his prestige all about his ears. They
crowed like roosters and bleated like lambs, and made many other
noises which were supposed to bury him in ridicule and dishonor.
"Well, I ain't afraid," he continued to explain through the din.

Jimmie, the hero of the mob, was pitiless. "You ain't afraid, hey?" he
sneered. "If you ain't afraid, go do it, then."

"Well, I would if I wanted to," the other retorted. His eyes wore an
expression of profound misery, but he preserved steadily other
portions of a pot-valiant air. He suddenly faced one of his
persecutors. "If you're so smart, why don't you go do it?" This
persecutor sank promptly through the group to the rear. The incident
gave the badgered one a breathing-spell, and for a moment even turned
the derision in another direction. He took advantage of his interval.
"I'll do it if anybody else will," he announced, swaggering to and
fro.

Candidates for the adventure did not come forward. To defend
themselves from this counter-charge, the other boys again set up their
crowing and bleating. For a while they would hear nothing from him.
Each time he opened his lips their chorus of noises made oratory
impossible. But at last he was able to repeat that he would volunteer
to dare as much in the affair as any other boy.

"Well, you go first," they shouted.

But Jimmie intervened to once more lead the populace against the large
boy. "You're mighty brave, ain't you?" he said to him. "You dared me
to do it, and I did--didn't I? Now who's afraid?" The others cheered
this view loudly, and they instantly resumed the baiting of the large
boy.

He shamefacedly scratched his left shin with his right foot. "Well, I
ain't afraid." He cast an eye at the monster. "Well, I ain't afraid."
With a glare of hatred at his squalling tormentors, he finally
announced a grim intention. "Well, I'll do it, then, since you're so
fresh. Now!"

The mob subsided as with a formidable countenance he turned towards
the impassive figure on the box. The advance was also a regular
progression from high daring to craven hesitation. At last, when some
yards from the monster, the lad came to a full halt, as if he had
encountered a stone wall. The observant little boys in the distance
promptly hooted. Stung again by these cries, the lad sneaked two yards
forward. He was crouched like a young cat ready for a backward spring.
The crowd at the rear, beginning to respect this display, uttered some
encouraging cries. S