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I guess he was afraid if the fellows learned of it they'd cheer!" Amy chuckled. "Bet they would, too! Where's my dear old German dictionary?" The two boys settled down at opposite sides of the table to study. After a few minutes, Clint whose thoughts still dwelt on Penny's tragedy, asked: "What made you think it was Dreer, Amy?" "Eh? Oh, why, who else would it be?
"You keep out of it, you skinny monkey!" shouted Dreer. "All you're good for is to make rotten noises on that beastly fiddle of yours! Want more, do you?" Penny evidently did, for he came back with a funny sidelong shuffle, arms extended, and Dreer, perhaps surprised at the other's pluck, moved cautiously away. "You've had what was coming to you, Durkin," he growled.
For choice, Dreer would have avoided Amy on general principles, but in this case he had no chance, for, unless he climbed a fence and took to the fields, there was no way for him to reach school without proceeding along the present road. Neither was it advisable to dawdle, for he had Greek at ten o'clock, it was now twelve minutes of and "Uncle Sim" had scant patience with tardy students.
"You're a bloodthirsty kid," marvelled Clint. "I am?" Amy seemed surprised. "Don't you believe it, Clint. I'm as easy-going and soft-hearted as a suckling dove, whatever that is. Only, when some low-life like Dreer says this is a rotten school I don't care for it. And when he does a trick like the one he did with poor old Penny's fiddle I want to fight.
Lots of men would have hopped around and got excited and said, 'Boys! Boys! This will never do! He just made up his mind that everything was all right and said 'Go to it!" "I'm glad he came," acknowledged Clint. "I didn't want to see Dreer get any more, Amy." "He needed a lot more," replied Amy grimly. "Personally, I was a bit sorry he fessed up so quick. I was hoping for another whack at him!"
Ken went out deeper, for he knew most hard-hitting left-handers hit to right field. But Dreer bunted the first ball teasingly down the third-base line. Fleet as a deer, he was across the bag before the infielder reached the ball. Hollis was next up. On the first pitch, as Dreer got a fast start for second, Hollis bunted down the first-base line.
"You don't mean" Clint's voice dropped don't mean Dreer?" "I can't prove it on him," answered Penny quietly. "But but, oh, hang it, Durkin, even Dreer wouldn't do as mean a thing as that!" But even as he said it Clint somehow knew that Penny's suspicions were correct, and, at variance with his assertion, added wrathfully: "By Jove, he ought to be thrashed!"
"I don't know anything about any violin," he muttered. "Of course you don't, Dreer," replied Amy cheerfully. "I'm just telling you about it. Someone went into his room day before yesterday and smashed it. Isn't that a shame? You wouldn't do a thing like that, would you?" "I didn't!" whined Dreer. "You haven't any right to blame me for it!" "Who's blaming you for it? Perish the thought, Dreer!
"Seems to me," replied the stranger judicially, "it's up to you whether he knocks you down. Why don't you turn the tables and do the knocking down yourself? It's a beautiful morning you've chosen, gentlemen." "I won't fight, I tell you!" screamed Dreer. "I'll tell Fernald of this and you'll all be expelled!" "We won't worry about that yet, Dreer," said Amy. "Come on, now.
If it's such a fine school why didn't he stay there?" "You bet it's a fine school!" returned Dreer heatedly. "It's the best there is!" "Oh, piffle," sneered Clint. "Better than Brimfield, I suppose?" "Better than Say, you make me laugh! There isn't any comparison. Claflin's got it all over this hole every way you look!" Dreer paused suddenly and cast a doubtful look at Amy.
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