horeman was making as if to rise. Johnnie
could still feel the touch of Big Tom's perspiring hand on his forehead,
and the pinch of those cruel fingers on his shoulder. Taking a forward
step, he gave Barber's shoulder a wrenching jerk, then thrust the
longshoreman backward by a spanking blow of the open palm full upon that
big, ugly, bristling face.

Again Barber fell prostrate. He was purple with mortification, and
leered up at Johnnie murderously.

"Ha! ha! Y' got enough?" Johnnie inquired. He was all of a glow now, and
his face fairly shone. But he was not done with the tyrant. A sense of
long-outraged justice made him hand Barber the big, black, three-legged,
iron kettle that belonged on the back of the cookstove. There was some
cold oatmeal in the bottom of the kettle, and Johnnie also handed the
longshoreman a spoon--with a glance toward the Prince, who seemed awed
by Johnnie's complete mastery of the enemy. "Here!" the boy directed,
giving the pot a light kick with a new shoe (which was brown). "Go ahead
and eat. Eat ev'ry bite of it. _It's got kerosene in it!_"

Now Barber got to his knees imploringly. "Oh, don't make me eat it!" he
begged. "Oh, don't, Johnnie! Please!"

"Y' made _me_ eat it once," said Johnnie quietly. "And y' need a lesson,
Tom Barber, and I'm givin' y' one."

Barber choked down the bad-tasting food. But there was no taunting of
him. Johnnie kept a dignified silence--as did also the Prince and the
gentlemen. But when the last spoonful was swallowed, and Barber was
cowering beside the empty kettle, the boy felt called upon to go still
further, and make away finally with that strap which was the symbol of
all he hated--that held up and together the too-large clothes which had
so long mortified his pride; that stood for the physical pain dealt out
to him by Big Tom if he so much as slighted a bit of his girl's work.

The strap was around him now, even over that new suit. It circled him
like a snake. He took it off, his lips working in another splendid
speech. "And I don't wear it ever again," he declared, looking down at
Barber. "Do y' understand that?" He flicked a big arm with the leather,
though not hard enough to give pain.

"Yes," faltered the longshoreman, shrinking.

"Well, I'm glad y' understand it," returned Johnnie. "And now you just
watch me for _on-n-ne_ second! You won't never lay this strap across
_me_ again!"

He whipped out a long, sharp, silver-handled bread-knife. Then