“I say they did go over,” insisted Roy Bock. “You may call this match yours, but I’ll not give it.”
“As you please,” answered Dale, with a shrug of his shoulders. “We won it, and did so fairly, and that is all there is to it,” and turning on his heel he walked off.
In the meantime Pepper had gone outside to the carryall. Now he came around to a back door of the Pornell gymnasium carrying the box he had brought along.
“A surprise for the Pornell boys. I was sure they’d treat us meanly, so I planned to get square.”
With great caution the two cadets took the box to a corner of the building and opened it. Then they took the contents up to a small gallery.
“Now then, let ’em go!” cried Pepper, and Jack obeyed the command.
Soon around the gymnasium half a dozen big black crows were flying. Caw! caw! caw! they cried in their bewilderment.
And as they flew around each crow dropped some cards which had been loosely attached to its wings.
_We are to be eaten by the Pornell Bowling Team._
“Hurrah, Pornell has got to eat crow to-day!” cried one Putnam Hall cadet.
“That’s right,” added another. “Hope they enjoy it.”
The trick Pepper had played made all the cadets laugh loudly. As for the Pornell students they looked dark and sour.
“This is an outrage!” stormed Roy Bock. “Eat crow indeed! I say we didn’t lose the match. They didn’t play fair.”
“We did play fair—and that’s the end of it,” answered Dale, and walked towards the carryall. Others followed, and soon all the Putnam cadets were ready to depart. Some bitter things were said on both sides, and several of the rivals came close to getting into a pitched battle.
“I will have no fighting,” said George Strong. “Come, we will depart at once.”
“But we won fairly, Mr. Strong,” pleaded Dale.
“I feel sure you did, Blackmore, and I give Doctor Pornell no credit for allowing his scholars to treat you in this style. But I want you to act as young gentlemen.”
At last the carryall, the carriages, and the cadets on bicycles were on their way. The bowling team was in the carryall and with them were Jack, Pepper and a number of others. Mr. Strong was in one of the carriages ahead.
“I declare, I think they were too mean for anything!” cried Andy. “I wish I had punched that Roy Bock’s head for him!”