“I’d like to see the fresh kids now,” jeered another rah-rah youth.

“May all your wishes in life be as promptly fulfilled!” muttered Tom Reade under his breath.

“We might have had a nice time to-night dancing with the girls from Gridley if their kid friends hadn’t stepped in and spoiled it all in their juvenile way,” grumbled another.

“We’ve finished up all the borrowed food,” said another.  “What shall we do next?”

“For ‘next,’” roared Dick Prescott, “you fake collegians will stand up and take your medicine!”

There was instant consternation in the group under the chestnut trees.  All the rah-rah boys leaped to their feet, but, ere they could stir, there was a whizzing sound on the air.

Plunk!  Plunk!  Ker-plunk!  Missiles were flying through the air and the rah-rahs were stopping a good many of them with their own persons.

“Hey!  Stop that!” bellowed one of the rah-rahs.  “You—–­wow!”

For his utterance had been for the moment stopped by a large-sized green apple that had struck him full in the mouth.

“Hey!  Let up!”

But nothing could stay the fast and furious volley of green apples until Dick & Co. had exhausted their ammunition.  Most of the shots found targets, too.

Once they had had time to recover from their bewilderment the rah-rahs turned in full, inglorious flight, without attempting to strike a single blow in their own defense.  Who was going to be fool enough, anyway, to run blindly into a storm of flying green apples?

Dick and his chums expended the last of their ammunition while chasing the rah-rahs.  Their missiles gone, the Gridley boys put on full speed, ran after and overhauled some of their late foes and drubbed them well.

But at last, by common consent, Dick & Co. came to a halt.

“I reckon we paid the score,” laughed Prescott.  “They ought to let us alone hereafter.”

“No doubt they will,” replied Gerard grimly, coming up with the Gridley boys.  “I haven’t a doubt that the manager will order them to leave the hotel in the morning.”

After extending their heartiest thanks to Gerard, the Gridley boys returned to their camp.  There, from their supplies, they rigged new guy-ropes and erected their tent.  Soon after, all hands turned in, feeling quite secure against another visitation that night.

The manager, at first, the next morning, said nothing whatever to the rah-rah youths.  But, at about ten o’clock a constable appeared and gathered in all of them on a charge of disturbing the peace.

Dick & Co. were not even asked to go the justice’s court.  The hotel manager and bell-boy were on hand, but the crest-fallen lot of rah-rah youths all pleaded guilty.  They paid fines of ten dollars apiece.

Then, on their return to the hotel, they were informed that their rooms were wanted at once.