,
crossed the car to where Vincent was sitting and laid his hand roughly
on his shoulder.

"You have got to get out!" he said. "No man insults Jim Mullens twice."

"Take your hand off my shoulder," Vincent said quietly, "or you will be
sorry for it."

The man shifted his hold to the collar of Vincent's coat amid cries of
shame from some of the passengers, while the others were silent, even
those of his own party objecting to an assault upon a minister. It was
only the fact that the fellow was a notorious local ruffian that
prevented their expressing open disapproval of the act. As the man
grasped Vincent's collar with his right hand Vincent saw his left go
under his coat toward the pocket in the back of the trousers where
revolvers were always carried. In an instant he sprang to his feet, and
before the man, who was taken by surprise at the suddenness of the
movement, could steady himself, he struck him a tremendous blow and at
the same moment springing at his throat, threw him backward on to the
floor of the carriage. As he fell the man drew out his revolver, but
Vincent grasped his arm and with a sharp twist wrenched the revolver
from his grasp, and, leaping up, threw it out of the open window. The
ruffian rose to his feet for a moment half-dazed by the violence with
which he had fallen, and poured out a string of imprecations upon
Vincent. The latter stood calmly awaiting a fresh attack. For a moment
the ruffian hesitated, and then, goaded to fury by the taunting laughter
of the lookers-on, was about to spring upon him when he was seized by
two or three of the passengers.

"I reckon you have made a fool enough of yourself already," one of them
said; "and we are not going to see a minister ill-treated, not if we
know it."

"You need not hold him," Vincent said. "It is not because one wears a
black coat and is adverse to fighting that one is not able to defend
one's self. We all learn the same things at college, whether we are
going into the Church or any other profession. You can let him alone if
he really wants any more, which I do not believe. I should be ashamed of
myself if I could not punish a ruffian of his kind."

"Let me get at him!" yelled Mullens; and the men who held him, taking
Vincent at his word, released him. He rushed forward, but was received
with another tremendous blow on the mouth. He paused a moment in his
rush, and Vincent, springing forward, administered another blow upon the
same spot,