“What a disgrace! What a burning, terrible disgrace! You—just back from college—”
“There, there, grandpop, it’ll be all right. Everybody’ll be glad, when they cool off, that I handed it to that bully.”
“This will make a terrible scandal. The Observer will print it, and—”
“Nonsense! You don’t think they’d waste paper on a little mix-up aboard a coasting-schooner, do you?”
“This is more than a little mix-up, Hal. You’ve stove that man’s hull up, serious. There’s more storm brewing.”
“What d’you mean, more storm?”
“Oh, he’ll take this to court. He’ll sue for damages.”
“He’d better not!” snapped Hal, grimly. “I’ve got more for him, where what I handed him came from, if he tries it!”
“Hal, you’re—breaking my old heart.”
“D’you think, grandpa, I was going to stand there and swallow his insults? Do you think I, a Briggs, was going to let that slab-sided P.I. hand me that rough stuff? Would you have stood for it?”