elves, instead of getting found out by someone else."

"Oh! Going to turn goody-goody, are you?" sneered Billiard, not
willing to admit that he had been thinking similar thoughts.

Toady bristled. "I hate goody-goodies as bad as you do," he said, with
eyes flashing. "But I'm going to own up to my part in last night's
racket. We might have scared Glory to death."

"Pooh! You make me sick! Suppose you think she'll let you off easy if
you squeal. Well, go ahead, tattler! You will change your mind maybe,
when she writes to Uncle Hogan."

"If she wants to write Uncle Hogan, let her write!" screamed the
exasperated Toady, stung by his brother's taunts. "I'm going to quit
bothering them right here and now; and what's more, I'm going to own
up, too."

"Tattler!"

Toady turned on his heel and strode haughtily away, not daring to trust
himself to further speech.

"Coward! 'Fraid cat! Sissy girl!" jeered Billiard.

That was the last straw. The younger boy wheeled about and retraced
his steps in a slow, ominous manner. Thrusting his angry face close to
Billiard's, and shaking his clenched fist under his nose, he said
quietly, "Say that again if you dare, Williard McKittrick!"

Billiard was delighted. He had succeeded in making Toady mad, and now
he would have the pleasure of thrashing him. He felt just like
pounding someone.

"Coward! 'Fraid cat! Sis----"

A white fist shot out with accurate aim, striking the bully squarely
between the eyes. A shower of stars danced merrily about him, blood
spurted from his nose, and the next thing he knew, he was stretched
flat on the rocky ground, with a grim-faced Toady bending over him.

"Do you take it back?" a menacing voice was asking.

"You--you--" spluttered the angry victim, mopping his streaming nose
with his coat sleeve.

"Or do you want some more?" The doubled-up fist drew perilously near
the disfigured face in the gravel.

"That's it! Hit a fellow when he's down!" taunted the fallen bully,
still unable to realize just what had happened.

"I shan't hit you while you're down," said Toady calmly but decisively.
"I'll let you get onto your pins and then I'll knock them from under
you again."

And Billiard, looking up into the determined face above him, knew that
it was no idle threat. Toady was in deadly earnest, but still the
older boy temporized. It would never do to give in to Toady. If he
took such a step as that, his leadership was gone fo