Part 7 (1/2)

Without a word the country lad drew out a wallet, none too well filled, to judge by the looks of it.

”What's the tax?” he asked, still smiling.

”The--er--the finance committee attends to that,” was the answer Langridge made. ”They'll meet to-night.”

Evidently he had not expected so ready a compliance on Tom's part.

”Well, if it's all settled, I move we adjourn,” suggested Ed Kerr.

”Let's have a scrub game, for luck.”

At that moment a lad came hurrying into the gymnasium.

”Where's Langridge?” he asked excitedly.

”Here,” replied the baseball manager. ”What's up?”

”Hazing!” was the somewhat breathless answer. ”The sophs are going to try it on to-night, to get square about the bell clapper. I just heard it.”

”That's the stuff!” cried Phil Clinton. ”Now we'll get a chance to have some fun.”

”And I'll pay 'em back for slas.h.i.+ng my hat,” added Ford Fenton. ”My uncle says----”

But what his respected relative had remarked was not learned, as the boys rushed from the room to prepare for the ordeal that they knew awaited them.

CHAPTER IV

THE HAZING

”What sort of hazing do they do?” asked Tom Parsons of Sid Henderson as the two youths followed their companions from the gymnasium.

”Oh, all sorts. It's hard to tell. Mostly they come in your room and make a rough house, but not too rough, for the proctor doesn't stand for it.

They'll tumble you about, tear down any ornaments you may have up, pour a pitcher of water in the bed, and make things unpleasant generally.”

”Are we supposed to stand for that?” There was a grim look settling on Tom's face.

”Well, what can you do when three or four big sophs are holding you?”

”Not much, that's a fact. But I'm going to fight back.”

”So am I, but that's all the good it'll do. If they don't put enough on you in your room they'll tackle you outside, when you're alone, and maybe chuck you into the river or lake, or make you walk Spanish, or force you to parade through town doing the wheelbarrow act. Oh, you've got to take some hazing in one form or another.”

”Well, I don't mind getting my share. So they're coming to-night, eh?”

”So the twin said.”

”The twin--who's he?”

”The little fellow that brought word. I don't know whether he was Jerry or Joe Jackson. I didn't look closely enough to see.”