“They’ll din for dresser—­I mean dress for dinner,” spluttered Harry as he was telling Frank.  “It’s certain they’ll go directly from dinner to the party.”

“Well, what has worked its way into your head?”

“A scheme.”

“Give it to us.”

“We’ll be ready for ’em when they come from dinner, and we’ll give ’em a rush.  They’re not likely to be in any condition to attend a party after we are through with them.  What do you say, old man?  What do you think of it?”

“We are likely to get enough of rushing in the annual rush, but I’m with you if you want to carry this job through.”

“All right, then, we’ll do it.  We’ll give those sophs a warm time.  I have been grouchy all day, but I begin to feel better now.”

So Frank and Harry communicated the plan to their friends, and a party gathered in their room immediately after supper.

Dismal Jones was out as a scout, and he had agreed to let them know when the sophomores left their club.  They were inclined to take much more time in dining than the freshmen.

Pretty soon Jones came racing up the stairs and burst into the room.

“Come on, fellows!” he cried.  “The sophs are leaving their club, and there’s lots of ’em wearing dress suits.  We’ll have a picnic with ’em!”

Dismal seldom got excited, but now he was quite aroused.

The freshmen caught up their caps and hurried downstairs.  They were soon on the street, and they hastened to meet their natural enemies.

The sophomores had formed by twos, with Browning and Emery in advance.  It was true that many of them were in dress suits, and they were not a little disturbed when they saw the solid body of freshmen coming swiftly to meet them.

To pass on the right the sophomores were entitled to the inside of the sidewalk, and although they would have given much to avoid the encounter, they formed solidly and prepared to defend their rights.

The freshmen also formed in a compact mass, and came on with a rush, keeping hard up against the wall.

“Turn to the right!  Turn to the right!”

The sophomores uttered the cry as they hugged the wall on the inside.

“Sweep ’em off!  Sweep ’em off!”

That was the cry that came from the determined freshmen.

“Hold on! hold on!” ordered Browning.  “There is a law for this!”

“Then you will have to produce officers to enforce it,” laughed Frank
Merriwell.

“But there is a regular time for rushing.”

“This is not a regular rush, so we don’t mind.”

“But you fellows have no right to do it!”

“Is that so?” was the derisive retort.  “Hear the sophs squeal fellows! 
Oh, my! but this is funny!”

“Stop a minute and we will argue this matter, freshies,” invited Browning, who was thoroughly disgusted over the prospect.

Then the whole crowd of freshmen roared with laughter.