of whose rough handling had seemed tosober temporarily. "What do you mean? I demand an apology! That's what Ido. Ain't I 'titled to 'pology, fellers?" and he appealed to his chums.
"Sure you are. Make the little beggar 'pologize!" leered one. "If hewas at Yale, now, we'd haze him good and proper."
"Yale!" cried Tom Hatfield. "Yale fires out such fellows as you!"
"Mortimer Gaffington!" gasped Andy. "I rather wish this hadn't happened.Or, rather I wish it had been anyone but he. I can see where this maylead."
"You goin' 'pologize?" asked Mortimer, trying to fix a stern gaze onAndy.
"Apologize! Certainly not!" cried Andy, indignantly. "It is you fellowswho ought to apologize. What would you do if some one ran an auto overYale Campus?"
"Ho! Ho! That's good. That's rich, that is!" laughed one who had beenyanked out of his seat by Tom Hatfield. "That's a good joke, that is! Anauto on Yale campus! Why we bulldogs would eat it up, that's what we'ddo!"
"Well, that's what we'll do here!" cried Chet, angered by thesupercilious tone of the lad. "Come on, boys; run 'em off Spanishfashion!"
It needed but this suggestion to further rouse the feelings of theMilton lads, and in an instant several of them had grabbed each of thetrespassers. Andy stepped back from Mortimer. Because of the alreadystrained relations between himself and this society "swell," he did notwish to take a part in the proceedings.
"Come on! Run 'em off!" was the rallying cry.
The auto had already been steered out on a road that circled the campus,and was soon in the street. Then, heading their victims toward the oldgateway that formed the chief entrance to the school the Milton ladsbegan running out the intruders.
"You wait! I--I'll fix you for this,--Andy Blair!" threatened Mortimeras he was rapidly propelled over the campus.
"Forget it!" advised Chet. "Rush 'em, fellows!"
And rushed off Mortimer and his companions were. They were fairly tossedinto their auto, and then, with jeers and shouted advice not to repeatthe trick, the school boys turned back to their fire.
Andy had lingered near the spot where he had hauled Mortimer out of theauto. He was thinking of many things. He did not forget what hadhappened to the intruders. Indeed it was nothing short of what theydeserved, for they had deliberately tried to harass the school boys, andmake a mockery of one of the oldest traditions of Milton--one that heldinviolate the beautiful campus.
"Only I wish it had been someone else than I who got hold of Mort,"mused Andy. "He'll be sure to remember it when I get to Yale, and he'llhave it in for me. He can make a lot of trouble, too, I reckon. Well, itcan't be helped. They only got what was coming to 'em."
With this thought Andy consoled himself, but he had an uneasy feelingfor all that. The students came trooping back, after having disposed ofMortimer and his crowd.
"You missed the best part of the fun," said Chet to Andy. "Those fellowsthought a cyclone struck them when we tossed 'em into the car. Theydon't know yet whether they're going or coming back," and he laughed,his mates joining in.
"Yes?" asked Andy, non-committally.
"What's up?" asked Tom, curiously. "You don't act as though it had anyflavor for you. What's the matter?"
"Oh, well--nothing," said Andy. "Come on, let's get back to the fire,and have a last song. Then I'm going to pack. I want to leave on thatearly train in the morning."
"Same here. Come on, boys. Whoop her up once more for Old Milton, andthen we'll say good-bye."
"I know what ails Andy," spoke Tom in a low tone to Frank, walking alongarm in arm with him.
"What?"
"It's about that fellow Gaffington. Andy's sorry he had a run-in withhim, and I don't blame Andy. He had trouble before, and this will onlyadd to it. And that Gaffington is just mean enough, and small-spiri
tedenough, to make trouble for Andy down there at Yale. He's a sport--butone of the tin-horn brand. I don't blame Andy for wishing it had beensomeone else."
"Oh, well, here's hoping," said Frank. "We all have our troubles."
"But those fellows won't trouble us again to-night," declared Chet,laughing. "They'll be glad to go home and get in bed."
"Did you know any of 'em, Andy, except Gaffington?" asked Tom.
"No, the others were strangers to me."
"How do you reckon they got here, all the way from New Haven?"
"Oh, they didn't come from Yale," declared Andy. "The university closedlast week, you know. Probably Mort had some of his chums out to visithim in Dunmore. That was his car. And he wanted to show 'em the sights,and let 'em see he could run all over little Milton, so he brought 'emout here. It isn't such a run from Dunmore, you know."
"I reckon that's it," agreed Tom. "Well, they got more than they werelooking for, that's one consolation. Now boys, whoop her up for thelast time."
Again they gathered about the blazing fire, and sang their farewellsong.
The annual celebration was drawing to a close. Another group of ladswould leave Milton to go out into the world, mounting upward yet anotherstep. From then on the ways of many who had been jolly good comradestogether would diverge. Some might cross again; others be as wide apartas the poles.
The fire died down. The big piano box commandeered by "Swipes" was but aheap of ashes. The fun was over.
There were cheers for the departing senior lads, who, in turn, cheeredthe others who would take their places. Then came tributes to theindustrious freshmen.
"Good night! Good night! Good night!" was shouted on all sides.
Less and less brilliant grew the fire. Now it was but a heap of glowingcoals that would soon be gray, dead and cold ashes, typical in a way, ofthe passing of the senior boys. And yet, phoenix-like, from these sameashes would spring up a new fire--a fire in the hearts that would neverdie out. Such are school friendships.
Of course there were forbidden little feasts in the various rooms tomark the close of the term--spreads to which monitors, janitors andprofessors discreetly closed their eyes.
Andy and his friends gathered in his apartment for a last chat. Theywere to journey to their home town on the morrow and then would soonseparate for the long summer vacation.
"Well, it was a rare old celebration!" sighed Tom, as he flopped on thebed.
"It sure was!" agreed Chet, with conviction. "I hope I have as much funas this if I go to Harvard."
"Same here, only I think I'll make mine Princeton," added Ben. "Oh, butit's sort of hard to leave Milton!"
"Right you are," came from Andy, who was opening ginger ale and sodawater.
And, after a time, quiet settled down over the school, and Dr. Morrisonand his colleagues breathed freely again. Milton had stood steadfastthrough another assault of "bonfire night."
The next morning there were confused goodbyes, multiplied promises towrite, or to call, vows never to forget, and protestations of eternalfriendship. There were arrangements made for camping, boating, trampingand other forms of vacation fun. There were dates made for assemblingnext year. There was a confused rushing to and fro, a looking up of thetime of trains, hurried searches for missing baggage.
And, after much excitement, Andy and his chums found themselves in thesame car bound for Dunmore. They settled back in their seats with sighsof relief.
"Hear anything more of Mort and his crowd?" asked Tom of Andy.
"Not a thing."
"I did," spoke Chet. "They were nearly arrested for making a row in townafter we got through with 'em."
"Hum!" mused Andy. "I s'pose Mort will blame me for that, too. Well, nouse worrying until I have to."
At Churchtown, where the train stopped to give the boys at least a lastremembrance of Kelly's place, several passengers got on. Among them wasa young man who seemed familiar to Andy and his chums. A second lookconfirmed it.
"Why, that's the Bardon chap we took away from that farmer!" exclaimedFrank.
"That's right!" cried Andy. "Hello, Link!" he called genially. "What youdoing here?"
"Oh, how are you?" asked the farm lad. "Glad to see you all again," andhe nodded to each one in turn. He did not at all presume on hisacquaintance with them, and was about to pass on, when Andy said:
"Sit down. How's your arm?"
"Oh much better, thank you. I've been working steadily since you helpedme."
"That's good. Where are you bound for now?" went on Andy.
"Why, I'm going to look up an uncle of mine I haven't seen in years. Ihear he has a big farm, and I thought I'd like to work for him."
"Where is it?" asked Andy.
"In a place called Wickford, Connecticut."
"Wickford!" exclaimed Andy. "Why that's near New Haven, and Yale--whereI'm going this fall. Maybe I'll see you there, Link."
"Maybe," assented the young farmer, and then, declining Andy'sinvitation to sit with the school lads, he passed on down the caraisle.