“Hold it up!  Hold it up!” yelled Dick.  “Hold it up, or they’ll be killed!”

He put up his hands to meet the pole, which was coming down across the front of the campus.  Tom did likewise, and so did Frank Holden, Stanley Brown, and several others, including an extra tall and powerful senior.

It was a heavy weight, and for the moment the boys under it thought they would have to let it go.  Over came the pole, and when it rested on the boys’ hands the top overbalanced the bottom and struck the ground, sending the lower end into the air.  As this happened Billy Dean and Charley Atwood were hauled out of harm’s way.  Then the pole was dropped to the campus with a thud.

For several seconds all who stood near were too dazed to speak.  Then a cheer arose for those who had held the flagstaff up long enough for the small youths to be rescued.

“Say, that was a close shave!” exclaimed Sam, He, like a good many others, was quite pale.

“It was indeed,” said a senior who had come up.  “The fellows who held the pole up deserve a good deal of credit.”

“Dick Rover suggested it,” said Songbird, “Good for you, Dick!” he added warmly.

The falling of the flagstaff sobered the whole party of students, yet the freshmen were jubilant over the fact that they had won in the colors contest.

“And we’ll wear the colors this term,” cried Tom proudly.

“So we will!” called out others in a chorus.  “We’ll wear ’em good and strong, too!” And they did.  The very next day some of the lads came out with neckties twice the ordinary size, and with hat bands several inches wide, all, of course, in the Brill colors.

Billy Dean and Charley Atwood were much affected by what had occurred, and quickly retired from the scene.  But later both of the small students thanked Dick and the others for what had been done for them.  The broken flagstaff was hauled away by the laborers of the place, and inside of a week a new pole, much larger than the old one, and set in concrete, was put up.

For several days after the contest over the colors matters ran along smoothly at Brill.  The Rover boys made many more friends, and because of his work during the necktie rush Dick was chosen as the leader of the freshmen’s class.

“On Friday I am going to fix Tom Rover,” said Jerry Koswell to Dudd Flockley.  “Just wait and see what I do—­and keep your mouth shut.”

“I’ll keep my mouth shut right enough,” answered Dudd, “but what’s in the wind?”

“I’m going to pay off Professor Sharp for some of his meanness—­and pay off Tom Rover at the same time.”

“Give me a map of the proceedings.  I’m too tired to guess riddles, Jerry.”

“Well, you know how Sharp called me down to-day in English?”

“Sure!”

“Well, I’ve learned that he just received a new photograph of some lady—­I think his best girl.  He has it on the mantle in his room.  I’m going to doctor that picture, and I’m going to lay the blame on Tom Rover.”