The Rover Boys at College | Page 7

about it," growled Dudd Flockley.
"It won't hurt you a bit," added Jerry Koswell.
"I want you to let me go!" cried the girl.
"I will as soon as--" began Dudd Flockley, and then he gave a sudden
roar of pain as he found himself caught by the ear. Then a hand caught
him by the arm and he was whirled around and sent into a corner with a
crash. At the same time Jerry Koswell was tackled and sent down in a
heap in another corner. The girl, thus suddenly released, stared at the
newcomers in astonishment and then sank down on a chair, too much
overcome to move or speak.
CHAPTER III
LIKE KNIGHTS OF OLD
The Rover boys had acted on the impulse of the moment. They had
seen that the girl wanted the two dudish young men to leave her alone,
and stepping into the kitchen, Dick had tackled Dudd Flockley while
Tom and Sam had given their attention to Jerry Koswell.
"You cowards!" cried Dick, confronting Flockley. "Why can't you
leave a young lady alone when she tells you to?"
"They ought to be kicked out of the house," added Tom.

"You--you--" spluttered Dudd Flockley. He did not know what to say.
He gathered himself up hastily and Jerry Koswell followed. "Who are
you?" he demanded, facing Dick with clenched fists.
"Never mind who I am," was the reply of the oldest Rover. "Aren't you
ashamed of yourself?"
"This is none of your affair," came from Koswell.
"Well, we made it our affair," answered Tom. He turned to the girl "I
hope we did right," he added hastily.
"Why--er--yes, I think so," faltered the girl. She was still very white
and trembling. "But--but I hope you didn't hurt them."
"See here, Minnie, are you going to stand for this?" growled Dudd
Flockley. "It ain't fair! We're old friends, and--"
"You had no right to touch me, Mr. Flockley," answered the girl. "I told
you to let me go. I--I thought you were a--a--gentleman." And now the
tears began to show in Minnie Sanderson's eyes.
"I am a gentleman."
"You didn't act like one."
"Oh, come, don't get prudish, Minnie," put in Jerry Koswell. "We didn't
mean any harm. We--"
"I want you to leave this house!" said the girl, with a sudden show of
spirit. "You had no warrant to act as you did. It--it was--was shameful!
Leave at once!" And she stamped her small foot on the floor. Her anger
was beginning to show itself and her face lost its whiteness and became
crimson.
"We'll leave when we please," muttered Dudd Flockley.
"So we will," added Jerry Koswell.

On the instant Dick looked at his brothers, and the three advanced on
the two dudish-looking young men.
"You do as the young lady says," said Dick in a cold, hard voice. "I
don't know you, but you are not wanted here, and that is enough. Go!"
And he pointed to the door.
"See here--" blustered Flockley. But he got no further, for Dick
suddenly wheeled him around and gave him a shove that sent him
through the doorway and off the back porch.
"Now the other fellow," said the oldest Rover, but before Tom and Sam
could touch Jerry Koswell that individual ducked and ran after Flockley.
Then both young men stood at a safe distance.
"We'll fix you for this!" roared Flockley. "We don't know who you are,
but we'll find out, and--"
"Maybe you want a thrashing right now," came from Tom impulsively.
"I'm in fighting trim, if you want to know it." And he stepped out of the
house, with Sam at his heels. Dick followed. At this hostile movement
Flockley and Koswell turned and walked hurriedly out of the garden
and down the country road, a row of trees soon hiding them from view.
"They are as mad as hornets," observed Sam. "If they belong anywhere
near Ashton we'll have to look out for them."
"Right you are," answered Tom. "But I am not particularly afraid."
Having watched the two young men out of sight, the three Rover boys
returned to the farmhouse. Minnie Sanderson had now recovered
somewhat and she blushed deeply as she faced them.
"Oh, wasn't it awful," she said. "I--I don't know what you think of it.
They had no right to touch me. I thought they were gentlemen. They
have called here several times, but they never acted that way before."
"Then we came in the nick of time," answered Dick. "Will you allow

me to introduce myself?" and he bowed. "My name is Dick Rover and
this is my brother Tom and this my brother Sam. You are Miss
Sanderson, I suppose."
"Yes, Minnie Sanderson."
"We are strangers here. We were on the train, but there was a