"We are!" came in a chorus from all but Polly Vane, who was still deep in his books.
"What about you, Polly?" called out Roger.
"Me? Why--er--if a tailor's goose is a real goose, not a flatiron goose----"
"Oh, drop the goose business. We are talking about getting square with Haskers. Will you stand with the crowd?"
"You see, we don't want to make gooses of ourselves," said Phil, with a wink at Polly Vane.
"I'll stand by you," said Polly. "But please don't ask me to do something ridiculous, as when we dumped that feather bed down from the third-story landing, and caught those visitors, instead of Pop Swingly."
"I was only thinking of Farmer Cadmore's ram," said Dave, innocently. "He is now tied up in a field below here. I don't think he likes to be out over night. He'd rather be under shelter--say in Mr. Haskers' room."
"Whoop!" cried Roger. "Just the thing! We will store him away in old Haskers' closet."
This plan met with instant approval, and the boys drew straws as to which of them should endeavor to execute the rather difficult undertaking. Three were to go, and the choice fell upon Dave, Phil, and Sam Day. The others promised to remain on guard and issue a warning at the first intimation of danger.
"I think the coast will be fairly clear," said Sam Day. "I heard Haskers tell Doctor Clay he was going out to-night and would not be back until eleven, or after. That ought to give us plenty of time in which to do the trick."
The three boys could not leave the dormitory until the monitor, Jim Murphy, had made the rounds and seen to it that all was right for the night and the lights put out. Then they stole out into the hallway and down a back stairs. Soon they were out of the building and making for Farmer Cadmore's place.
As they left the Hall they did not see that they were being watched, yet such was a fact. Nat Poole had been out on a special errand and had seen them depart. At once that student hurried to tell his friend, Gus Plum.
"Yes, and I heard them say something about making it warm when they got back," returned Nat Poole.
"Humph! Nat, we must put a spoke in their wheel."
"I'll think something up--before they get back," replied the bully of Oak Hall. "They haven't any right to be out, and I guess we've got 'em just where we want 'em."