"Haven't you heard any thing about it, either?" inquired William, in surprise. "I was certain that they would ask you to join. Well, the amount of it is that Charley Morgan and a lot of his particular friends have been organizing a company for the purpose of thrashing the Hillers, and making them stop robbing hen-roosts and orchards and cutting up such shines."
"Yes," chimed in James Porter, "there are about thirty of them, and they say that they are going to whip the Hillers out of the village."
"Well, that's news to me," said Frank.
"For my part," said Thomas Benton, "I, of course, know that the Hillers ought to be punished; but I do not think it is the duty of us boys to take the law into our own hands."
"Nor I," said James Porter.
"Well, I do," said Harry, who, as we have said, was an impetuous, fiery fellow, "and I believe I will join the Regulators, and help whip the rascals out of the country. They ought, every one of them, to be thrashed for stealing and—"
"Now, see here, Harry," interrupted George. "You know very well that such a plan will never succeed, and it ought not to. You have been taught that it is wrong to take things that do not belong to you, but with the Hillers the case is different; their parents teach them to steal, and they are obliged to do it."
"Besides," said Frank, "this summary method of correcting them will not break up their bad habits; kindness will accomplish much more than force."
"Kindness!" repeated Harry, sneeringly; "as if kindness could have any effect on a Hiller!"
"They can tell when they are kindly treated as well as any one else," said George.