“Acknowledge him as our friend before this crowd—tell how we traveled with him and sold patent medicines,” asked Pete. “They’d laugh at us!”
“What of it?” inquired Cap indignantly. “Professor Clatter helped us when we were in a hole, after we’d run away from home. It’s up to us to help him now. I’m going to stand up for him. If the boys get going they’ll demolish the wagon, and everything in it. We can’t have that.”
“I guess not,” agreed Pete and Bill in low tones.
“Come on then,” suggested their elder brother, edging his way through the throng.
The plan proposed by the rich bully had taken the fancy of his fellows. The word was passed around and the students got ready for a rush that would overturn the wagon. Already they were jostling the professor who was aware of a change in the temper of the students. He looked around uneasily, and glanced back at his wagon. Quite a throng was now between him and the vehicle. He turned to retreat, vaguely alarmed, but found himself cut off.
“My Rapid Robust Resolute Resolvent,” he was saying, “is guaranteed to—”
“Come on now, fellows, over with the wagon!” cried Guilder. “Altogether, with a rush! Make a rough house! This faker has no business here!”
The rush started but before it could get under way, Cap, Pete and Bill Smith had sprung up on the steps that were let down from the back of the vehicle. They stood together looking over the crowd of their fellow students.
“Hold on!” cried Cap calmly, raising his hand for silence.
“What’s up?” demanded Bondy with a sneer.