The Essential Edward Stratemeyer Collection. Stratemeyer Edward

Чтение книги онлайн.

СКАЧАТЬ

      "Want to fight?"

      "No; but I can defend myself--I guess Nat Poole knows that."

      "Don't soil your hands on him, Link," said Poole. Even though they were two to one, he knew Dave's power and was afraid of him.

      "He can't come it over me," answered Merwell. "Let go!" and then he hauled off and tried to hit Dave in the face.

      The boy from the country was on guard, and ducked with a quickness that surprised his antagonist. Then he gave Merwell's arm a twist that sent the tall youth sprawling on the ice.

      The new pupil was amazed, and it took him several seconds to recover himself. He had not dreamed that Dave was so powerful, yet he threw prudence to the winds and rushed in, trying again to reach Dave's face with his fist. But Dave skipped to one side, put out his foot, and again Merwell went down, on his hands and knees.

      "I'll fix you!" he roared, scrambling up, his face red with rage. "I'll show you what I can do! How do you like that, you poorhouse rat!"

      This time he hit Dave in the breast. The blow was a heavy one, but it did not hurt nearly as much as did the words which accompanied it. They made Dave shiver as if with ague, and, all in a blaze he could not curb, he sprang towards Link Merwell. Out shot first one fist and then the other, the blows landing on the eye and chin of the tall youth. They made him stagger back against the ice-boat. Then came a third blow, and Merwell gave a gasp, swayed from side to side, and would have fallen had not Nat Poole caught him as he was going down.

      "Stop, Porter; don't hit him again!"

      "Merwell, do you take back what you just said?" demanded Dave, paying no attention to Nat Poole's remark.

      There was an instant of silence. Link Merwell wanted to answer, but was too dazed to do so. Slowly and painfully he stood erect. His head was in a whirl and one eye was rather rapidly closing.

      "Merwell, are you going to take back what you said?" demanded Dave, again. And he held his fist ready to strike another blow.

      "Ye--yes," stuttered Link Merwell. "Do--don't hit me again!" And then he collapsed in a heap at Dave's feet.

      CHAPTER XII

      THE MEETING OF THE GEE EYES

      When Link Merwell went down again Dave looked at Nat Poole, thinking that lad might possibly attack him. But the dudish fellow was too scared to do anything but back away to a safe distance.

      "Don--don't you dare to hit me, Porter!" he cried, in a trembling voice. "Don't you dare! If you do I'll tell Doctor Clay!"

      "If you behave yourself I'll not lay my fingers on you, Nat Poole," was the reply. "Merwell brought this on himself--you know that as well as I do."

      "He's pretty badly hurt, I fear."

      "Oh, he'll come around all right," answered Dave. "You had better see to it that he gets to the Hall safely."

      "Are you going to leave me?"

      "Yes, I want to find Henshaw and the others."

      Nat Poole wanted to argue, but he did not dare. Dave waited until Link Merwell sat up and opened his eyes. Then he leaped on the ice-boat and flung off the three skates he found there.

      "Going away?" mumbled Merwell, when he could speak.

      "Yes, and after this, Link Merwell, see that you keep a civil tongue in your head," answered Dave, and then he trimmed the sail of the ice-boat, shoved the craft around, and started for the river.

      Dave was a good deal "worked up," but he had not deemed it wise to let his enemies see it. To be called a "poorhouse rat" had stung him to the quick, and once again when touched on that subject he had found his temper as ungovernable as ever.

      "It's no use, I can't stand it," he told himself. "If they want me to let them alone they have got to cut that out."

      It was now so dark that but little could be seen on the broad river. Dave turned the craft towards Robber Island and made a long tack. He was just coming around on the other tack when there came a shout out of the darkness.

      "Don't run us down! Why, it's Dave!"

      "Right you are," was the reply. Then he saw Roger and the others, who had started to walk to Oak Hall. They were soon beside the _Snowbird_, and the craft was headed for the school.

      "So Poole and Merwell had her," observed Messmer, on the way. "Did you have any trouble making them give her up?"

      "Just a little," answered Dave, modestly.

      "Tell us about it, Dave!" cried the senator's son. "Somebody told me Merwell was of the scrappy kind."

      "I really don't like to talk about it," said Dave, his face clouding. "I had some words with Merwell and I knocked him down. Then he and Poole were willing enough to let me take the ice-boat."

      "You knocked Merwell down!" exclaimed Henshaw. "He's a big fellow."

      "Dave isn't afraid of anybody," said Roger, in a tone of pride.

      In the end Dave was compelled to tell his story, to which the others listened with deep interest. They understood the boy from the country perfectly, and said the treatment received had served Link Merwell right.

      When they reached Oak Hall they were nearly an hour late. They expected Job Haskers would lecture them and give them extra lessons to do, but fortunately they found Andrew Dale, the head teacher, in charge. He listened to their explanations with a smile.

      "After this you mustn't go so far, or else start earlier," said the instructor, and let them go in to supper.

      "Gracious! what a difference between Mr. Dale and old Haskers," was Dave's comment.

      "I wish all the teachers were like Mr. Dale--and Doctor Clay," returned Roger.

      The party were just finishing their evening meal when Nat Poole and Link Merwell slunk in. The tall youth had one eye nearly closed by the blow Dave had delivered. He glared savagely at Dave, but said nothing.

      "He'll chew you up--if he gets the chance," whispered Roger to Dave.

      "Then I won't give him the chance," answered the other, with a quiet smile.

      The story soon circulated among the students that Merwell and Dave had had a fight and the tall boy had gotten the worse of it. To this Dave said nothing, but Merwell explained to his friends that Porter had hit him foul, taking him completely off his guard.

      "The next time we meet you'll see him go down and out," added the tall boy. "He won't be in it a minute after I once get at him."

      Word was sent to Mike Marcy about his mule, and the farmer sent an answer back that the mule was now at home again, safe and sound. The mean fellow СКАЧАТЬ