“Smarty! You think you’re some, now, don’t you? Oh, what a hat!”
“You can lump that hat if you don’t like it. I dare you to knock it off—and anybody that’ll take a dare will suck eggs.”
“You’re a liar!”
“You’re another.”
“You’re a fighting liar.”
“Aw—take a walk!”
“Say—if you give me much more of your sass I’ll take and bounce a rock off’n your head.”
“Oh, of course you will.”
“Well I will.”
“Well why don’t you do it then? What do you keep saying you will for? Why don’t you do it? It’s because you’re afraid.”
“I ain’t afraid.”
“You are.”
“I ain’t.”
“You are.”
Another pause. Presently they were shoulder to shoulder. Tom said:
“Get away from here!”
“Go away yourself!”
“I won’t.”
“I won’t either.”
So they stood, glowering at each other with hate. But neither could get an advantage. Tom said:
“You’re a coward and a pup. I’ll tell my big brother on you, and he can beat you with his little finger, and I’ll make him do it, too.”
“What do I care for your big brother? I’ve got a brother that’s bigger than he is—and what’s more, he can throw him over that fence, too.”
–
“That’s a lie.”
“Your saying so don’t make it so.”
Tom drew a line in the dust with his foot and said:
“I dare you to step over that, and I’ll lick you till you can’t stand up.”
The new boy stepped over promptly, and said:
“Now you said you’d do it, now let’s see you do it.”
“Don’t you crowd me now; you better look out.”
“Well, you said you’d do it—why don’t you do it?”
“For two cents I will do it.”
The new boy took two broad coppers out of his pocket and held them out. Tom struck them to the ground. In an instant both boys were rolling and tumbling in the dirt, gripped together like cats; and for the space of a minute they tugged and tore at each other’s hair and clothes, punched and scratched each other’s nose, and covered themselves with dust and glory. Presently the confusion took form, and through the fog of battle Tom appeared, seated astride the new boy, and pounding him with his fists.
The boy only struggled to free himself. He was crying—mainly from rage.
At last the stranger got out a smothered “Enough!” and Tom let him go and said:
“Now that’ll learn you. Better look out who you’re fooling with next time.”
The new boy went off brushing the dust from his clothes, sobbing, and shouting what he would do to Tom the “