ting! Babies! Go home and have your mothers put you
to bed! I'll fight 'em single-handed!"

He was as good as his word. He plunged toward the head of the column,
which had already reached the middle of the public road.

"Don't you dare to touch the flag!" cried Aleck.

"And don't you dare to tell me what I shall not touch," retorted Pen.
"Drop it, or I'll tear it off of you."

But Aleck only drew the folds more tightly about him and braced
himself for the onset. He clutched the staff with one hand; and the
other hand, duly clenched, he thrust into his adversary's face. For a
moment Pen was staggered by the blow, then he gathered himself
together and leaped upon his opponent. The fight was on: fast and
furious. The followers of each leader, appalled at the fierceness of
the combat, stood as though frozen in their places. The flag, clutched
by both fighters, was in danger of being torn from end to end. Then
came the clinch. Gripping, writhing, twisting, tangled in the colors,
the lithe young bodies wavered to their fall. And when they fell the
flag fell with them, into the grime and slush of the road. In an
instant Pen was on his feet again, but Aleck did not rise. He pulled
himself slowly to his elbow and looked around him as though
half-dazed.

That Pen was the victor there was no doubt. His face streaked with
blood and distorted with passion, he stood there and glared
triumphantly on friend and foe alike. That he was standing on the flag
mattered little to him in that moment. He was like one crazed. Some
one shouted to him:

"Get off the flag! You're standing on it!"

"What's that to you?" he yelled back. "I'll stand where I like!"

"It's the flag of your country. Get off of it!"

"What do I care for my country or for you. I've won this fight,
single-handed, in spite of any flag, or any country, or any coward
here, and I'll stand where I choose!"

He stood fast in his place and glared defiantly about him, and in all
the company there was not one who dared approach him.

But it was only for a moment. Some impulse moved him to look down.
Under his heels the white stars on their blue field were being ground
into the mire. A sudden revulsion of feeling swept over him, a sense
of horror at his own conduct. His arms fell to his sides. His face
paled till the blood splashes on it stood out startlingly distinct. He
moved slowly and carefully backward till the folds of the banner were
no longer under his feet. He