Somehow that phrase seemed to add fresh fuel to Star’s smoldering anger, for he took a fresh and very painful grip on Dud’s arm and said: “All right, is it? Well, it isn’t all right, kid! [You’re a sneaky little bounder, that’s what you are!] Saying smart-aleck things and then trying to lie out of it! Don’t you ever mention my name again. If you do I’ll get you and you won’t forget it in a hurry. Now you beat it!”
[“‘You’re a sneaky little bounder, that’s what you are!’”]
With a sudden wrench at the captive arm, Star spun Dud around and aimed a kick at him. Fortunately, a premonition of what was happening caused Dud to jump aside and Star’s foot missed its goal. Dud, angry himself now, turned with clenched fists and flashing eyes. But the situation was distinctly hopeless. Star topped him by a head and Dud was suddenly conscious of his own physical inferiority. Still he might have tried conclusions had it not been for the smile of haughty contempt on the other’s countenance. Somehow that smile was too much. It seemed to say: “What, you dare to show disrespect to me? Begone, impious mortal!” Dud’s fingers straightened again, he gulped down his resentment, stole a doubtful glance at a group of fellows who were looking on curiously from the dormitory steps and walked away, trying his best to appear dignified and unconcerned but secretly feeling like a whipped cur. Later, when he recounted the episode to Jimmy the latter took him to task vigorously.
“Why didn’t you tell him you didn’t say it? I’m not afraid of the big fraud!”
“Considering you’d told everyone that I had said it——”
“Yes, that’s so.” Jimmy frowned mightily. “Well, then, why didn’t you light into him? Don’t you see that the fellows who were watching you will think you were afraid of him?”
“I wanted to, but—but somehow he looked so—so sort of superior——”
“Yah! That’s Star’s best bluff! Bet you anything if you’d hit him just one little tap on the nose he’d have run! Hang it, Dud, you’ve got to play up, boy! Here I am making you out a regular feller, and the first chance you get to—to put yourself in the lime-light you fall down! Why, you had the finest sort of an opportunity to distinguish yourself! Think what it would have meant to you, Dud! Fellows would have said: ‘What do you know about young Baker licking Star Meyer right in front of Trow this morning? Had it all over him, they say! Beat him something brutal! Some class to that kid, eh?’ That’s the way they’d have talked you up. Now you’ve gone and——”