“You’d better be careful,” said Pewee to Jack, rising to his feet. “I stand by Riley.”
“Will you defend him if I hit him?”
“Yes.”
“Well, then, I won’t hit him. But you don’t mean that he is to abuse me, while I am not allowed to answer back a word?”
“Well—” said Pewee hesitatingly.
“Well,” said Bob Holliday hotly, “I say that Jack has just as good a right to talk with his tongue as Riley. Stand by Riley if he’s hit, Pewee; he needs it. But don’t you try to shut up Jack.” And Bob got up and put his broad hand on Jack’s shoulder. Nobody had ever seen the big fellow angry before, and the excitement was very great. The girls clapped their hands.
“Good for you, Bob, I say,” came from Susan Lanham, and poor, ungainly Bob blushed to his hair to find himself the hero of the girls.
“I don’t mean to shut up Jack,” said Pewee, looking at Bob’s size, “but I stand by Riley.”
“Well, do your standing sitting down, then,” said Susan. “I’ll get a milking-stool for you, if that’ll keep you quiet.”
It was well that the master came in just then, or Pewee would have had to fight somebody or burst.