It does n't matter why and , since in a story of this kind we must tell the truth no matter what happens -- or else where is the use of writing a story at all ? -- I 'll have to confess that we had deserved all we got and that the Old Fellow did no more than his duty by us . Both Ruggles and I see that now , since we have had time to cool off , but at the moment we were in a fearful wax at the Old Fellow and were bound to hatch up something to get even with him . Of course , the Old Fellow had another name , just as Ruggles has another name . He is principal of the Frampton Academy -- the Old Fellow , not Ruggles -- and his name is George Osborne . We have to call him Mr. Osborne to his face , but he is the Old Fellow everywhere else . He is quite old -- thirty-six if he 's a day , and whatever possessed Sylvia Grant -- but there , I 'm getting ahead of my story . Most of the Cads like the Old Fellow . Even Ruggles and I like him on the average . The girls are always a little provoked at him because he is so shy and absent-minded , but when it comes to the point , they like him too . I heard Emma White say once that he was `` so handsome '' ; I nearly whooped . Ruggles was mad because he 's gone on Em . For the idea of calling a thin , pale , dark , dreamy-looking chap like the Old Fellow `` handsome '' was more than I could stand without guffawing . Em probably said it to provoke Ruggles ; she could n't really have thought it . `` Micky , '' the English professor , now -- if she had called him handsome there would have been some sense in it . He is splendid : big six-footer with magnificent muscles , red cheeks , and curly yellow hair . I ca n't see how he can be contented to sit down and teach mushy English literature and poetry and that sort of thing . It would have been more in keeping with the Old Fellow . There was a rumour running at large in the Academy that the Old Fellow wrote poetry , but he ran the mathematics and did n't make such a foozle of it as you might suppose , either . Ruggles and I meant to get square with the Old Fellow , if it took all the term ; at least , we said so .
But if Providence had n't sent Sylvia Grant walking down the street past our boarding house that afternoon , we should probably have cooled off before we thought of any working plan XXXXX revenge .
For as at because of on since that to with