, though his voice was
shaky. "I shall have you arrested if you----"

For reply, the man leaped at Lee with a snarl like that of an enraged
dog.

"Loony as a locoed cowboy!" thought Badger. He was on the point of
rushing to Lee's assistance. But there was no need. Lee, who was light
on his feet, avoided the rush and ran for a side door, through which he
escaped into the house, leaving Gaston to rave and mutter, and at last
retreat into the street and hurry away.

Not until the man had disappeared did the Westerner leave the grounds.
Then he leaped the fence, and hurried back to the campus. Here a large
number of students were rollicking in the somewhat wild and reckless
student fashion, to their own great delight and the amusement of
hundreds of spectators.

CHAPTER XVIII.

FUN IN THE CAMPUS.

Under an elm in front of Durfee some students were gathering "fruit."
They began by collecting it from members of the Chickering set. Of all
the men in the college, the Chickering set were the most unpopular with
their fellow students. Their silliness and superciliousness were so
unbounded as to be disgusting to all sensible men. From the immaculate
Rupert, with his patent-leather shoes and shining tile, down to the
cowardly little lisper, Lew Veazie, they were alike detested. Hence it
came about that when Rupert Chickering appeared under the famous "fruit"
tree wearing a more than ordinarily gorgeous shirt, the cry of "Fruit!"
was immediately raised.

Rupert uttered an exclamation of dismay and turned to run. He had heard
that cry before. But he only hastened what he sought to evade. A foot
outstretched for the purpose tripped him, and brought him sprawling to
the ground. Before he could rise, one of the laughing students was upon
him.

"See here!" he exclaimed, "I'll have you know that I will not submit to
any such outrage! I know you, and I shall report you to the faculty!"

He tried to fight off the youth who held him, but a dozen other men
rushed to this youth's assistance. Then a wild-eyed fellow produced a
shining pocket-knife and slowly and exasperatingly opened its sharpest
blade.

"Help!" Rupert squawked.

The knife was flourished in the air, and the tag on the lower end of
Rupert's shirt-bosom was deftly amputated.

"Fruit!" was again shouted, and a dash was made for Gene Skelding, who,
as usual, wore a rainbow shirt that outshone Joseph's "coat of many
colors."

"Help!" Skelding howled.

Bu