to be learned
ettyket, an' if he comes that on me again I'm goin' to push his mush
through the back of his bean."

An ugly light came into the blear eyes of Soup Face. Once again he
leaned close to Columbus Blackie. "Not a cent less 'n fifty thou, you
tinhorn!" he bellowed, belligerent and sprayful.

Blackie leaped to his feet, with an oath--a frightful, hideous oath--and
as he rose he swung a heavy fist to Soup Face's purple nose. The latter
rolled over backward; but was upon his feet again much quicker than one
would have expected in so gross a bulk, and as he came to his feet a
knife flashed in his hand. With a sound that was more bestial than human
he ran toward Blackie; but there was another there who had anticipated
his intentions. As the blow was struck The Sky Pilot had risen; and
now he sprang forward, for all his age and bulk as nimble as a cat, and
seized Soup Face by the wrist. A quick wrench brought a howl of pain to
the would-be assassin, and the knife fell to the floor.

"You gotta cut that if you travel with this bunch," said The Sky Pilot
in a voice that was new to The Oskaloosa Kid; "and you, too, Blackie,"
he continued. "The rough stuff don't go with me, see?" He hurled Soup
Face to the floor and resumed his seat by the fire.

The youth was astonished at the physical strength of this old man,
seemingly so softened by dissipation; but it showed him the source of
The Sky Pilot's authority and its scope, for Columbus Blackie and Soup
Face quitted their quarrel immediately.

Dirty Eddie rose, yawned and stretched. "Me fer the hay," he announced,
and lay down again with his feet toward the fire. Some of the others
followed his example. "You'll find some hay in the loft there," said The
Sky Pilot to The Oskaloosa Kid. "Bring it down an' make your bed here by
me, there's plenty room."

A half hour later all were stretched out upon the hard dirt floor upon
improvised beds of rotted hay; but not all slept. The Oskaloosa Kid,
though tired, found himself wider awake than he ever before had been.
Apparently sleep could never again come to those heavy eyes. There
passed before his mental vision a panorama of the events of the night.
He smiled as he inaudibly voiced the name they had given him, the right
to which he had not seen fit to deny. "The Oskaloosa Kid." The boy
smiled again as he felt the 'swag' hard and lumpy in his pockets. It
had given him prestige here that he could not have gained by any other