Jack did not answer, but, keeping Lion at his side, walked slowly past the group, glaring sullenly at them from under his angry brows.
“He’s afraid to speak,” said Cub.
“Afraid?” said Jack, turning and facing him. “I despise you too much to speak to you! Great lubberly fellows like you, to take the part of an old miser against one boy,—I look upon you as cowards and thieves!”
“Remember how we served your dog!” said Cub, with a malignant grin.
“Yes, I do remember it! You had to wait till I was gone before you had the courage to do even that! If you hadn’t lied to me, and got me out of the way first, you never would have taken that money,—somebody would have been hurt first!”
“Look out!” said Cub, seizing a broken branch, and advancing towards the audacious youngster.
“Come on!” cried Jack, jeeringly. “You’re big enough to cut up into six decent fellows,—if anything decent could be made out of such rubbish, but—you’d better bring fifteen or twenty of your big brothers to help you! See here!” said Jack, as the broken branch came whizzing past his head, “two can play at that game!” And he sent back a club with so sure an aim that it took the burly Cub full in the stomach. “No credit to me!” yelled Jack, alert on his legs. “Couldn’t help hitting such a big mark!”
“O, git out, Cub!” Hank called after his brother; “what’s the use? I don’t blame the boy. We’ve been hard enough on him, and now I’m goin’ to take his part. Come back here, Bub! I want to talk. You sha’n’t be hurt.”
“Hurt? as if I was afraid of him! It’s all I can do to keep my dog from his throat,—he has a grudge to wipe out! Here, Lion! Put the souls of the whole tribe of you in a balance, and my dog’s would out-weigh ’em! You could shake ’em all in a pepperbox, and not hear ’em rattle; they would have as much room in a teapot as so many crabs in Lake Erie!”
“I like your spunk, Bub!” said Hank, laughing. “And, see here! we never would have gi’n the old man the money, if we’d thought ’twas good for shucks. You know that.”