CHAPTER VIII STARCHING AND BLUEING
“To get square with those Pornell fellows means two things,” remarkedJack, as the boys proceeded to push off and out of the Cove. “One is todo something worth while, and the other is to keep Captain Putnam in thedark about the rough-house affair. If we raise a row about that——”
“The Pornell students will raise a row if we do anything and are foundout,” finished Andy.
“Right you are.”
“Well, I guess we can keep still, since the captain has admitted hethinks Bob Grenwood innocent of the affair,” remarked Dale.
On the arrival at the Hall the two sloops were tied up at the dock, andthe boys drifted down to the gymnasium, where Andy did some wonderful“stunts” on the rings and bars. Jack drew some of his chums aside and ina corner it was discussed how accounts might be “squared up” with thePornellites.
“I know what I’d like to do,” grumbled Stuffer. “I’d like to presentthem with Pluxton Cuddle. They could have him and welcome.”
“What, have you had more trouble?” questioned Pepper.
“Indeed I have! What do you think! I was eating some candy I bought intown last week and he told me to throw it away—that it would ruin mydigestion!”
“That’s fierce,” said Hogan. “Sure, and where is this tyranny to stop, Idon’t know! Next thing ye know he won’t let us eat at all, at all!”
“I move we give Cuddle a lesson—after we get through with Pornell,” saidBart Conners, and this suggestion was hailed with satisfaction by allpresent.
One of the boys had learned that a number of Pornell students were goingto a party on the following Wednesday afternoon. The affair was to begiven by a number of girls at a place called Lakelawn, a mile from theAcademy. Among the invited guests were Bock and several of his cronies.
“And what do you think!” said the cadet who gave this news. “ReffRitter, Coulter and Paxton are also invited and I believe they are to gotoo.”
“We ought to do something to spoil that fun,” said Andy.
“Let us think it over,” answered Jack.
On Monday afternoon Pepper learned through Mumps that Ritter, Coulterand Paxton had accepted the invitation to Lakelawn and expected to havea “large time,” to use Ritter’s own words.
At the time the school sneak gave this information to Pepper the latterwas eating candy from a bag he had purchased. Mumps wanted some of thatcandy and he lingered around even after Pepper had given him severalchocolates.
“Say,” he said finally. “Give me some more chocolates and I’ll tell yousomething very important.”
“What about, Mumps?”
“About Ritter and his crowd.”
“But you have just told me about them.”
“This is something different.”
“Well, let me have it.”
“Will you give me the chocolates?”
“Yes,—if the news is of importance.”
“How many?”
“All there are left in the bag.” The Imp twisted the top of the candybag shut as he spoke.
“All right.” The school sneak looked around the hall, to make certainnobody was listening. “Ritter and his crowd are going to do you up brownto-night,” he said coarsely.
“Do us up brown? What do you mean?” And now Pepper was all attention.
“I don’t know any particulars. But I heard Reff say that, when he wastalking to Coulter, Paxton and Sabine. I think they are going to visityour dormitory after you are asleep.”
“What else did they say?”
“I didn’t catch much, for Reff saw me and ordered me away. I heard themmention starch. He told some kind of a joke about putting the starch inyou instead of taking it out.”
“Hum!” mused Pepper. “Is that all?”
“Yes. But don’t say I told you, please!” pleaded Mumps.
“I won’t. And here is the candy.”
The Imp held out the bag and the sneak snatched it eagerly, and lookedinside.
“Huh!” he said, indignantly. “There is only one chocolate in the bag!”
“I gave you all I had left—just as I promised,” answered Pepper with agrin, and walked away, leaving the sneak much crestfallen.
Pepper lost no time in hunting up Jack and some of the others andrelating all he had heard.
“We must be on our guard to-night,” said the young major.
“What do you make of this talk about starch?” asked Andy.
“I know that to-day is wash day and the wash-women in the laundry areusing a lot of starch,” answered Jack. “Maybe Ritter and his gang thinkto steal some and use it.”
“Gracious! if they do that I know what I’ll do!” cried Pepper, struck bya sudden idea.
“What?”
“If they try to starch us why can’t we blue them? We can get some of theblueing balls from the laundry, and——”
“Good? Just the cheese!” cried Dale. “Blueing is better than starchingany day!” And he laughed gleefully.
The boys laid their plans with care, and retired to their dormitory atan early hour. They had a little studying to do and got through withtheir lessons as speedily as possible.
“Now I am going out and play enemy,” said Pepper, when it was time toretire. “Remember, when I whistle it means get busy!” And he stole forthout of the dormitory and down the semi-dark hallway with the silence ofa shadow.
When he reached the doorway of the room Ritter and his cronies occupiedhe paused and listened intently. A low murmur of voices reached hisears.
“Are you fellows all ready?” he heard Ritter ask, presently.
“Yes,” was the general answer.
“Everybody got his can of starch?”
“I couldn’t get any more starch so I got mucilage,” answered Paxton. “Ireckon it will be just as sticky.”
The others said they had starch, and then Reff Ritter came to the doorand opened it softly. Pepper was too quick for him, however, and hid outof sight around an angle of the hall.
The conspirators had scarcely left the dormitory when Pepper entered itand spent several minutes inside. Then he came out on the run, ahandkerchief tied over his face.
In the meantime Ritter and his crowd had entered the room Jack and theothers occupied. They were about to pour the cans of starch and mucilageover the beds, where they supposed the cadets were reposing, whensomething unexpected happened. From out of two closets leaped Jack, Andyand the others, each with a wet and knotted towel in his hand.
“At them, fellows!” cried the young major. And whack! came his wet towelon Reff Ritter’s head, sending the water flying into his face.
“Hi! stop!” roared the bully, taken completely off his guard.
Whack! whack! whack! went the wet and knotted towels, and every one ofthe intruders received several cracks on the head and in the face. Thecloths were so saturated with moisture that the water flew in alldirections, wetting them completely. Ritter and his crowd were sobewildered they knew not what to do and forget all about using the cansof starch. Coulter let his can drop and then slipped on the contents,pulling another boy down on top of him.
“Hi, Ritter, get back to your room! Old Crabtree is coming!” called outPepper in a disguised voice from the hallway, and then, more scared thanever, the bully turned and darted from the dormitory and his cohortsfollowed. In the darkness Pepper tripped the bully up, sending himheadlong on his nose. Then Pepper darted into the dormitory, and thedoor was shut and locked.
“That’s the time we caught them on the fly,” cried Jack, joyously. “My,but didn’t we give it to ’em good!”
“I hope you wet them all,” said Pepper.
“We did,” answered Andy.
“Then they’ll have a fine time drying themselves—if they get hold of thetowels I fixed up,” grinned The Imp.
They waited and heard Ritter and his cronies enter the dormitory at theend of the hallway. Then they st
ole forth, Pepper leading the way.
“Who said Crabtree was coming?” they heard Ritter ask.
“Must have been some friend from another dormitory,” answered BillySabine. “Ugh! I’m soaked through!” And he shivered.
“Don’t say a word, I got a crack right in the nose and it’s bleeding,”growled Coulter.
“What, the crack or the nose?” queried Paxton grimly.
“Huh, this ain’t no time to joke! Where is there a towel?”
Towels were handy—Pepper had seen to that—and one after another of thosein the dormitory caught up a cloth and began to wipe the water from hisface and neck. They were doing this vigorously by a dim light when of asudden Coulter let out a yell.
“What’s the matter with your face, Paxton?” he asked.
“My face? Nothing, only it’s mighty wet.”
“It’s as blue as indigo!”
“Eh?”
“It’s as blue as indigo and all streaked!”
Nick Paxton ran to a glass and gave a look. But before he could say aword Reff Ritter gave a cry.
“My hands are all blue—and so is my nose!”
“I’m blue too!” ejaculated Billy Sabine. “Oh, what has happened to us?”
“Maybe they had blue paint in those towels,” suggested Coulter. “Gosh,if this ain’t fierce! We look like a lot of painted Indians!”
“So we do!” cried another student. “Wonder if it will wash off?”
Reff Ritter turned up the light and examined a towel closely.
“I see what it is!” he cried. “Somebody has put blueing powder all overthe towels. The water has made a regular dye of it!”
“Oh!” came in a groaning chorus.
“Will the—the blueing wash off?” asked Paxton, in a faint voice.
“I don’t think all of it will—it’s too strong,” answered Ritter. “I’llbet this is some of the Ruddy crowd’s work,” he added bitterly.
Just then a sheet of paper was thrust under the door. Coulter picked itup. A patter of footsteps could be heard in the distance.
“A note,” said Coulter. “I’ll wager it is from those fellows.”
He brought the sheet of paper to the light and read it, the othersgazing over his shoulders. On the sheet was written:
“Thank you very much for the starching. We return the compliment by doing the blueing.”
“I told you so!” growled Reff Ritter. “Blueing indeed? If we can’t getthis stuff off we won’t want to show ourselves in the classroomsto-morrow!”
“And what about the party at Lakelawn?” groaned Gus Coulter. “Don’tforget that, Reff!”
“If we can’t clean up we’ll have to stay at home. I don’t want to golooking like a bluejay, do you?”
“We’ll have to get square with the Ruddy crowd for this,” said Paxton.“Oh, what a mess!” And he did his best to get the blueing from his face.
“Just wait, that’s all!” answered Reff Ritter, savagely. “I’ll getsquare if it takes a thousand years!”