CHAPTER XIV
DICK & CO. MAKE AN APPLE "PIE"
"Then I wish we had 'em here!" sputtered Tom Reade vengefully."I could eat two of them at this moment, and without salt!"
"They need salting badly!" growled Dave Darrin angrily.
The tent was not only down. Each guy rope had been cut in themiddle, so that the cordage could not be used again.
"I never saw anything more sneaking!" cried Reade in rage anddisgust.
"Unless it will be the way that we shall sneak up behind the rah-rahcrowd and square matters!" remarked Darry meaningly.
"First of all, we must be sure of their guilt," warned Dick."It won't do to try to even up a score that's based only on suspicion.Wait until I get a lantern out of the wreck, and then we'll explorethe ground to see if we can discover any real proof against therascals."
"Let's get into our working clothes first," proposed Reade. "Wemight want to wear these white clothes again before we get home."
So Tom and Dave held up a part of the canvas while Dick slippedin under the folds of the tent to find the box in which they hadleft their hike clothing.
"The box isn't here," Dick called. "Neither can I see any ofthe bedding."
"Get hold here, fellows, and lift up more of the canvas," Readecalled.
"There isn't anything in the tent. All the stuff has been cleanedout." Prescott announced in a voice of disgust.
"It was the tramps, then," Dave declared. "The rah-rah boys wouldn'ttake the risk of stealing anything."
"Hold on! I've found a lantern," called Prescott. "I'll comeout with that."
He appeared a moment later, lighting the lantern.
"Now, let's see what we can find," he urged. Not far away thehigh school boys came upon the prints of sharp-toed shoes.
"The tramps didn't wear shoes that would make these prints," declaredDick. "Neither do any of our crowd. Fellows, we owe our surpriseto the rah-rah humorists."
"Then we'll pay 'em back in good measure," cried Darry in exasperation.
After some searching Dick & Co. came upon their clothes chest,at a distance of some hundred yards from camp. The chest hadnot been rifled, for it was locked and the key rested in Dick'spocket.
"Help me with it, Tom, and we'll carry it back," said Prescottin a low, hard tone. "We need our working clothes at once, forthere is work to be done to-night!"
The needed change of costume was quickly made. Off came the whitesuits, which were carefully folded and put away. Then on wentthe khaki and flannel clothing.
"Dan, you stay with the tent," Dick ordered, with the air of ageneral. "Greg, you and Harry make it your main business to seeif you can find the horse. The rest of us will concern ourselveswith finding out whether the rah-rah fellows are still outsidethe hotel."
"Here's the horse---grazing," shouted Greg, two minutes later.
"Run back, Dave, and pilot Greg and Harry here, after they'vestaked the horse down," Prescott suggested. "We don't want tomake too much noise, for our tormentors may yet be about somewhere."
"Hazy stumbled upon some of the blankets," Greg announced, whenhe and Harry joined Dave. "I don't believe any of our stuff hasbeen carried off, Dick. It has just been scattered."
"Perhaps we'd better gather in all our camp stuff first, then,"Dick decided. "We can't afford to lose any of our camp outfit."
Ten or fifteen minutes of searching, with the aid of the lantern,resulted in recovering all of their scattered possessions, evento the last of the cots, pillows and blankets.
"Now, let's make a sweep of the dark parts of the hotel grounds,and we may happen upon the rah-rahs, still chuckling over thefun they've had with us."
But the five boys had not gone far when they were stopped by awell-dressed young stranger of about twenty.
"Mr. Prescott?" asked the stranger.
"Yes," nodded Dick.
"I am one of the bell-boys at the hotel. When I went off dutyI asked the manager's permission to change my uniform for citizen'sclothing and watch those eight noisy fellows."
"The college boys?" asked Harry quickly.
"They're not college boys!" returned the young stranger. "They'vebeen giving a fake Saunders yell, and that was what made me dislikethem, for I've just finished the sophomore year at Saunders myself.I'm working at the Terraces as bell-boy to help pay next year'stuition at Saunders. The manager permitted me to watch thosefellows, but somehow they got away from me. I got track of themagain near to your camp. Just as I came along they were scootingaway, but a glance showed me the mischief they had worked, soI followed them."
"Do you know where they are now?" Dick asked eagerly.
"I know where they were ten minutes ago," replied the bell-boy.
"Then please take us to them as quickly as you can," begged Darryvehemently. "I'm fairly aching to pass the time of night with them!"
"I'll do it," agreed the bell-boy. "Follow me, please."
"I wonder why they went to all that trouble to be so disagreeableto us," Prescott muttered, as the little party strode along.
"You had some dispute with that crowd, on the hotel porch to-night,didn't you?" asked the bell-boy.
"Yes; they tried to address some of our girl friends, whom theydidn't know and we objected to their insolence."
"That was what made the rah-rah boys sore," went on the bell-boy."I heard them talking about it before I left them. It seems,too, that the manager sent the head waiter to stop their nonsensein the dining room to-night. For some reason these sham collegeboys blame you fellows for that humiliation also. So they'rechuckling over what they've done to your outfit to teach you tomind your own business, as they put it."
"I hope we catch up with 'em before they get back to the hotel,"uttered Tom fervently. "But warn us, please, whenever we getso close that they're likely to hear our voices."
The bell-boy now led them through an orchard.
"There seem to be a lot of apples on the ground," remarked Prescott,halting.
"Green ones---they're no good," replied the bell-boy.
"Then they are good---just what we want!" ejaculated Prescott."Hold on, fellows! Fill your hats with these apples."
"What are you going to do when you come upon these fellows?" askedthe bell-boy.
"Scuttle 'em---the way they did our tent!" Tom retorted.
"I hope you pay them back generously," muttered the bell-boy."I've a score to settle with them for trying to blacken goodold Saunders! But see here! Up to date, at least, they're guestsof the hotel, and I'm an employe there. Now, if they get toomuch the better of matters in a scrimmage, I'll sail in with youboys, even though I have to resign my hotel job. But, if I seethat you can handle 'em all right, I shall just stand by withouttaking any part in the fight"
"We understand your position, and appreciate it," Dick replied."We thank you, too, but we believe that we can take care of themall by ourselves. If we can't, then we'll take our drubbing."
"You boys have done some things in athletics, haven't you?" askedthe bell-boy, noting the way that each of the five present membersof Dick & Co. carried himself.
"Gridley High School football team last season," Dick replied,a trace of justifiable pride in his voice.
"You were?" demanded the bell-boy eagerly. "Then shake! My nameis Gerard. We know a lot about the Gridley High School brandof football at Saunders."
Introductions were quickly passed.
"Now, I'd like to feel that I'm really one of you, and I'll fightshoulder to shoulder with you!" chuckled Gerard.
"Please don't try to take a hand in any fight that may occur,"Prescott begged. "If you're working your way through college,just keep your eye on your job. Don't mix up in any trouble withthe guests."
"We'll soon be at the spot where I left the bunch," said Gerard,a few moments later.
Over a rise of ground the bell-boy led Dick & Co. Then he pointedto a little grove of chestnut trees.
"There is the rah-rah crowd," he whis
pered. "You see, they haveone of your lanterns, and they're lunching on some of your foodsupplies that they brought along with them."
"I wonder what those freshies are saying now," came in a laughingvoice, from the rah-rah group under the chestnut trees.
"Their potted chicken is all right, anyway," laughed another."Cut me off another slice of the bread. Whee! This collegemischief on a dark night gives one an appetite."
Dick gave whispered instructions to his own forces, then signedto Gerard, who drew back into the shadow.
"I'd like to see the fresh kids now," jeered another rah-rah youth.
"May all your wishes in life be as promptly fulfilled!" mutteredTom Reade under his breath.
"We might have had a nice time to-night dancing with the girlsfrom Gridley if their kid friends hadn't stepped in and spoiledit all in their juvenile way," grumbled another.
"We've finished up all the borrowed food," said another. "Whatshall we do next?"
"For 'next,'" roared Dick Prescott, "you fake collegians willstand up and take your medicine!"
There was instant consternation in the group under the chestnuttrees. All the rah-rah boys leaped to their feet, but, ere theycould stir, there was a whizzing sound on the air.
Plunk! Plunk! Ker-plunk! Missiles were flying through the airand the rah-rahs were stopping a good many of them with theirown persons.
"Hey! Stop that!" bellowed one of the rah-rahs. "You---wow!"
For his utterance had been for the moment stopped by a large-sizedgreen apple that had struck him full in the mouth.
"Hey! Let up!"
But nothing could stay the fast and furious volley of green applesuntil Dick & Co. had exhausted their ammunition. Most of theshots found targets, too.
Once they had had time to recover from their bewilderment therah-rahs turned in full, inglorious flight, without attemptingto strike a single blow in their own defense. Who was going tobe fool enough, anyway, to run blindly into a storm of flyinggreen apples?
Dick and his chums expended the last of their ammunition whilechasing the rah-rahs. Their missiles gone, the Gridley boys puton full speed, ran after and overhauled some of their late foesand drubbed them well.
But at last, by common consent, Dick & Co. came to a halt.
"I reckon we paid the score," laughed Prescott. "They ought tolet us alone hereafter."
"No doubt they will," replied Gerard grimly, coming up with theGridley boys. "I haven't a doubt that the manager will orderthem to leave the hotel in the morning."
After extending their heartiest thanks to Gerard, the Gridleyboys returned to their camp. There, from their supplies, theyrigged new guy-ropes and erected their tent. Soon after, allhands turned in, feeling quite secure against another visitationthat night.
The manager, at first, the next morning, said nothing whateverto the rah-rah youths. But, at about ten o'clock a constableappeared and gathered in all of them on a charge of disturbingthe peace.
Dick & Co. were not even asked to go the justice's court. Thehotel manager and bell-boy were on hand, but the crest-fallenlot of rah-rah youths all pleaded guilty. They paid fines often dollars apiece.
Then, on their return to the hotel, they were informed that theirrooms were wanted at once.
The manager and Gerard personally escorted the rah-rah boys offthe grounds of the Ashbury Terraces, and they were seen no morethereabouts. Who they were was not learned, but Gerard's wordwas accepted that the rah-rah boys had no connection with SaundersCollege.
Dick & Co. had two more pleasant meetings with their high schoolfriends before an about-face was made, and the return hike toGridley started.
Their liveliest adventures were yet ahead of them.