“Say, this isn’t any of your fight,” put in Slugger Brown, uglily. While he spoke, Fred lost no time in leaping to his feet and there he stood, once more on the defensive.
“No one asked you to butt in, Jack Rover!” stormed Nappy Martell. “You keep out of this.”
“Why did he attack you, Fred?”
“Huh! you know the reason as well as he does,” burst out Martell. “You played a trick on me about that suitcase, and then you came and rough-housed my room.”
“One trick was only played to square up for the other, Martell,” answered Jack, calmly. “You ought to be man enough to cry quits and let it go at that.”
“I won’t cry quits—not until I’ve given this fellow a good licking!” roared Nappy Martell; and then before anyone could stop him he lunged another blow at Fred, who, however, was quick enough to dodge it.
“Stop!” Jack’s voice was now unusually stern, and stepping up to Nappy Martell he caught the fellow by the arm and swung him around so that the pair faced each other. “If you want to fight, Martell, take somebody nearer your size.”
“Oh, Jack! I’m not afraid of him,” burst out Fred. Strange to say, the excitement of the occasion seemed to have chased his headache completely away.
“Maybe you want me to fight you,” sneered Nappy Martell.
“You’ll have to fight me if you don’t leave my cousin Fred alone.”
“See here, Rover! you’ve no right to butt in like this,” interposed Slugger Brown. “Why don’t you let the pair finish it?”
“Those two fellows,” cried Fred, pointing to Slugger Brown and Codfish, “tripped me up. It wasn’t fair—three against one.”
“We didn’t trip him up at all,” came from the two accused ones simultaneously.
“They did, Jack. First Codfish tried it, and then Brown put out his foot and I went down, and Martell at once pounced on me.”
“That’s no way to fight!” broke out Spouter.
“It was certainly a mean trick,” was Gif’s comment.
“If there is any fighting to be done, I guess we’re on hand to see that it’s done fairly,” came from Walt Baxter.
A perfect war of words followed, in the midst of which Nappy Martell seemed to lose complete control of his temper. He rushed at Jack and hit the youth two quick blows, one in the chest and the other on the chin. The oldest Rover was not looking for this attack, and he staggered backward into some bushes, all but losing his balance.
“That’s the way to do it, Nappy!” cried Slugger Brown, excitedly. “Give it to him!”
Jack was as much surprised as Fred had been when first hit, but he was able to recover much more quickly than his cousin. He leaped forward from the bushes, doubled up his fists, and the next instant sent in a crashing blow that landed straight on Martell’s nose. He followed up this blow with another on the other youth’s chin which sent Martell sprawling flat on his back.
“Hurrah! that’s the way to do it, Jack!” cried Spouter.
“Say! has he got to fight two of you Rovers?” questioned Slugger Brown.
“No. He’s got to fight me only,” answered Jack, quickly. He turned to his cousin. “Fred, you keep out of this.”
“But he started on me,” pleaded the youngest Rover. “And now that you are here to see fair play, I’m not afraid of him.”
“Never mind. It’s my fight, anyway,” went on Jack. “I owe him one for the way he treated me down in Wall Street that day.”
While this talk was going on, Nappy Martell had scrambled to his feet. His nose was swollen and bleeding profusely.
“You imp!” he howled, and lunged another attack at Jack.
He was able to land two blows on Jack’s chest, but they were not powerful enough to do harm. Then, as Martell circled around, the oldest Rover boy managed to get in another blow, this time on his opponent’s mouth, loosening two of Nappy’s teeth.
“That’s the way to do it, Jack!”
“Give him a few more like that and he’ll soon quit.”
“Go for him, Nappy! You can do him up if you’ll only try,” bellowed Slugger Brown in excitement.
“You keep back, Slugger,” warned Walt Baxter. “Don’t you interfere.”
“I didn’t interfere.”
“Well, you’re too close, anyway. Keep back like the rest of us.”
“That’s just what I say,” broke out Spouter.
Realizing that the others were in the majority, Slugger Brown kept his distance from the pair who were fighting. Codfish was trembling like a leaf, and cowered well in the background.
Around and around circled the two contestants, and for a few minutes neither of them seemed to have the advantage. Jack was hit in the arm, and returned by landing another blow, this time on Nappy’s chest. Then the big youth aimed a kick at the Rover boy’s stomach.
“Hi! that’s no way to fight!” cried Gif, indignantly.
Jack had managed to escape the kick, and he had put down one hand so quickly that Nappy Martell had been in great danger of being caught and thrown on his back.
In the midst of the contest several forms could be seen hurrying across the campus and the parade ground, and in a moment more Andy and Randy came into view, followed by Bart White and some other cadets.
“It’s a fight!”
“Why, what do you know about this! Jack is fighting Nappy Martell!”
“Martell tackled me first, but Jack took the fight out of my hands,” explained Fred to his cousins.
“Who has got the best of it?” questioned Bart White, excitedly.
“I think Jack has the best of it so far,” answered Gif; “but the fight isn’t finished yet,” he added, a bit anxiously.
“You’re right it isn’t finished yet!” retorted Slugger Brown. “Just you wait until Nappy gets his second wind, and then you’ll see what he’ll do to Rover.”
Once more the two contestants were circling around, each trying to get in some kind of telling blow. Various passes were made, and in the excitement the pair left the roadway and began to circle around on the grassy bank of the river.
“Look out there, or you’ll both go overboard!” sang out Spouter in alarm.
The cadets who were fighting were too engrossed to pay attention to this warning. They kept on circling about, and then Nappy Martell made a wild and vicious pass for Jack’s head. The latter dodged like lightning, came up under his opponent’s arm, and the next instant landed a swinging blow on Martell’s ear which sent him staggering backward several paces, to fall with a splash into the river.
CHAPTER XV
IN THE TOWN
“Hello! Nappy’s overboard!”
“Wow! that was some crack on the ear!”
“Can he swim?”
“Sure, he can swim! If he can’t we can haul him in easy enough.”
“I don’t believe the river is very deep here.”
Such were some of the words uttered immediately after the well-delivered blow from Jack Rover had sent his opponent spinning into the swiftly flowing waters of the Rick Rack River. Fortunately, the moon and the stars were shining brightly, so it was not as dark as it otherwise might have been. Indeed, had it not been for the brightness of the night it is doubtful if the fight could have been carried on as already described.
All of the cadets present lined up along the river bank, and an instant later saw Nappy Martell come to the surface. He was striking out wildly and spluttering at the same time, showing that he had gone overboard with his mouth open and had swallowed some of the water. One hand and shoulder were covered with mud from the river bottom, for at that particular point the stream was less than five feet deep.
“Oh, he’ll be drowned! I know he’ll be drowned!” screamed Codfish in terror.
“You shut up, you little imp!” burst out Gif. “You�
�ll arouse the whole school, and there is no need of doing that.”
By this time Nappy Martell was close to the river bank, and he reached up his hand appealingly to those above him.
“Here, give me your hand, Nappy!” cried Slugger Brown, and reached down to aid his crony. But the bank was a slippery and treacherous one, and he was in danger of going overboard himself.
“Wait a minute, Slugger—let me help you,” cried Spouter, and he took hold of the big youth’s left hand.
Then the others also came forward to do what they could, and in a few seconds more Nappy Martell was hauled up on the grass. He was pretty well exhausted and panted painfully.
“I’m sorry you went overboard, Martell,” said Jack, promptly. “I didn’t expect to knock you into the river.”
“You did it on purpose! You know you did!” returned the other youth wrathfully. “Yo—you—d—d—don’t know how to f—f—fight fair,” he added, his teeth suddenly beginning to chatter, for the unexpected bath at this season had proved awfully cold.
“Say! he’s shivering like a leaf!” cried Fred.
“You had better get back to the Hall and change your clothing,” advised Jack.
“I won’t change anything until I’ve given you a licking,” roared Nappy Martell.
“Oh, say, Nappy, you had better call it off for to-night,” interposed Slugger Brown. “You can’t fight in those wet clothes. Finish it some other time.”
“I won’t!” came the ejaculation, and then the dripping boy hurled himself once more at Jack.
But he was blinded by water and mud as well as by rage; and the oldest Rover boy easily evaded the new onslaught. Then, of a sudden, he reached out and caught Martell by both wrists and held him in a vise-like grasp.
“Now, see here, Martell, don’t be foolish,” he said sternly. “I don’t want to fight a fellow who has been overboard and is wringing wet. You’ll catch your death of cold hanging around here in this night air. Go on back to the Hall and change your clothing. If you want to finish this some other time, I’ll be ready for you.”
“That’s the talk!” added Spouter.
“It would be foolish to go on in this condition,” remarked Gif. “Call it off, by all means.”
“You might as well do it,” came from Slugger Brown. “You wouldn’t have any kind of a fair show, Nappy—after having been in the river, and after having had to lick the other Rover first.”
“He didn’t lick me!” burst out Fred, indignantly.
More words followed, but in the end Nappy Martell consented to return to the Hall and went off in company with Slugger Brown, Codfish, and one or two more friends who had chanced to come up.
“You’ll have to slip in on the sly, or else somebody may ask some unpleasant questions,” remarked Slugger Brown on the way to the school.
“You lend me your coat, and I’ll take mine off and make a bundle of it,” answered Martell; and so it was arranged. The others clustered around the dripping youth and thus they managed to get him to his room without being detected.
“He’ll never forgive you, Jack, for knocking him into the river,” said Randy, while the Rovers and their friends walked slowly back to the Hall.
“I guess you’re right,” was the answer.
“And what is more, he’ll probably try to play some underhanded trick on you,” added Andy.
“I wish I had had the chance—I think I could have knocked him out myself,” broke in Fred. “I’m not afraid of him, even if he is bigger than I am.”
All those who had witnessed the contest were cautioned to keep quiet about it. Yet in a school like Colby Hall it was next to impossible to keep the particulars of the affair from circulating, and before long many of the cadets knew the truth. The majority were of the opinion that Jack could readily have defeated Martell had the contest been fought to a finish.
“He’ll undoubtedly lay for you, Jack,” remarked Fred that night, in talking the matter over in their rooms.
“Maybe he’ll lay for you, Fred,” smiled his big cousin. “You had better keep your eyes peeled.”
“I guess we had better all watch out,” was Randy’s comment.
But for the next few days Nappy Martell, as well as his particular crony, Slugger Brown, kept to themselves, while Codfish was so timid that he hardly dared to show himself.
About a week, including Sunday, went by, and the school began to settle down to its regular routine of studies. The Rover boys had had all their classes mapped out for them, and had also been assigned to a class in gymnasium work. Gymnastics especially suited the agile Andy, who nearly always preferred action to sitting still. The Rover boys on leaving home had promised their parents that they would pay strict attention to their studies, and now they did their best in that direction. Of course, some of the lessons were rather hard, and Fred, being the youngest, often found he needed assistance from the others.
During those days they quickly discovered why Dan Soppinger had been referred to by one of their friends as the “human question mark.” Dan always wanted to know something, and he did not hesitate to ask for information on any and all occasions, no matter what else might happen to be under discussion at the time.
“He’ll die asking questions,” remarked Andy. “I never knew a fellow who could fire questions at a person so rapidly.”
It was now ideal weather for football, and as soon as the school became settled football talk filled the air. Gif Garrison had been at the head of the football eleven the Fall previous, and now he was looked upon to whip the new team into shape.
“We generally play three games with outside schools,” explained Gif to the Rovers one day. “First we play Hixley High. Then we play the Clearwater Country Club. And after that we wind up usually with our big game with Columbus Academy.”
“It must be great sport,” answered Jack.
“Did you ever get a chance to play football in New York?”
“Oh, yes, we occasionally played a game.”
“Jack would make a first-rate football player if he had the chance,” put in Randy. “I’ve seen him play, and I know.”
“Yes. And Fred makes a pretty good player, too,” added Andy. “Of course, he’s small and light in weight, but he’s as quick on his feet as they make ‘em.”
“How about you and Randy?” questioned Gif.
“Oh, we never cared very much to play football. We’d rather have some fun in the crowd looking on,” was the answer of the twin.
At this, the football leader smiled. “Well, we’ve got to have some kind of an audience—otherwise there wouldn’t be any fun in pulling off a game.” He looked at Jack and Fred, thoughtfully. “I’m going to keep you two fellows in mind, and if I can put one or both of you on the team, I’ll do it. Of course, you’ll have your try-outs on the scrub first.”
“Well, you can put me on the scrub as soon as you please,” answered Jack, promptly.
“I’ll be glad of the chance,” added Fred.
As was to be expected, no sooner had the boys attempted to settle down at Colby Hall than they began to want for a number of things which they had failed to bring from home. These articles were, for the most part, of small consequence; yet the boys could not get along very well without them, and so resolved on the following Saturday, which was a holiday, to walk down to Haven Point and do some shopping.
“I’d like first rate to take a look around the town, too,” said Randy. “It looked like a pretty good sort of place.”
“Maybe we can go to the moving picture show there,” put in his brother. “We’ll have time enough.”
“Perhaps—if the films look worth while,” answered Jack.
They had already learned that the moving picture show in the town was of the better class, and that the pupils of the school were allowed to attend a performance whenever they had time to do s
o.
It did not take the four cousins long to walk the distance to Haven Point. They left the school directly after lunch, and inside of an hour had purchased the various small articles which they desired. Then all headed for the moving picture theater, which was located on the main street in the busiest portion of that thoroughfare.
As the boys walked up to the booth to purchase their admission tickets, they saw a bevy of girls just entering the door. They were all well dressed and chatting gaily.
“Nice bunch, all right,” was Randy’s comment. “I wonder where they are from?”
“I think I know,” answered Jack. “Spouter was telling me there is a girls’ school on the other side of this town, called Clearwater Hall. It’s about as large as Colby Hall. More than likely those girls come from that school.”
“I wish we knew them,” said Andy. “I wonder if some of the cadets from our school don’t know them.”
“More than likely some of our fellows know some of the girls,” said Jack. “We may be able to become acquainted with them some day.”
CHAPTER XVI
AT THE MOVING PICTURE THEATER
The moving picture theater was large enough to hold several hundred people, and when the boys entered they found the place almost full.
“There are some seats—over on the left,” remarked Jack, as he pointed them out. “Two in one row and two directly behind.”
“Why not two in one row and two directly in front?” returned Andy, gaily, and then headed for the seats.
“You and Fred had better sit in front, and Randy and I can take the back seats,” went on Jack; and so it was arranged.
They had come in between pictures and while some doors had been open for ventilation, so that the place was fairly light. As Jack took his seat he noticed that the girls who had come in just ahead of the boys were sitting close by.
“They certainly do look like nice girls,” was Jack’s mental comment; and he could not help but cast a second glance at the girl sitting directly next to him. She was attired in a dark blue suit trimmed in fur and held a hat to match in her lap. Jack noted that she was fair of complexion, with dark, wavy hair.
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