“Then he shall be washed clean so that he may take a fresh start?”

“That’s the idea!”

“Will you go peaceably or must we drag you?”

“I reckon you’d better drag me.  If you’re going to have fun with me you’ll have to earn it.  I don’t propose to help you out.”

“Do you hear?” demanded Dippy in a deep, hoarse voice.

“We hear.”

“Then do your duty!”

Two men grabbed the Pony Rider boy up, Tad making no resistance whatever, a little to the surprise of the men who had taken hold of him.  They expected the boy to resist, which would have given them still further excuse to handle him roughly.  But Tad was used to dealing with the rough and ready characters of plain and mountain.  He didn’t care particularly what they did.  The other boys were delighted that Tad was to be made the mark this time.  They followed along laughing and jeering at their companion.

The Rangers fell in behind the two who were carrying Butler, in solemn procession.  To look at their faces one would have thought they were performing a solemn duty.  The boys wondered where it was going to end.  They discovered a few minutes later.  Tad was taken out where the gentle murmur of the Spring falling over the rocks could be heard when the Pony Rider Boys were not making too much noise.

“Do you withdraw the flippant words you used to a member of this august body?” demanded a deep voice.

“No!” cried Tad Butler.  “Never!  I’ll die first!”

“Then take your punishment!”

With that they gave the boy a swing, one holding to the feet the other the shoulders of the lad.  When they let go, Tad sailed several feet through the air.  Quick as a cat in his movements Tad turned over before he landed, going down on all fours.  He thought he was going to strike on the hard ground.  Instead he landed at the bottom of a deep pool of water cold as ice it seemed to him.  He went in all over.  Not expecting anything of this sort the boy was not holding his breath.  The result was that he got a mouthful of water.  He came up choking, then pretended to go down again.  Instead he crawled up to the bank, under which he hid.

A moment passed and the Rangers began to be alarmed.  Dippy stepped to the edge of the pool and leaning over peered down somewhat anxiously.

Quick as a flash a pair of arms encircled his neck.  Dippy plunged in head first.  He did not even have time to cry out.  The others, discovering that Dippy had fallen in, rushed to the edge shouting and laughing.  Two of them went the way of their companion, Tad having jerked their feet from under them.  Within sixty seconds from that time half of the crowd were threshing about in the cold waters of the pool, while Tad, who had crawled out, sat on the bank dripping, watching their struggles.

Stacy Brown was rolling on the ground, howling with delight.  All at once he was picked up in a pair of strong arms and tossed in bodily.  Stacy howled lustily.  Clambering out he squared off for fight, but the only fight he got was another ducking in the pool.