red the common fate of all in having a dark cloud. Jud was
the dark cloud, and his silver lining had not yet materialized.

In height and physical strength Jud was the superior, so he delighted
in taunting and goading the younger boy. There finally came a day when
instinctive self-respect upheld David in no longer resisting the call
to arms. Knowing Barnabas' disapproval of fighting, and with his
mother's parting admonition pricking his conscience, he went into
battle reluctantly and half-heartedly, so the fight was not prolonged,
and Jud's victory came easily. Barnabas, hurrying to the scene of
action, called Jud off and reprimanded him for fighting a smaller boy,
which hurt David far more than did the pummeling he had received.

"What wuz you fighting fer, anyway?" he demanded of David.

"Nothing," replied David laconically, "just fighting."

"Jud picks on Davey all the time," was the information furnished by
the indignant Janey, who had followed her father.

"Well, I forbid either one of you to fight again. Now, Jud, see that
you leave Dave alone after this."

Emboldened by his easily won conquest and David's apparent lack of
prowess, Jud continued his jeering and nagging, but David set his lips
in a taut line of finality and endured in silence until there came the
taunt superlative.

"Your mother was a washerwoman, and your father a convict."

There surged through David a fierce animal hate. With a tight closing
of his hardy young fist, he rushed to the onslaught so swiftly and so
impetuously that Jud recoiled in fear and surprise. With his first
tiger-like leap David had the older boy by the throat and bore him to
the ground, maintaining and tightening his grip as they went down.

"I'll kill you!"

David's voice was steady and calm, but the boy on the ground
underneath felt the very hairs of his head rising at the look in the
dark eyes above his own.

Fortunately for both of them Barnabas was again at hand.

He jerked David to his feet.

"Fightin' again, are you, after I told you not to!"

"It was him, David, that began it. I never struck him," whimpered Jud,
edging away behind his father.

"Did you, David?" asked Barnabas bluntly, still keeping his hold on
the boy, who was quivering with passion.

"Yes."

His voice sounded odd and tired, and there was an ache of bafflement
in his young eyes.

"What fer? What did he do to make you so mad?"

"He said my mother was a washerwoman and my father