At this the young lady let out a scream.
"Oh, please don't fight!" she cried. And then she skated to a distance and disappeared in a crowd.
"You keep your distance, Koswell," said Tom coldly. "If you don't—"
He got no further, for just then Koswell let out with his right fist. The blow landed on Tom's shoulder and sent him spinning away a distance of several feet.
CHAPTER XXIII
THE SPRINGTIME OF LIFE
"A fight! a fight!" came from the crowd, and soon Tom and Koswell were surrounded by a number of students and some outsiders.
The blow from the bully angered Tom greatly, and skating forward he made a pass at Koswell. But the latter ducked, and then came back at Tom with a blow that sent the fun-loving Rover into several students standing by.
"Say, Rover, look out, or Jerry Koswell will eat you up!" said one of the seniors.
"Koswell is a good scrapper," came from another.