“A note,” said Coulter. “I’ll wager it is from those fellows.”
He brought the sheet of paper to the light and read it, the others gazing over his shoulders. On the sheet was written:
“Thank you very much for the starching. We return the compliment by doing the blueing.”
“I told you so!” growled Reff Ritter. “Blueing indeed? If we can’t get this stuff off we won’t want to show ourselves in the classrooms to-morrow!”
“And what about the party at Lakelawn?” groaned Gus Coulter. “Don’t forget that, Reff!”
“If we can’t clean up we’ll have to stay at home. I don’t want to go looking like a bluejay, do you?”
“We’ll have to get square with the Ruddy crowd for this,” said Paxton. “Oh, what a mess!” And he did his best to get the blueing from his face.
“Just wait, that’s all!” answered Reff Ritter, savagely. “I’ll get square if it takes a thousand years!”
CHAPTER IX
WHAT HAPPENED AT THE ICE HOUSE
The next morning Reff Ritter had to excuse himself, and he did not come downstairs all day. Some of the blueing had gotten on his nose and refused to come off. Paxton and Coulter appeared, and they looked “blue” in more ways than one.