“He says he's goin' to wallop you for shootin' his dawg last summer,” said little Joe Barnes.
“Joe, will you do something for me?” asked Ed.
“Yep!”
“You go and tell Lide Lee in there that I'm goin' over to Square Chanler's to get a neck-yoke he borrowed and I'll be right back. Tell her to wait in the school-house till I come.”
“He's afraid of Fan Brown and is runnin' over to Square Chanler's to get the constable,” said little Joe Barnes to himself. For this he despised Ed Church very much, but went in and delivered the message.
“All right!” said Lide, and then went on gossiping with the girls.
Ed Church stepped out of the schoolhouse and started for the horse-sheds.
He noticed a knot of men standing at the rear corner of the building; among them he discerned the stocky, bull-necked bully of Hinckley, Fan Brown.
“Here he comes now!” said one, as Ed approached.
“Let him come!” gritted the bully; “I'll fix him! I'll show him whose dog he's been shootin! As fine a coon dog, boys, as ever went into a corn field. He shot him, and I ain't goin' back to Hinckley till I mash his face.”