school and the
tyrant of all the small boys! He felt that Hector Roscoe was rushing on
his fate.

"I advise you to come," he said, "Jim's mad with you already, and he'll
lick you worse if you send him a message like that."

"He will probably have to take blows, as well as give them," said
Hector.

"Then I am to tell him what you said?"

"Of course."

With a look that seemed to say, "Your fate be on your own head!" Bates
walked away.

"John Bates is always toadying to Jim," said Wilkins. "So he's prime
favorite when Jim is good-natured--when he's cross, I've seen him kick
Bates."

"And Bates didn't resent it?"

"He didn't dare to. He'd come round him the next day the same as ever."

"Has the boy no self-respect?" asked Hector, in a tone of disgust.

"He doesn't seem to have."

As soon as school was out, Jim Smith had looked round for the new boy,
who seemed disposed to defy his authority. On account of eating at
different tables, they had not met during the noon intermission. At any
rate, there had not been time to settle the question of subserviency.
Through the afternoon session Jim had been anticipating the signal
punishment which he intended to inflict upon the newcomer.

"I'll show him!" he said to himself. "Tomorrow he'll be singing a
different tune, or I am mistaken."

This was the way Jim had been accustomed to break in refractory new
arrivals. The logic of his fist usually proved a convincing argument,
and thus far his supremacy had never been successfully resisted. He
was confident that he would not be interfered with. Secretly, his Uncle
Socrates sympathized with him, and relished the thought that his
nephew, who so strongly resembled him in mind and person, should be
the undisputed boss--to use a word common in political circles--of the
school. He discreetly ignored the conflicts which he knew took place,
and if any luckless boy, the victim of Jim's brutality, ventured to
appeal to him, the boy soon found that he himself was arraigned, and not
the one who had abused him.

"Where's that new boy?" asked Jim, as he left the schoolroom.

He had not seen our hero's departure--but his ready tool, Bates, had.

"I saw him sneaking off with Wilkins," said Bates.

"Where did they go?"

"To the Village, I guess."

"They seemed to be in a hurry," said Jim, with a sneer.

"They wanted to get out of your way--that is, the new boy did,"
suggested Bates.

Jim nodded.

"Likely he did," he answer