ROWDY VERSUS REGULAR
After a pleasant evening Hal and Noll escorted their parents homeward at
somewhere around half-past ten o'clock.
Both young soldiers, however, were still so full of the day's news and
so wide awake that neither felt at all like turning in for sleep as yet.
So they met immediately afterward for a slow stroll through the streets
on this warm summer evening.
"Where shall we go?" asked Hal, as the chums met.
"I don't care," Noll answered. "One set of streets will do as well as
another."
"We'll take pains, anyway, to keep on the well-lighted streets," Hal
proposed smilingly. "It wouldn't do for two poor, lonely soldiers to go
into any of the darker quarters where danger may lurk."
"Tell you what we'll do then," offered Noll. "We'll get a policeman to
walk around with us and protect us from harm."
"Now let us have done with fooling for a little while, Noll. I remember
something that Prescott was telling me once."
"_Lieutenant_ Prescott," Terry interrupted quietly.
"Guess again, chum. You forget that we have been lieutenants
since--well, since four o'clock this afternoon. So I am within my rights
in simply calling him by his last name."
"True," admitted Noll. "I've been in the ranks so long that, somehow, it
seems hard to realize that I am suddenly an officer, and the equal of
any other second lieutenant in the Army."
"Prescott was telling me," went on Hal, "of a great friend he and Holmes
had at West Point. He was a young Virginian, Anstey by name. Now
Prescott and Holmes both feel as though they'd gladly give their left
hands for a chance to grip Anstey's paw; yet since leaving West Point
Prescott and Holmes have not laid eyes on Anstey--which brings me up to
the question: How are we going to feel if you and I are constantly
serving on different sides of the earth from each other?"
Lieutenant Noll Terry looked almost startled.
"By Jove, I hadn't thought of that," he muttered.
"I've been thinking of it," Hal rejoined. "Now, Noll, what is the matter
with you and me drawing up a request, both signing it, asking that, if
in accordance with military interests, we be assigned to the same
regiment and battalion?"
"To whom should such a request go?"
"To the adjutant general of the Army, I imagine, since neither of us as
yet belongs to any regiment or department."
"Won't the adjutant general put us down as the two original, very cheeky
shave-tails?" wondered Noll.
"That's a chance we'll have to take. Though if we make what seems a
perfectly proper request, and in a wholly respectful manner, I don't see
how the adjutant general can find fault with two inexperienced young
officers, even if our request be a rather unusual one."
"If you get up the paper I'll sign it with you," agreed Noll, without a
moment's further hesitation.
"I'll prepare that paper the first thing in the morning," promised Hal.
"Whew, but I wish we had even an inkling of what our first duty is to
be."
"Anywhere in 'God's country'" (in Army parlance, 'God's country' means
the United States), replied Noll. "I don't want to see the Philippines
again inside of a year."
For longer than they realized the two chums strolled the streets, now
grown very quiet as the hour was late for a small city. Indeed, the two
new lieutenants paid little heed to their course. So, after a while,
they reached the rougher parts of the town.
Bunny Hepburn, having gone away from the restaurant with his heart full
of hate, had fallen in with a group of companions of his own sort. These
young men had visited beer-gardens and other places of low repute.
Bunny's companions were the human fruits of his father's peculiar
teachings. For the most part these young fellows were "professional
labor men" of the lowest type. None of them ever worked long or steadily
at anything, except with their tongues. They were a gross libel on the
real workingmen of the country--the steady, sober, industrious toilers
who are the real backbone of the country.
Bunny's companions, instead, were of a sort who hang upon the words of
such speakers and agitators as the elder Hepburn. While disliking
industrial work, and resorting to it only when there was no other choice
as against starvation, these young fellows were always on hand in times
of strike or riot, ready for any violence and seldom hesitating at
extortion or pillage when the chance presented itself.
"I tell you, fellows," Bunny proclaimed hoarsely, "I'm going to get
square with that tin-soldier dude, Overton. I hear he's been made an
officer in the Army to-day. He feels bigger than all outdoors! He made a
kick that cost me the best job I ever had."
"Imagine Bunny working!" jeered one of the crowd.
"That was the beauty of the job," snarled Bunny. "It wasn't real work.
It was more like belonging to a club. I had to stand around a little,
and pass things, and so forth. But I got fifteen a month, my meals, and
three or four dollars a day in tips."
"I don't blame you, then, for being sore at losing the job," remarked
another young "labor" man of Bunny's own stripe. "That kind of job was a
good deal like easy graft."
"That's just what it was," rejoined Bunny feelingly. "And I lost it all
on account of that--_Say, fellows!_"
This last appeal Bunny whispered hoarsely. Then he pointed ahead down
the street.
"Here comes that soldier-loafer, Overton, now. And his friend with
him."
"Now's your chance to take it out, Bunny!" prodded one of the gang.
"Fellows," declared Bunny earnestly, "it's the chance for all of us to
take it out of that pair! Think how often the regulars have fired into
honest, hard-working men!"
By that designation Bunny referred to rioters.
"There's two of them, and they hain't got no guns or bayonets this
time," Bunny Hepburn continued hoarsely. "How many are there of us?"
"Twelve," replied another, "not counting Skinny Carroll."
"Skinny can work at his old game of lookout," muttered Bunny. "Get busy,
Skinny."
Skinny was an undersized, weazened little fellow, with a large,
badly-shaped head and an extremely bright pair of keen, fox-like eyes.
Many a time had he been lookout against the coming of the police, while
stronger, harder-handed companions carried out some piece of violence
against law and order.
With a chuckle Skinny promptly turned and fled to the next corner, where
he could watch four ways at once.
Bunny's companions found themselves committed to a new deed before they
quite realized it.
"My pop has often told you fellows all about the soldiers," went on
Bunny quickly. "Now, we've got a chance to settle one score for labor.
We'll sail into that pair like a ton of brick. Use 'em up! Don't be
gentle, or turn faint-hearted! Remember, there's enough of us to swear
to a good 'frame-up' if this thing gets into court. Don't be
chicken-hearted or white-livered! Line up, the bunch of you!"
Hal and Noll, as they strolled along the side street, saw the little
group ahead. It was an unimportant street, devoted to business in the
day-time. Neither of the Army boys distinguished Bunny, who kept himself
well concealed behind the other idlers until Hal and Noll had reached
the gang. Then Bunny threw himself forward.
"Yah! yah!" he snarled. "Get me thrown out of me job, will you, you
soldier-loafer!"
"Hullo, it's Bunny!" cried Hal, recognizing the speaker.
"Yep! It's me--Bunny Hepburn!" jeered the ex-waiter. "But you won't know
what your name is when I get through with you!"
"Bosh!" rejoined Hal, rather impatiently. "Step aside. Don't block the
sidewalk. It's broad enough for us all!"
"You don't sneak out of it that easy!" jeered Bunny.
"Behave yourself, and let me by," requested Hal Overton sternly.
He tried to push the noisy fellow out of his path. Bunny, with the
strength of the gang behind him, swung a hard blow at the Army boy's
face.
In self-defense Hal Overton was obliged to fend off the blow. But Bunny
came back at him again.
"Sail into the soldier-loafers!" called Bunny.
Wolf-like, the gang attacked in a pack, and on all sides at once. It
didn't take Noll Terry an instant to see that this was serious business.
Without a word Noll sprang back to back with Hal, and thus they met the
onslaught.
In the crowd there were some hard-hitters, and the odds were tremendous.
On the other hand, Hal and Noll were no mean boxers. They had gained
their skill with their fists in many a brisk garrison bout with the
gloves. Moreover, both Army boys possessed the advantage of soldierly
courage and discipline.
So, for a few moments, though they took some blows, yet they managed to
keep off the wolf-pack fairly well.
Hal Overton's blood was up now, and he was dangerous. Watching his
chance he let fly a blow that caught Bunny forcefully on the nose.
"Wow-ow-ow! O-o-oh!" wailed Bunny, trying to find shelter behind one of
his companions. "The soldier-loafer is trying to kill me. Wade into him,
fellers! Get him down and----"
At that moment Hal, with Noll at his back, worked through the line and
caught Bunny over his left eye with a force that sent the noisy one down
to the sidewalk.
"Get up, you cur!" ordered Hal.
For a moment the members of the gang on Overton's side of the fight
seemed paralyzed.
Gripping Bunny Hepburn by the collar, Hal dragged the fellow to his feet
and instantly planted a blow that closed the other eye.
"Now, you'll stay put," panted Hal breathlessly. "Come on, the rest of
you hyenas, and we'll walk through the whole crowd of you!"
With a yell of defiance the gang closed in. While the mix-up was at its
hottest, a low, trilling whistle sounded from Skinny Carroll's lips.
Only two of the gang heard it in the excitement; that pair took to their
heels at once.
Down the street came a pair of flying feet.
"Cop! cop!" yelled Skinny Carroll. "Duck and run!"
Three more of the gang heard and took to their heels at once. One of the
fugitives ran squarely into the policeman's arms. The blue-coat stopped
another by drawing his revolver and commanding a halt. When the
policeman came along with his two prisoners Noll had a third to add to
the collection. Hal had Bunny and another of the late fighting crew.
"What's this trouble about?" demanded the policeman gruffly.
"It's an outrage, and high time you got here," wailed Bunny. "Officer,
just look at me!"
"You seem to look just right to me," grinned the policeman.
"Officer, I demand that you arrest these two fellows!" insisted Bunny,
in a shaking voice. "They'd have killed me if you hadn't got here just
when you did."
"Hold your tongue," commanded the policeman. Then, turning to Hal, he
asked:
"What's the rights of this affair?"
"Don't you listen to what they say!" screamed Bunny. "They'll lie like a
house afire. I was going along, minding my own business, when this pair
jumped on me. You see what they did to me."
"Officer, what's the meaning of this?" demanded a man who had just come
on the scene. It was Bunny's father, the agitator and anarchistic
lecturer.
"If you'll keep quiet long enough I'll soon find out," retorted the
policeman.
"Officer," demanded the elder Hepburn, "do you know who I am?"
"Yes; that's why I want you to keep quiet," retorted the policeman, with
no great show of awe or respect.
"But----"
"Get back and keep quiet until I've had time to look into this thing!"
blazed the policeman ominously.
"Minion of the hireling law," began the elder Hepburn, running his
fingers through his hair and striking an attitude.
"Hepburn, in the name of the Commonwealth, I demand your assistance in
taking care of the prisoners," retorted the policeman grimly. "Disobey
at your peril. Here, take charge of this prisoner," indicating Bunny.
"If you let him escape you'll go to jail for it!"
Thus summoned in the name of the Commonwealth the elder Hepburn, though
he loathed his task, had to play the part of a police officer or take
the consequences. Hepburn, like his son, was noisy but not brave; he had
no desire to serve his state in jail, so he served it on the street.
However, the arresting party and prisoners had gone only as far as the
next corner when they encountered Chief of Police Blake, an official who
was not afraid of any one or anything.
"What's this?" asked the chief.
Hal and Noll were asked to explain the affair, while the two Hepburns
and Bunny's companions were forced, much against their will, to keep
still.
"We don't care about pressing any charge, chief," Hal added. "This crowd
got punished enough as it was."
"One of them certainly did," grinned Chief Blake, taking in the extent
of damage done to Bunny's countenance.
"Chief, I insist that you arrest these two soldier-loafers!" cried Bunny
hoarsely.
"And I back up that demand!" added the elder Hepburn, with what he
considered impressive dignity.
"Bosh!" retorted Chief Blake. "I'd take the word of these two Army
officers against a whole slumful of rowdies like these young fellows.
And so would any judge in his right mind. I refuse to arrest either of
these young Army officers, for I'm convinced that they acted only in
their own defense."
"Officer," broke in the elder Hepburn dramatically, "you have no right
to take the word of hireling soldiers against honest young working----"
"Go on! Chase yourselves! A quick vanish or a long night behind the hard
iron bars!" cried Chief Blake, dropping into the language that Bunny and
his companions could best understand. "Another piece of jaw, and to the
green-lighted doorway you all go!"
Then, nodding to Hal and Noll to stroll along with him, Chief Blake left
the discomfited trouble-makers.
"Another proof that the law exists only for the benefit of the favored
few!" hissed Bunny's father. "But this latest outrage shall not go
unnoticed. There are ways of getting justice, even under such a
miserable government as ours, and we shall have recourse to those ways.
Come with me, gentlemen, and I shall show you what can be done!"
There are always ways of making trouble when one is bound to do it.
Moreover, Mr. Hepburn was an expert at trouble-making, and on this night
he worked overtime.
There was trouble ahead, as the two Army boys discovered on awakening in
the morning.