"Oh, Bert, you mustn't fight."

"Then he has got to leave you alone--and leave me alone, too."

"If you fight at school, you'll be expelled."

"I don't care, I'm going to make him mind his own business," said Bert
recklessly.

Danny Rugg was particularly sore because he had not been invited to
Grace Lavine's party. Of all the boys in that neighborhood he was the
only one left out, and he fancied it was Nan and Bert's fault.

"They don't like me and they are setting everybody against me," he
thought. "I shan't stand it, not me!"

Two days later he followed Bert into the schoolyard, in which a large
number of boys were playing.

"Hullo! how's the ghost?" he cried. "Is it still living at your house?"

"You be still about that ghost, Danny Rugg!" cried Bert, with flashing
eyes.

"Oh, but wouldn't I like to have a house with a ghost," went on Danny
tantalizingly. "And a sister who was afraid of it!"

"Will you be still, or not?"

"Why should I be still? You've got the ghost, haven't you? And Nan is
scared to death of it, isn't she?"

"No, she isn't."

"Yes, she is, and so are you and all the rest of the family." And then
Danny set up his old shout: "Afraid of a ghost! Afraid of a ghost!"

Some of the other boys followed suit and soon a dozen or more were
crying, "Afraid of a ghost!" as loudly as they could.

Bert grew very pale and his breath came thickly. He watched Danny and
when he came closer caught him by the arm.

"Let go!" cried the big boy roughly.

"I want you to stop calling like that."

"I shan't stop."

"I say you will!"

Bert had hardly spoken when Danny struck at him and hit him in the arm.
Then Bert struck out in return and hit Danny in the chin. A dozen or
more blows followed in quick succession. One struck Bert in the eye and
blackened that organ, and another reached Danny's nose and made it
bleed. Then the two boys clinched and rolled over on the schoolyard
pavement.

"A fight! A fight!" came from those looking on, and this was taken up on
all sides, while many crowded forward to see what was going on.

The school principal, Mr. Tetlow, was just entering the school at the
time. Hearing the cry he ran around into the yard.

"Boys! boys! what does this mean?" he demanded, and forced his way
through the crowd to where Bert and Danny lay, still pummeling each
other. "Stand up at once and behave yourselves," and reaching down, he
caught each by the collar and dragged him to his feet