"Come on!" yelled Andy. "We'll upset him, fellows! The nerve of him!"

CHAPTER VII

LINK AGAIN

There was a rush of the celebrating seniors toward the place where the disturbance arose. Then others left the big bonfire to see the fun.

An automobile horn tooted discordantly--defiantly, Andy thought.

"Who has had the nerve to come in here, of all nights--on the one when we have our fire?" he thought. "It can't be any of the freshmen; they wouldn't dare."

"What are you going to do?" asked Ben in Andy's ear, as he trotted beside his chum.

"We'll upset his apple cart--that's the least we'll do, for one thing."

"I should say yes!" chimed in Chet. "Surely!"

They had now reached the spot where, from all appearances, was located the center of disturbance. A crowd of the freshmen, whose labors in gathering wood for the fire had now ceased, were gathered around a large touring car that, in defiance of all rules and customs, had been run to the very center of the school campus.

"Come down out of that!"

"Get away from here!"

"You fellows have nerve!"

"Puncture their tires!"

These are only a few of the cries and threats hurled at those in the auto--four young fellows who seemed anxious to make trouble not only for themselves, but for the school boys, whose celebration they had interrupted.

The campus was a sort of sacred place. It stood in the midst of the school buildings and dormitories, and, though visitors were always welcome, there was a rule against vehicles crossing it, for the turf was the pride not only of the students, but the faculty as well. So it is no wonder that the sight of a heavy auto rolling over the lawn aroused the ire of all.

"Get out of the way there, you fellows, if you don't want to be run over!" snapped the youth at the steering wheel of the auto. "I'll smash through you in another minute!"

"Oh, you will, eh?"

"Isn't he the sa.s.sy little boy!"

"Yank him out of there!"

The freshmen surrounding the auto thus reviled those in the car.

The auto had come to a stop, but the engine was still running, free from the gears. Now and then, as he saw an opening, the lad at the wheel would slip in his clutch and the car would advance a few feet. Then more of the school boys would swarm about it, and progress would be impeded.

"Smash through 'em, old man!" advised one on the rear seat. "We don't want to stay here all night!"

"That's right; run 'em down," advised his companion. "We're--we're--what are we, anyhow?" he asked, and it did not need a look at him to tell the cause of his condition. In fact, all in the auto were in a rather hilarious state, and the running of the car over the campus had been the result of a suggestion made after a too-long lingering in a certain road-house, where stronger stuff than ginger ale was dispensed.

"We're all right--noshin matter us," declaimed one. "Run 'em down, ole man!"

"Look out! I'm going through you!" cried the lad at the wheel. The freshmen in front of the car parted instinctively, but before the young chauffeur could put his threat into execution, Andy and his chums had reached the machine.

"Get out of here!" cried Andy, and, reaching up, he fairly pulled the steersman from his seat. The chap came down in a rush, nearly upsetting Andy, who, however, managed to yank the lad to his feet.

"Pull 'em all out!" came the cry from Tom, and a moment later he, with the aid of Ben, Chet and Frank, had pulled from the car the other young men, who seemed too dazed to resist.

"Hop in that car, Peterson," ordered Andy, to a freshman who could operate an auto. "Run it out to the street and leave it. Then we'll rush these chaps out to it and chuck 'em in. We'll show 'em what it means to run over our campus."

All this time Andy had kept hold of the collar of the youth whom he had pulled from the car. Then the latter turned about, and raised his fist.

He had been taken so by surprise that he at first had seemed incapable of action.

At this moment the big bonfire flared up brightly, and by its glare Andy had a look at the face of the lad with whom he had clashed. The sight caused him suddenly to drop his hold and exclaim:

"Mortimer Gaffington!"

"Huh! So it's you, is it, Andy Blair? What do you mean by acting this way?" demanded Mortimer, the shock of whose rough handling had seemed to sober temporarily. "What do you mean? I demand an apology! That's what I do. Ain't I 't.i.tled to 'pology, fellers?" and he appealed to his chums.

"Sure you are. Make the little beggar 'pologize!" leered one. "If he was at Yale, now, we'd haze him good and proper."

"Yale!" cried Tom Hatfield. "Yale fires out such fellows as you!"

"Mortimer Gaffington!" gasped Andy. "I rather wish this hadn't happened.

Or, rather I wish it had been anyone but he. I can see where this may lead."

"You goin' 'pologize?" asked Mortimer, trying to fix a stern gaze on Andy.

"Apologize! Certainly not!" cried Andy, indignantly. "It is you fellows who ought to apologize. What would you do if some one ran an auto over Yale Campus?"

"Ho! Ho! That's good. That's rich, that is!" laughed one who had been yanked out of his seat by Tom Hatfield. "That's a good joke, that is! An auto on Yale campus! Why we bulldogs would eat it up, that's what we'd do!"

"Well, that's what we'll do here!" cried Chet, angered by the supercilious tone of the lad. "Come on, boys; run 'em off Spanish fashion!"

It needed but this suggestion to further rouse the feelings of the Milton lads, and in an instant several of them had grabbed each of the trespa.s.sers. Andy stepped back from Mortimer. Because of the already strained relations between himself and this society "swell," he did not wish to take a part in the proceedings.

"Come on! Run 'em off!" was the rallying cry.

The auto had already been steered out on a road that circled the campus, and was soon in the street. Then, heading their victims toward the old gateway that formed the chief entrance to the school the Milton lads began running out the intruders.

"You wait! I--I'll fix you for this,--Andy Blair!" threatened Mortimer as he was rapidly propelled over the campus.

"Forget it!" advised Chet. "Rush 'em, fellows!"

And rushed off Mortimer and his companions were. They were fairly tossed into their auto, and then, with jeers and shouted advice not to repeat the trick, the school boys turned back to their fire.

Andy had lingered near the spot where he had hauled Mortimer out of the auto. He was thinking of many things. He did not forget what had happened to the intruders. Indeed it was nothing short of what they deserved, for they had deliberately tried to hara.s.s the school boys, and make a mockery of one of the oldest traditions of Milton--one that held inviolate the beautiful campus.