sed for a moment, and in that moment
Jim said, "Hold your breath and they can't draw blood. I'll have 'em
off you in a second."

"C-c-can't they?" sobbed Charlie.

"Hold your breath and I'll show you," said Jim. "Here, Phil, take hold."

As they stripped the squirming suckers, Jim kept a hand on Charlie's
arm. "Can you fight, kid?" he asked. "You've got muscle. You'd better
lick the fellow that started this on you or you'll never hear the end of
it."

The blue receded from the older boy's lips. He had a fine, sensitive
face. "I can fight," he replied. "But I fight fellows and not snakes or
worms."

Jim nodded as he pulled off the last sucker. Then he turned to the boys,
his hand still on Charlie's arm. He spoke in his usual drawl:

"They's a difference between hazing a fellow and torturing him. Some
mighty gritty people can't stand snakes or suckers. You kids ought to
use sense. Who started this?"

The biggest boy in the crowd, Fatty Allen, answered: "I did. And if your
father hadn't just died I'd lick the stuffing out of you, Still, for
butting in."

A shout of derision went up from the boys. Jim's lips tightened. "You
lick the new kid first," he answered, "then tackle me. Get after him,
Charlie!"

Charlie, quite himself again, leaped toward Fatty and the battle was on.

There had been, unknown to the boys, an interested spectator to this
entire scene. Just as Charlie's screams had begun, a heavy set man,
ruddy and well dressed, with iron gray hair and black lashed, blue eyes,
had paused beside a pine tree. It was a vividly beautiful picture that
he saw; the pine set pool, rush and pad fringed, and the naked boys, now
gathered about the struggling two near the ancient springboard. One of
the smaller boys, moving about to get a better view of the battle, came
within arm reach of the stranger, who clutched him.

"Who's this boy they call Still?" he asked. "Stand up here on this
stump. I'll brace you."

The small boy heaved a sigh of ecstasy at his unobstructed view. "It's
Still Jim Manning. His father just got killed. He's boss of our gang."

"But he's not the biggest," said the stranger.

"Naw, he ain't the biggest, but he can make the fellows mind. He don't
talk much but what he says goes."

"Can he lick the big fellow?"

"Who? Fatty Allen? Bet your life! Still's built like steel wire."

"What did he start this fight for?" asked the man.

"Aw, can't you see they'd never let up on this new kid aft