CHAPTER VII
Dick Meets the Boy-with-a-Kick
Evil thoughts can never be cherished, day after day, without leadingthe more daring or brutal into some form of crime.
Phin, the first three or four times he tried to appear on MainStreet, was "spotted" and hissed by High School boys.
Even the boys of the lower schools heard the news, and took upthe hissing with great zest.
So Phin was forced to remain indoors during the day, which drovehim out by night, instead.
Had he been older, and known more of human nature, he would haveknown that the hissing would soon die out, and thereafter he wouldmeet only cold looks.
At home, be sure Phin was not happy. His mother, a good woman,suffered in silence, saying little to her son.
Phin's father, a hard-headed and not over scrupulous man of business,looked upon the incident of expulsion as a mere phase in life.He thought it "would do the boy good, and teach him to be moreclever."
Gridley met Milton High School and scored another victory, Miltontaking only two points on a safety that Gridley was forced tomake.
And now the game with Chester was looming up ahead. It was duefor the coming Saturday.
Three times a week, Dick Prescott had his squad out for drilland practice, though he was careful to follow Mr. Morton's suggestionnot to get the young men trained down "too fine."
Early one evening in mid-week, Dick sat at his desk in "The Blade"office, "grinding out" some local copy. He was in a hurry tofinish, for he was due to be in bed soon. Every member of teamand squad was pledged to keep early hours of retiring on everynight but Saturday.
In another chair, near by, sat Dave Darrin, who dropped in tospeak with his chum, and was now waiting until they could strolldown Main Street together.
"I've just thought of something I want to do, Dick," mutteredDave suddenly. "I'll jump out and attend to it, now. Walk downMain Street, when you're through, and you'll run into me."
Prescott, nodding, went on with his writing, turning out pageafter page. Then he rose, placing the sheets on News Editor Bradley'sdesk.
"I'm pretty sure you'll find it all right, Mr. Bradley," declaredDick. "Now, I must get home, for I'm due in bed in half an hour."
"Training and newspaper work don't go well together," laughedthe news editor. "However, your football season will soon beover. This time next year you'll be through with High School,and I hope you'll be with us then altogether."
"I don't know about that, Mr. Bradley," smiled Dick, picking uphis hat and starting for the door. "But I do know that I likenewspaper work mighty well. When a fellow is writing for a paperhe seems to be alive all the time, and right up to the minute."
"That youngster may come to us for a while, after he gets outof High School," called Mr. Pollock, across the room, after Prescotthad, gone out. "But he won't stay long on a small daily. A youngsterwith all his hustle is sure to pull out, soon, for one of thebig city dailies. The country towns can't hold 'em."
Dick went briskly down the street, whistling blithely, as a boywill do when he's healthy and his conscience is clear.
A block below another boy, betraying the hang-dog spirit onlytoo plainly, turned the corner into Main Street.
It was Phin Drayne, out for one of his night walks. Fearing thathe might be insulted, and get into a fight with some one, Draynehad armed himself with one of his father's canes. The stick hada crook for a handle.
Prescott caught a glimpse of the other boy's face; then he turnedaway, hastening on.
"I'm not even worth looking at," muttered Phin to himself.
Just as Dick went past, Phin seized the cane by the ferule end,and lunged out quickly.
The crook caught neatly around one of Dick's ankles just as thefoot was lifted.
Like a flash Prescott went down. One less nimble, and havinghad less training, might have been in for a split kneecap. ButDick was too much master of his body and its movements. He wentdown to his hands, then touched lightly on his knees.
Phin laughed sneeringly as Dick sprang up, unhurt.
"Keep out of my way, after this---you less-than-nothing!" mutteredDick between his teeth. "I don't want to have to even hit a thinglike you!"
"You'll show good judgment, Mr. Big-head, if you don't try it,"jeered Drayne, menacing Dick with the cane.
The color came into Dick's face. Leaping forward, with all theadroitness of the born tackler, he caught that cane, just as itdescended, and wrenched it out of Phin Drayne's cowardly, hand.
Crack! Dick broke it in two across his knee, then tossed thepieces into the street.
"You'll never be able to do anything better than a sneaky act,"muttered Dick contemptuously, turning to walk on.
With a smothered cry Phin Drayne leaped forward to strike Prescottdown from behind.
Dick was around again like a flash, one fist striking up the armwith which the sneak had aimed his blow.
"Stand off, and keep away," advised Prescott coldly.
"I won't; I'll thrash you!" hissed Phin.
There was nothing for Dick to do but put up his guard, which hedid with great promptness. Drayne danced around him, seekinga good point at which to close in.
Prescott had no notion of fighting; neither did he propose totake an assault meekly.
"Look out!" yelled Drayne, suddenly rushing in.
"Certainly," mocked Prescott coolly.
He shot up Phin's arm as easily as could have been desired. Withhis right he parried another blow.
"Get out of this, and go about your business," advised Dick sternly.
"Think I'll take any orders from you?" snarled Phin. "I'll-----"
He continued to crowd in, hammering blows. Dick parried, butdid not attempt to retaliate. The truth was, he felt secretlysorry for the fellow who had fallen as low as Phin.
But Drayne was no coward physically, when his blood was up. Itdrove him to fever heat, now, to see how easily the captain ofthe football team repulsed him.
"I'll get your wind going, and then I'll hammer you for fair!"snarled Drayne.
"Mistake there, somewhere," retorted Dick coolly.
But Drayne was coming in, harder and harder. Dick simply hadto do something. So, after he had parried more than a score ofblows the young football captain suddenly took a springy stepforward, shot up Phin's guard, and landed a staggering blow onthe nose. Phin began to reel. Dick hit him more lightly on thechest, yet with force enough to "follow up" and send to his knees.
"Here, what's this?" called a voice, and a heavy hand seized Dickby the collar behind, pulling him back.
It was Heathcote Drayne, Phin's father, a powerful man, who nowheld Prescott.
Phin was quickly upon his feet and start forward.
From across the street sounded a warning cry, followed by footsteps.
"Now, I've got you!" cried Phin exultantly. He struck, and landed,on Dick's cheek.
"Stop that, Phin!" shouted his father, without letting go of Dick'scollar, however. Phin, however, instead of obeying, aimed anotherblow, and would have landed, had not another figure bounded inand taken the blow, next hurling Phin back against a brick wall.
It was Len Spencer, "star" reporter of "The Blade," who had thusinterfered. And now Dave Darrin was dancing in front of HeathcoteDrayne, ordering:
"Let go of Prescott! What sort of fair play is this?"
"Mind your own business!" ordered Mr. Drayne. "I'm stopping afight."
Not an instant did impulsive Darrin waste in arguing the matter.He landed his fist just under Heathcote Drayne's left eye, causingthat Heathcote to let go of Dick in a hurry.
"You young scoundrel!" glared Mr. Drayne, glaring at Dave.
"Opinions may differ as to who the scoundrel is," retorted Daveunconcernedly. "My own notions of fair play are against holdingone of the parties in a fight so that the other may hammer him."
"I'll have you arrested for this assault," stormed Mr. Drayne,applying a handkerchief t
o the bruised spot under his eye. "Bothyou and Prescott---your ruffian friend for assaulting my son.
"Go ahead and do it," retorted Dave. "As it happens, your sondid all the assaulting, and Prescott, who didn't care about fightingwith such a thing, only defended himself. We saw it all fromacross the street, but we didn't come across to interfere untilwe had to."
"I'll take some of your impudence out of you in the police court,"insisted Mr. Drayne.
"Yes, I would, if I were you," broke in Len Spencer coolly. "Isaw this whole business, too, and I'll take pleasure in testifyingagainst you both. Mr. Drayne, you didn't see the start of thisthing, and I did. But you, at least, know that your son is amoral leper kicked out of the High School because he was not decentenough to associate with the other students. I wouldn't be surprisedif he gets some of his bad qualities from you, sir"
"You'll sing a different tune in court," asserted Heathcote Drayneheatedly.
"So will you," laughed Len Spencer. "By the way, I see a policemandown the street. If you want to prefer a charge, Mr. Drayne,I'll blow my police whistle and bring the officer here."
Spencer took a whistle from his pocket, moving it toward his lips.
"Do you want the officer!" challenged the reporter.
But Mr. Drayne began to see the matter in a somewhat differentlight. He knew much about the nature of his son, and here weretwo witnesses against him. Besides, one was a trusted staff writerfor the local paper, and the whole affair was likely to resultin a disagreeable publicity.
"I'll think this all over before I act," returned Mr. Drayne stiffly,as he took his son by one arm. "Come along, Phin."
As the Draynes moved away each held a handkerchief to his face.
"I don't think much of fighting, and I don't like to do it,"muttered Darrin, who was beginning to cool down. "But if HeathcoteDrayne had had to do more fighting when he was younger he mighthave known how to train that cub of his to be more of a man."