CHAPTER XIV
AT THE ICE-CREAM ESTABLISHMENT
The Lanings and the Stanhopes had been in the best of health sincereturning from the south. Mrs. Stanhope was no more the pale anddelicate person she had been, and her former nervous manner was entirelygone. The cheeks of the three girls were like roses, and it was nowonder that the Rovers thought them the nicest young ladies in the wholeworld.
"Wish we were in a carriage," observed Tom, after the turnout had goneon. "Then we might have gone for a drive together."
"I know what Tom would like," said Sam. "A nice buggy and a slow horse,and Nellie beside him----"
"Humph, please change the names to Sam and Grace and you'll hit itcloser," answered Tom, his face growing red.
"I'm going to make up a poem about them some day," said Songbird. "Ishall call it--let me see--ah, yes--The Three Fair Maidens ofCedarville."
"Don't!" cried Dick. "Songbird, if you dare to do anything likethat----"
"You'll have to leave Dora out anyway," said Tom. "If you don't, Dickwill get in your wool sure. He----"
"Say, what about Sobber and Pell?" broke in the eldest Rover, his facequite red. "I feel like punishing them for making the ladies drive intothe ditch."
"We'll remember it," answered Sam. "If we catch them in Cedarville let'sspeak of it and see what they have to say for themselves."
"Speaking about a party," observed Songbird, as they approached thevillage, "do you realize that we haven't had any sort of a feast at theHall since we got back to the grind?"
"Fred was saying the same thing only a few days ago," answered Tom. "Wecertainly ought to have some sort of a blow-out."
"Vot you vos going to plow owid?" asked Hans innocently.
"Blow out the stuffings from a mince pie, Hansy."
"Vere you vos plow dem to, Dom?"
"Blow them into your stomach. Have a spread--a feast--a fill-up, so tospeak--something to eat, cheese, sandwiches, cake, pie, pudding, jam,oranges, bananas, lard, salt, plum pudding, toothpicks, ice-cream,turnips, and other delicacies," went on the fun-loving Rover, rapidly.
"Ach, yah, I understand now, ain't it! I like dem feasts. Ve haf him invon of der pedrooms alretty yet, hey?"
"If the crowd is willing," said Sam. "For one, I vote in favor of it."
"Second the nomination," put in Tom, promptly. "It is elected by aunanimous vote we have a feast at the school, some night in the nearfuture, at eleven o'clock, G. M."
The idea of a feast pleased all the boys. They always got enough to eatduring regular meal hours at the Hall, but there was something enticingin the idea of having a feast on the sly some night in one of thedormitories. They had had a number of such in the past and these hadbeen productive of a good deal of sport.
"Let us go down to the steamboat landing and see if we can see anythingof Pell and Sobber," suggested Dick. "If Sobber is going to Ithaca he'llmost likely go by the _Golden Star_."
They were walking along the main street of Cedarville when they chancedto look into the principal candy store. There, in front of the sodafountain, were the bully of the Hall and his crony. They were drinkingsoda and talking to a young girl who had served them.
"Hullo, here they are!" cried Sam, and came to a halt.
As they looked into the place they saw Tad Sobber reach over the counterand catch the girl clerk by her curls. He held fast, grinning into herface, while she tried to pull away from him.
"The mean wretch!" cried Dick. "He tries to make himself as obnoxious ashe can to everybody he meets."
"Oh, please let go!" came in the girl's voice through the open doorway."You hurt me!"
"Don't worry, I won't hurt you," replied Sobber, still grinning.
"But I--I don't want my curls pulled," pleaded the frightened girl. "Oh,please let go, won't you?"
"I want you----" began the bully, but did not finish, for at that momenthe felt Dick's hand on his ear. Then he received a yank that pained himexceedingly.
"Ouch!" he yelled, and dropped his hold of the girl. "Oh, my ear! DickRover, what did you do that for?"
"I did it to make you behave yourself," answered Dick, sternly. "Sobber,I didn't really think you could be so mean," he went on.
"I--I wasn't hurting the girl," grumbled the bully. "And it's none ofyour business anyway," he added, suddenly, in a blaze of passion.
"After this, you leave her alone."
Tad Sobber glared at Dick for an instant. Then he raised his glass ofsoda and attempted to dash it into Dick's face. But Sam saw themovement, knocked up the bully's arm, and the soda went into Nick Pell'sear.
"Hi, stop!" roared Nick Pell, as the soda trickled down his neck. "Whatdid you do that for?"
"It was Sam Rover's fault," answered Sobber.
"My brand new collar is spoilt!"
"Charge it to your crony," said Tom.
"I'll fix you fellows!" roared the bully, and raised the empty sodaglass over Dick's head. But now Tom rushed in and wrenched the glassfrom Sobber's hand. In the meantime the girl behind the counter hadbecome more frightened than ever and she ran to the back of the store tosummon assistance.
It looked as if there might be a regular fight, but in a few seconds theproprietor of the store appeared, armed with a mop stick he had pickedup. He happened to be the father of the girl, and she told him how TadSobber had caught her by the hair.
"See here," began the candy store keeper, and flourished his mop stickat the bully. Then Sobber retreated from the establishment and Nick Pelldid likewise, and both started on a run up the street.
"What do you cadets mean by coming in here and annoying my daughter?"demanded the storekeeper hotly. "If you can't behave yourselves, you hadbetter keep away."
"We didn't hurt your daughter," said Sam.
"My brother here did what he could to save her from annoyance," saidTom.
"Oh, I know you cadets! You are all tarred with the same brush!"muttered the storekeeper. "I want you to get out--and stay out!"
"Yes, but----" began Dick.
"No 'buts' about it, young man. I want you to get out."
"Father, he made the other boy let go of my curls," explained the girl."He caught the other boy by the ear."
"That may be, Fanny, but these young bloods are all alike. I don't wanttheir trade. They must clear out, and stay away."
"Come on, fellows," said Dick. "We'll not stay if we are not wanted." Heturned again to the storekeeper. "But I want you to remember one thing:We had nothing to do with annoying your daughter."
"Did they pay for the soda?" asked the man suddenly.
"No," replied the girl.
"Then this crowd has got to pay," went on the storekeeper, unreasonably."How much was it?"
"Ten cents."
"We haven't bought anything and we'll not pay for anything," said Sam.
"Not a cent shall I pay," put in Songbird.
"Did vos a outrages!" burst out Hans. "Of you insult us some more I voscall a bolicemans alretty!" And he puffed up his chest indignantly.
"Well, you get out, and be quick about it!" cried the man, and raisedhis stick. "Don't let me catch any of you in here again either!"
"Don't worry,--we can spend our money elsewhere," said Tom.
"Where we are treated decently," added Dick, and walked from the candystore.
Once outside, the boys talked the situation over for all of ten minutes,but without satisfaction. All were indignant over the way thestorekeeper had treated them, and Tom wanted to go back on the sly andplay a trick on him, but Dick demurred.
"Let it go, Tom. He is a mean man, that's all."
"Well, I am going to show folks how generous he is," answered Tom, witha sudden grin. "Wait here a few minutes," and he darted into a nearbystore where they sold stationery. When he came out he had a good-sizedsheet of paper in his hand and also several big red seals.
"What's that?" asked Sam.
"It's a sign for the candy storekeeper's front window."
With caution T
om went back to the store. He saw that the proprietor wasin the rear parlor, dishing out ice-cream to several customers who hadcome in. The girl was also at the back. Swiftly Tom stuck the sheet ofpaper up under the show window, fastening it with the gummy seals. Thepaper read as follows:
FREE BOUQUETS OF ROSES TO ALL YOUNG LADIES BUYING ICE-CREAM HERE TO-DAY.COME IN!
"Now let us watch for some fun," said Tom.
They had not long to wait. The steamboat had come in and a number ofpassengers were walking up the street. Soon a party of three girls and ayoung man espied the sign.
"Oh, Clara," cried one of the girls. "Free roses this time of year, justthink of it!"
"Come on right in," said the young man, and led the way into the store.Then another young man came along with a girl and they also read thesign and entered. Soon two old maids stopped and read the announcement.
"I do love ice-cream, Angelina," said one. "Let us go in and getchocolate and get the bouquets, too." And they followed the crowdinside.
The store had two side windows to it, which were opened a few inchesfrom the bottom for ventilation, and the cadets stole up to thesewindows to listen to the talk. Everybody ordered cream and began to eat,and then asked for the bouquets.
"Bouquets?" asked the storekeeper, mystified.
"Why, yes," said the young man who had brought in the three girls.
"If you don't mind, I'd like Jack roses," said one of the maidens.
"And I like American Beauties," said another.
"I don't care what kind I get so long as it is a big bunch," added thethird girl.
"What are you talking about?" demanded the storekeeper.
"We are talking about the bouquets you are giving away," said the youngman. He had eaten nearly all of his cream and the girls had almostfinished.
"I am giving away no bouquets."
"Why, yes you are!" cried the girls.
"Of course!" put in one of the old maids, suspiciously. "And I want justas good a bunch of roses as anybody."
"So do I," added the second old maid.
"Are you folks all crazy?" demanded the storekeeper. "I am not givingaway anything."
"What!" demanded the young man who had come in with one girl. "Your signdon't read that way. It says 'free bouquets of roses to all young ladiesbuying ice-cream here to-day.' You've got to give this young lady herbouquet or I won't pay for this cream!"
"Where is that sign?" demanded the storekeeper, and when told rushed outand tore the announcement down and into shreds. "This is a--an outrage!I didn't put the sign up!"
After this there was a wordy war lasting several minutes. Nobody wantedto pay for the cream eaten, and as he could not furnish the bouquets thestorekeeper could not collect. In a rage he chased the would-becustomers out and then started to look for the person who had played himsuch a trick. But the cadets of Putnam Hall had withdrawn from thatvicinity and they took good care to keep out of sight.