unish Jimmy
Singleton, for Jimmy had been growing daily less amenable to discipline.
But she had hoped that she would not be compelled to punish him--she had
escaped that disagreeable task so far.

But there was no alternative, and though she grew deadly white and her
legs grew weak as she drew out the willow switch, she advanced on Jimmy,
her eyes flaming with desperate resolution.

As she reached Jimmy's side, he lunged toward her. He struck viciously
at her with his fist, the blow landing on her shoulder near the neck. It
had been aimed at her face, but she had somehow dodged it. The force of
the blow brought Jimmy against her, and he seized her around the waist
and attempted to throw her. She brought the switch down sharply on
Jimmy's legs as they struggled, and the sting of the blow enraged the
boy. He deliberately wrenched himself loose; then leaped forward,
swinging his arms viciously.

He had not struck the girl fairly, but she was in a daze from the rapid
movement, and she was not aware of what was going on around her,
centering all her energy in an attempt to keep the boy from striking
her face.

But she suddenly became conscious that a big form had loomed close to
her; she heard a deep, angry voice saying:

"I'll attend to you--you young pirate!"

And then Jimmy was jerked backward, away from her; and she saw Kane
Lawler standing not more than two or three paces from her. His right
hand was twisted in Jimmy's collar; and there was an expression of cold
rage on his face--despite the smile he gave her when she looked at
him--that chilled her.

But she made no objection when Lawler walked to a chair that stood on
the platform, dragging the now protesting Jimmy after him by the scruff
of the neck. There was something of majestic deliberation in Lawler's
movements, she thought, as he seated himself in the chair and placed the
struggling Jimmy across his knees.

Ruth had never entertained a bloodthirsty thought, but her passions were
very near that point when she saw Lawler's large, capable right hand
begin to descend upon Jimmy's anatomy. She gasped at first, at Lawler's
temerity; and then she stepped back and watched him, her heart singing
with approval.

Lawler's capable right hand descended many times with a force that
brought dismal howls from the unlucky culprit--so many times and with
such force that the girl began to fear that Jimmy would be fatally
injured. Jimmy likewise entertained that fear,