“I’ll bet we fetch further than we ever did before,” exulted Bobby, who could see himself scudding like the wind on his trusty Red Arrow.
“But, gee! won’t it be tough climbing up to the top again,” put in Pee Wee, who liked well enough to ride down but hated the task of walking back.
“Don’t worry, Pee Wee,” chaffed Fred. “We wouldn’t let a hard-working fellow like you walk back. We’ll take turns drawing you up on our sleds.”
“Sure we will,” added Sparrow. “We’ll just fight for the privilege.”
“I’d hate to have Pee Wee bark his shins again,” laughed Bobby.
The boys were so engrossed in the lively give and take that none of them noticed that Tom Hicksley, who had been practicing on the rings and had been near enough to hear their conversation, had quietly slipped out of the gymnasium.
There had been no open trouble between him and Bobby and his friends since that morning when the coming of Mr. Carrier had stopped the quarrel. None of the boys took any special pains to avoid him but had simply left him alone. Hicksley had cast sullen and angry glances at them as they passed him on the campus or in the halls, but they cared nothing for that. They did not doubt that he was nursing his grudge and would lose no chance to get back at them if he could, but they felt able to take care of themselves.
As a matter of fact, Hicksley had only two friends in the school. These were Bill Bronson and Jack Jinks, the two most detested boys at Rockledge. They were of the same type as Hicksley, mean and tyrannical. They were two of the largest pupils and took advantage of their size to make themselves thoroughly disliked by the other boys.
They had “cottoned” to Hicksley at once, recognizing him as a kindred spirit, and the three were almost constantly together.
Bronson and Jinks belonged to neither of the dormitories, but occupied one of the smaller rooms together.