“What’s all this?” she exclaimed. “Let go my child, you young ruffian! How dare you?”
“Mrs. Brackett,” said Andy, “Tommy has been firing stones at me. If you will make him stop, I shall let him alone.”
“You have no business to touch him, anyway! I’ll make you smart for it!” exclaimed the angry woman. “I presume you are telling lies about my poor child. Tell me all about it, Tommy. Did you fire a stone at him?”
“Yes; but he began it.”
“How did he begin it?”
“He took the cat away from me,” exclaimed the virtuous Tommy.
“Did you take the cat away from my boy?” demanded Mrs. Brackett, in a tragical tone.
“How dared you do it?”
“Because he was teasing it. If I had not interfered, he would have drowned her. He was putting her head into the trough.”