The woman thus thrown down began to scream at the top of her voice, in which she was joined by the others, while the two men left, both closed up in an endeavor to rush Patsy at the head of the stairs.
The very thing that Patsy had hoped to escape had occurred. He wanted to get out of the house without it being known to Spike Thomas and Bally Morris that he had followed them in.
He now believed that all this noise on the second floor must attract the attention of those on the third floor and that all that he had hoped to gain had been lost.
He thought this rapidly, and also that there was no use of further trying to quiet the people and that he must defend himself.
So he squared himself to meet the rush of the two young men but, as they began it, the girl, who had first given the alarm that he was Patsy Murphy, threw herself in front of him in an effort to stop the rush of the fellow who said he was her brother, and his companion.
Patsy instantly saw that she was likely to be hurt, and catching her with his right arm about her waist, he quickly put her to one side and, springing forward, struck out with both fists, hitting the brother squarely in the face with his right fist and warding off a blow from the other with his left.
The brother fell to the ground. The other one made a second dash at Patsy.
In the meantime the two women who had come at the call attempted to take a hand, but were opposed by the young girl.
Patsy did not wait for the second attack, but went at the second man hammer and tongs, and soon beat him back to the wall.
Evidently the brother had gotten all that he desired in his first knockdown, for he made no effort to get up from the floor.