Chapter VIII: Starching and Blueing

“To get square with those Pornell fellows means two things,” remarked Jack, as the boys proceeded to push off and out of the Cove. “One is to do something worth while, and the other is to keep Captain Putnam in the dark 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 found out,” finished Andy.

“Right you are.”

“Well, I guess we can keep still, since the captain has admitted he thinks Bob Grenwood innocent of the affair,” remarked Dale.

On the arrival at the Hall the two sloops were tied up at the dock, and the 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 in a corner it was discussed how accounts might be “squared up” with the Pornellites.

“I know what I’d like to do,” grumbled Stuffer. “I’d like to present them 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 in town last week and he told me to throw it away—that it would ruin my digestion!”

“That’s fierce,” said Hogan. “Sure, and where is this tyranny to stop, I don’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,” said Bart Conners, and this suggestion was hailed with satisfaction by all present.

One of the boys had learned that a number of Pornell students were going to a party on the following Wednesday afternoon. The affair was to be given by a number of girls at a place called Lakelawn, a mile from the Academy. Among the invited guests were Bock and several of his cronies.

“And what do you think!” said the cadet who gave this news. “Reff Ritter, Coulter and Paxton are also invited and I believe they are to go too.”

“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, Coulter and Paxton had accepted the invitation to Lakelawn and expected to have a “large time,” to use Ritter’s own words.

At the time the school sneak gave this information to Pepper the latter was eating candy from a bag he had purchased. Mumps wanted some of that candy and he lingered around even after Pepper had given him several chocolates.

“Say,” he said finally. “Give me some more chocolates and I’ll tell you something 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 candy bag shut as he spoke.

“All right.” The school sneak looked around the hall, to make certain nobody was listening. “Ritter and his crowd are going to do you up brown to-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 was talking to Coulter, Paxton and Sabine. I think they are going to visit your 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 them mention starch. He told some kind of a joke about putting the starch in you 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 looked inside.

“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 a grin, and walked away, leaving the sneak much crestfallen.

Pepper lost no time in hunting up Jack and some of the others and relating 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 are using a lot of starch,” answered Jack. “Maybe Ritter and his gang think to steal some and use it.”

“Gracious! if they do that I know what I’ll do!” cried Pepper, struck by a sudden idea.

“What?”

“If they try to starch us why can’t we blue them? We can get some of the blueing balls from the laundry, and——”

“Good? Just the cheese!” cried Dale. “Blueing is better than starching any day!” And he laughed gleefully.

The boys laid their plans with care, and retired to their dormitory at an early hour. They had a little studying to do and got through with their lessons as speedily as possible.

“Now I am going out and play enemy,” said Pepper, when it was time to retire. “Remember, when I whistle it means get busy!” And he stole forth out of the dormitory and down the semi-dark hallway with the silence of a shadow.

When he reached the doorway of the room Ritter and his cronies occupied he paused and listened intently. A low murmur of voices reached his ears.

“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. “I reckon it will be just as sticky.”

The others said they had starch, and then Reff Ritter came to the door and opened it softly. Pepper was too quick for him, however, and hid out of sight around an angle of the hall.

The conspirators had scarcely left the dormitory when Pepper entered it and spent several minutes inside. Then he came out on the run, a handkerchief tied over his face.

In the meantime Ritter and his crowd had entered the room Jack and the others occupied. They were about to pour the cans of starch and mucilage over the beds, where they supposed the cadets were reposing, when something unexpected happened. From out of two closets leaped Jack, Andy and the others, each with a wet and knotted towel in his hand.

“At them, fellows!” cried the young major. And whack! came his wet towel on 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 of the intruders received several cracks on the head and in the face. The cloths were so saturated with moisture that the water flew in all directions, wetting them completely. Ritter and his crowd were so bewildered they knew not what to do and forget all about using the cans of 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 out Pepper in a disguised voice from the hallway, and then, more scared than ever, the bully turned and darted from the dormitory and his cohorts followed. In the darkness Pepper tripped the bully up, sending him headlong on his nose. Then Pepper darted into the dormitory, and the door 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 the towels I fixed up,” grinned The Imp.

They waited and heard Ritter and his cronies enter the dormitory at the end of the hallway. Then they stole forth, Pepper leading the way.

“Who said Crabtree was coming?” they heard Ritter ask.

“Must have been some friend from another dormitory,” answered Billy Sabine. “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 those in the dormitory caught up a cloth and began to wipe the water from his face and neck. They were doing this vigorously by a dim light when of a sudden 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 a word 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 over the 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’ll bet 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 it up. 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 others gazing 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 get this stuff off we won’t want to show ourselves in the classrooms to-morrow!”

“And what about the party at Lakelawn?” groaned Gus Coulter. “Don’t forget that, Reff!”

“If we can’t clean up we’ll have to stay at home. I don’t want to go looking 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 get square if it takes a thousand years!”