"Because they wouldn't sell me the whisky," was the answer. "Oh, Mr. Langridge, please don't hit me!" "It's Wallops!" exclaimed Phil. "Wallops, the little messenger. What's that brute Langridge up to now?" "Seems as if he sent Wallops after liquor, and he didn't get it," said Tom. "I hear he's been up to that trick." "The dirty cad!" whispered Phil. A moment later there was the sound of a blow, and it was followed by a cry of pain. "Come on!" cried Phil to Tom, and the two strode around the corner of the building. They saw Gerhart holding Wallops, who was a lad small for his age, while Langridge was punching him in the face, accompanying each blow with the remark: "That will teach you to play the sneak trick on me. You drank that stuff yourself!" "Indeed I didn't!" cried the messenger. "They wouldn't let me have it. There was a new man behind the bar." "That's a likely story. Hold him tight, Gerhart; I'm going to paste him another." "You hound!" cried Phil, his voice shrill with rage, and an instant later he had fairly leaped beside the bully. With one hand he thrust Langridge aside, and then, with a straight left on the jaw, he sent him to the ground with a thud. CHAPTER XVI PHIL IS NERVOUS Langridge struggled to his feet, anger rendering him almost speechless. He started toward Phil, who stood in the attitude of a trained boxer, awaiting the attack. The light from a new moon faintly illuminated the scene, and the figures stood out with considerable distinctness against the background of the dark building. Wallops, the messenger, was shrinking away, anxious to escape unobserved, though he cast a look of gratitude at Phil. Tom was surprised at his chum's sudden attack, but he stood ready to aid him, in case Gerhart should make an effort to take sides. As for Phil and Langridge, they faced each other, one eager with righteous anger to continue the chastisement, the other mad with the lust of shame and unreasoning. "What--what did you do that for?" asked Langridge thickly, and his hand went to his jaw where Phil's fist had landed. His head was singing yet from the powerful blow. "You know why," replied Phil calmly. "Because you're a coward." "Hold on!" cried the bully, taking a step forward. "I've stood about all I'm going to from you." He looked around at Gerhart. The freshman stood passive, and Langridge showed some surprise. "Aren't you going to stand by me?" asked the sophomore of his ally. "Of course," muttered Gerhart, but there was no heart in his tones. He remembered what his crony had said regarding Phil's prowess. "Certainly," put in Tom with gentle voice. "We'll make a quartet of it, if you like." "What are you interfering with my affairs for?" went on Langridge, taking no notice of Tom. "Because it's the affair of any decent college man to interfere when he catches a dirty coward beating a fellow smaller than he is!" and Phil fairly bit off the words.