“I assured Seldon that it would be perfectly safe for him to tell you, though he was doubtful at first.”
“No, I won’t say anything about it. But I’ll get even with Dick Starbright!”
When Seldon had gone, Pike sat talking with Morgan for some time, trying to fan into fiercer energy the anger which Dade again felt toward the big freshman. Starbright was Merriwell’s friend, and Pike had come to hate Merriwell so much that he wanted to injure whomever Merriwell liked, though Frank had never done anything to win such enmity from Donald Pike. There are some natures, however, which increasingly hate the man they try to injure, and their hate grows more and more bitter with each failure. Pike really feared to test strength with Merriwell, hence resorted to the use of tools to accomplish what he feared to attempt himself.
Scarcely was Pike gone when Roland Packard came in with Gene Skelding. With Don Pike, they formed a trio who seemed to live on hate of Merriwell. They were no sooner seated than they began to talk of the snowball fight of the morning, and of the blow which Morgan had received.
“It was Starbright who did that,” said Skelding. “I know, because I saw it. I was standing near one of the monuments where I had a good view of all that was going on. I thought, when I saw him lift his hand to throw, that he was aiming at the sophomores, but when I saw you drop as if you were hit by a rifle-bullet, I knew whom he had aimed at.”
If Dade Morgan had doubted the story told by Jimmy Seldon, this would have driven away his doubts.
“It’s all right, fellows, and I’m obliged to you. I shall remember that little blow against Richard Starbright. You needn’t be afraid that I won’t. He did me a good turn the other day, and I was feeling a bit soft toward him, but I shall not hold back now.”
“I don’t know how you are going to even the score with him,” Packard craftily suggested.
“Oh, there are plenty of ways,” Morgan snarled. “I’ll find a way.”
“Or make one?”