THE RESULT OF A QUARREL
If any boy was ever humiliated it was Bob Bangs. His face and hands
were covered with dust and so was his elegant suit of clothing, while
the skin was cut on the side of his nose.
"Now, see what you have done!" he spluttered, gazing ruefully at
himself. "My suit is just about ruined!"
"And it serves you right, Bob Bangs," came warmly from Jack.
"That is what you get for trying to run away," added our hero.
"I'll have the law on you, Randy Thompson!"
"Maybe I'll have the law on you, Bob Bangs!"
"You had no right to throw me down in that fashion."
"Then why did you start to run away?"
"Because I didn't want to stay here--and you had no right to stop me."
"We wanted to know about this berry affair," said Jack. "And about the
dirty boat."
"I don't know what you are talking about," answered the big boy, but
his face showed his concern.
"You put mud in my boat and spilled our berries."
"Who says I did that?"
"We know you did."
"Did you see us?"
"No, but we know you did it and nobody else."
"You can't prove it," answered Bob, and now his face showed a sign of
relief. He had been afraid that there had been a witness of his
evil-doing.
"Perhaps we can," said Randy. "Bob Bangs, I think you are the meanest
boy in Riverport!" he continued, with spirit.
"I don't care what you think, Randy Thompson. Who are you, anyway? The
son of a poor carpenter. Why, you haven't got a decent suit of clothing
to your back!"
"For shame, Bob!" broke in Jack. "Randy is a good fellow, even if he is
poor."
"Well, if you think he is so good you can go with him. But I don't want
to associate with such a low fellow," went on the big youth, as he
started to brush himself off with a silk handkerchief.
"So I am a low fellow, am I?" said Randy, in a steady voice, and coming
up close to Bob, who promptly began to back away.
"Ye--as, you--you are," stammered the rich youth.
"I've a good mind to knock you down for saying it, Bob Bangs. I am not
as low as you."
"Humph!"
"I would never do the low things you have done. It was a mean,
contemptible trick that you played on Jack and me. By right you ought
to be made to scrub out the boat and pay for the berries you spoiled."
"Bah! I won't touch the boat, and I won't pay a cent."
"Then you admit that you are guilty?"
"I admit that I had some fun, at your expense, yes," answered Bob
Bangs. "You can't do anything to me, though, for you can't prove it
against me."
"That means, if you were brought up into court, you would lie about
it," said Randy.
"Humph! You needn't get so personal, Randy Thompson."
"For two pins, do you know what I would do, Bob Bangs?"
"What?"
"I'd give you a good thrashing," and Randy pulled up his sleeves, as if
he meant to begin operations at once.
"No! no! Don't you--you dare to touch me!" gasped the rich boy, in
alarm. "If you do, I'll--I'll have the law on you!"
"And we'll have the law on you."
Bob Bangs was more alarmed than ever. He saw that Randy was ready to
pitch into him on the instant. He looked around, saw an opening, and
darted away at his best speed.
"Let him go--the big coward," called out Jack, for Randy had started
after the rich boy. "We can settle with him another time."
"What a mean chap!" cried Randy. "I never saw his equal, never!"
Bob Bangs ran a distance of several rods. Then, seeing a clod of dirt
lying in the road, he picked it up and hurled it at the boys. He was
not a good thrower, but as luck would have it the clod struck Randy on
the shoulder, some of the dirt spattering up into his ear.
"Ha! ha! That's the time you got it!" sang out the rich boy, gleefully.
"And this is the time you are going to get it," returned Randy, and
made a dash after him. Seeing this, Jack followed after the pair.
[Illustration: RANDY CAUGHT BOB BANGS BY THE ARM AND THREW HIM OVER.]
Bob Bangs could run and fear lent speed to his flying feet. But he was
no match for Randy, who had on more than one occasion won a running
match amongst his schoolfellows. Bob started for home, several blocks
away, but just before he reached his gate Randy came near to him,
caught him by the arm and flung him over on his side. Then, to hold him
down, our hero seated himself on top of the rich boy, who began to
bellow lustily.
"Get off of me!"
"I will not!"
"You are squeezing the wind out of me!"
"What right had you to throw that chunk of dirt at me?"
"I--er--I was only fooling."
"Maybe I am only fooling, too."
"You are breaking my ribs! Oh, let up, I say!"
"Are you sorry for what you did?" demanded Randy.
To this Bob Bangs made no reply.
"I see you've got him," said Jack, running up at that instant.
"Yes, and I am going to give it to him good," answered Randy.
"Let up! Help, somebody! Help!" roared Bob, badly frightened. He began
to kick and struggle, but Randy held him down and as a consequence he
was covered with dust and dirt from head to foot.
In the midst of the melee a carriage came along the roadway. It
contained Mrs. Bangs and the man-of-all-work, who was driving.
"Mercy on us! What does this mean?" burst from the fashionable lady's
lips. "Can that be Robert?"
"Help! help!" roared the rich youth, more lustily than ever.
"It certainly is Robert," went on Mrs. Bangs. "John, stop the carriage.
You rude boy, let my son alone!" she went on, in her shrill, hard
voice.
"Hullo, here is Mrs. Bangs," remarked Jack, looking around and
discovering the new arrival.
For the instant Randy did not see the rich woman and continued to hold
down Bob, who struggled violently, sending up a cloud of dust in the
road. Then he noticed the carriage and looked up, and his face fell.
"You scamp! Leave my boy alone!" screamed Mrs. Bangs. "Oh, John,
perhaps you had better run for a policeman!" she added, as Randy let go
his hold and arose.
"You had better not, Mrs. Bangs," said Jack. "Bob deserves what he is
getting."
"I do not believe it! It is disgraceful to throw him down in the road
like this," stormed the fashionable lady.
"He hit Randy with a chunk of dirt."
"I--I didn't do nothing!" howled Bob, as he got up. He was too ruffled
to think of his bad grammar.
"And that elegant suit is about ruined," went on Mrs. Bangs. "I never
heard of such doings before. Boy," she went on, looking at Randy, "you
ought to be locked up!"
"It is Bob ought to be locked up," retorted Randy. "He started this
trouble; I didn't."
"I do not believe it. My son is a gentleman."
"I didn't do a thing," put in the rich boy, feeling safe, now that his
mother and the hired man were on the scene. "They pitched into me for
nothing at all."
"Bob knows better than that," said Jack.
"Yesterday he tried to steal some fish we caught, and to-day he mussed
up Jack's boat and ruined some berries that both of us had picked,"
explained Randy. "I took him to task about it and then he threw the mud
at me. Then I chased him and caught him, as you saw."
"Preposterous! My boy would not steal!" said Mrs. Bangs, tartly. She
looked meaningly at Jack. "I presume you and your family are very
bitter against us now," she added, significantly.
"Bitter against you?" said Jack, puzzled.
"Yes--because of that iron works affair."
"I don't know anything about that, Mrs. Bangs."
"Oh, then you haven't heard yet." The fashionable woman was nonplussed.
"Never mind. You must leave Robert alone."
"Ain't you going to get that policeman and lock them up?" asked the
son, anxiously.
"If I am locked up, you'll be locked up, too," said Randy. "And the
charge against you will be stealing as well as malicious mischief."
"Yes, and we'll prove our case," added Jack. "Bob doesn't know what
witnesses we have."
At this announcement Bob Bangs' face grew pale.
"Yo--you can't prove anything," he faltered.
"You don't know about that," said Randy, taking his cue from Jack.
"I will look into this affair later--just now I have no time," said
Mrs. Bangs, after an awkward pause. "Robert, you had better go into the
house and clean yourself up. John, you can drive on." And then, while
the fashionable woman was driven into her grounds, her son lost no time
in sneaking off into the house. As he entered the door he turned and
shook his fist at our hero and Jack.
"Jack, I don't think we have heard the last of this," remarked Randy,
as he and his companion started away.
"Perhaps not, but I think we have the best of it," answered Jack.
"I don't know about that. Mrs. Bangs is a very high-strung woman and
thinks a good deal of Bob."
"I'd like to know what she meant about the iron works matter," went on
Jack, with a troubled look on his face. "I hope Mr. Bangs hasn't got
the best of father in that deal."
"You had better ask your father when you get home."
"I will."
The two lads hurried back to the boat and placed the craft where it
belonged. Then the berries were divided, and each started for his home
little dreaming of the trouble that was in store for both of them.