“Hi! stop!” roared the bully, taken completely off his guard.
Whack! whack! whack! went the wet and knotted towels, and every one of the intruders received several cracks on the head and in the face. The cloths were so saturated with moisture that the water flew in all directions, wetting them completely. Ritter and his crowd were so bewildered they knew not what to do and forget all about using the cans of starch. Coulter let his can drop and then slipped on the contents, pulling another boy down on top of him.
“Hi, Ritter, get back to your room! Old Crabtree is coming!” called out Pepper in a disguised voice from the hallway, and then, more scared than ever, the bully turned and darted from the dormitory and his cohorts followed. In the darkness Pepper tripped the bully up, sending him headlong on his nose. Then Pepper darted into the dormitory, and the door was shut and locked.
“That’s the time we caught them on the fly,” cried Jack, joyously. “My, but didn’t we give it to ’em good!”
“I hope you wet them all,” said Pepper.
“We did,” answered Andy.
“Then they’ll have a fine time drying themselves—if they get hold of the towels I fixed up,” grinned The Imp.
They waited and heard Ritter and his cronies enter the dormitory at the end of the hallway. Then they stole forth, Pepper leading the way.
“Who said Crabtree was coming?” they heard Ritter ask.
“Must have been some friend from another dormitory,” answered Billy Sabine. “Ugh! I’m soaked through!” And he shivered.