That's the sort of stuff undertakers sit up all night reading," said Robin, "but Foxes would drop big ink-blots on it. Then, to finish up, page 34 is a picture called 'Early Christian Martyrs thrown to the Lions'. Fancy them coming early-doors for that! I admit it's a good picture—but where's the merriment come in?"
"You're pretty down on all of us, Robin," said Little John ruefully.
"No, chaps," replied Robin, seriously. "I don't want us to make fools of ourselves, that's all. I was an ass to start this magazine. If it passed round Foxenby we'd be the laughing-stock of the place. Poke the fire up, Dave—that's the ticket. A lovely blaze. Here's a bit more fuel to keep it going."
With that he suddenly cast the magazine into the heart of the flames, while the others gasped with amazement at the sacrifice.
Thus perished the first and last number of the Merry Men's Magazine, and neither the editor of the Foxonian nor the co-editors of Rooke's House Rag ever knew how near they had come to the sudden eclipse of their greatness.
CHAPTER XXIV
The Three-cornered Tournament
Never had the Squirms, as a body, succeeded in scoring points over the Merry Men. Duffers at football and cricket, which they only played because both were compulsory, slackers in the gymnasium, and too flabby to shine in athletic sports, their chief recreations were indoor ones which did not fret their fat, such as chess, draughts, and dominoes.
At these three games they frequently played to pass away the long winter evenings, while other boys indulged in gymnastics and boxing. Consequently, quite a number of them became, through constant practice, fairly proficient in table games—certainly far cleverer at them than other Foxes of their own age, who seldom cared to play with them.
"I've got a rattling good idea for taking the starch out of Robin and his gang," Osbody announced to a little group of Squirms. "Their beastly heads are swollen to the size of balloons over the flukey way they nabbed the burglars. Odious to see them swanking about, isn't it, chaps?"