red on the forming of the Central Grammar eleven, and that
plan now looked like a winner.

"We won't let the High School fellows have all the fun," young Prescott
mused as he hurried along.

He reached the rather large and handsome Davis house, rang the bell,
delivered his books and then started back. His evening, up to nine
o'clock, was now his own to do with as he pleased.

Suddenly the thought of the happenings at noon came back to his mind.

"What a mean fellow that Dexter is!" muttered the Grammar School boy.
"I've heard folks say that Dexter is mean enough, and scoundrel enough,
to kill his wife one of these days. Whew! I should think it would hurt
to be so all-fired mean, and to have everyone despising you, as folks
seem to despise Dexter. I hope the upper court will give him six months
in jail, instead of one."

Prescott was moving along a dark street now. It bordered a broad field,
back of which stood a deep grove. At the street end of the field was a
neat, solid, stone wall.

Had Dick been looking ahead all the time he would have seen a man,
coming down the street, start, take a swift look at the boy, and then
dart behind a tree. But Prescott did not see until he reached the tree.
Then the man stepped out.

"Prescott!" uttered Abner Dexter hoarsely, "I've been wanting to see you
again!"

"That's more than I can say about you," retorted Dick, trying to edge
away.

"No! You don't get away from me like that!" hissed Ab. Dexter sharply,
twisting a hand on Dick's collar. Lifting the boy from his feet, Dexter
hurled him over the wall into the field.

"Now, I'm going to settle with you, young meddler!" announced Dexter,
vaulting the wall and throwing himself upon Dick. "When I get through
with you you'll never feel like meddling with any one again!"

CHAPTER IV

AB. DEXTER'S TEMPER IS SQUALLY

"You're taking a lot upon yourself!" ventured Dick Prescott angrily.

"That's all right," laughed Dexter savagely. "Come along with me and
I'll show you something really funny."

With that the man caught young Prescott up, starting across the field
with him. Dick fought and struggled, but a grown man was too powerful
for one thirteen-year-old boy.

"Don't make any noise," warned Dexter, as he ran with his "catch," "or
I'll make you wish you hadn't opened your mouth!"

If he feared that Dick would call for help, this high-handed one was
reckoning without a knowledge of the kind of boy he had to deal