“What happened?” asked Joe. “Tell us about it.”
“When I came out this afternoon, Carl was standing just outside the schoolyard gate, teasing that little Yates kid, whose brother was killed in the Argonne fighting. If Bill had been alive, you can bet Carl would have left the kid brother alone, but as it was, he was bullying him and trying to make him carry a big package for him.” 78
“Just like the big coward!” exclaimed Joe, indignantly.
“You said it!” replied Bob. “Well, of course, I wasn’t going to stand for anything like that, and I made him quit. He got so mad that I really thought he was going to swing at me, but he didn’t quite have the nerve. He went off muttering something about getting the gang after me, and I took the Yates kid with me for a few blocks to make sure that he would get home all right.”
“Good for you!” said Joe. “That’s just like Carl, to pick on a kid that has nobody to fight his battles for him and is too small to fight his own. I’m glad you were around to take the kid’s part.”
“I suppose Carl will run right to Buck, now, and they’ll hatch up some scheme to get even with you,” remarked Herb.
“I don’t care what they do,” returned Bob. “It’s too bad there’s a bunch like that in this town. They’re a regular nuisance.”
“We’ve done all we could to teach them manners,” said Joe. “I guess the trouble is, they don’t want to learn.”
“Don’t let’s bother even thinking about them,” said Bob. “Come on in and we’ll buy the stuff we need.”
The four friends went on into the store, where they found several of their schoolmates, bent on the same mission as themselves. All exchanged 79 greetings, and many good-natured jokes were bandied back and forth as they made their purchases.