CHAPTER XVI.
STONE’S DEFIANCE.
It is almost impossible to describe the mental condition of BernardHayden immediately after Roger’s departure. Resentful wrath nearlychoked him, and for a few moments he raged against Eliot like alunatic. Even when he grew calmer outwardly, the fierce tumult in hisheart continued.
“How dare that fellow come here and talk to me in such a fashion!” hesnarled, pacing the floor of his room; “how dare he! So he’s going tostand by Stone at any cost! Judging by what I’ve heard about him, he’sjust mule enough to do it, too. I presume he’s right in believing hehas pull enough with the fellows to carry the thing through. I’ve gotto down Stone, and I will; but I can’t afford to hurt myself while I’mabout it, and, with Eliot taking the stand he vows he will take, itwill be necessary for me to try other tactics. I hate to give in awhit, and I’ll only seem to do so, in order that I may adopt some otherplan—some plan that can’t possibly fail. Perhaps you think you have menipped, Mr. Eliot, but at any cost I’ll win eventually.”
The following morning, watched by Jimmy, Stone was mending a brokenswing in the orchard behind Mrs. Jones’ house when, looking up, hediscovered Bern Hayden standing not twenty feet away. Their glances metand clashed, and, startled by the strange look on Ben’s face, Jimmyglanced round, discovering the frowning, dark-faced intruder.
“Oh!” gasped the little chap nervously. “I didn’t hear nobody coming.”
Ben had straightened up to his full height. His stout shoulders weresquared, his feet planted firmly, and he fronted his foe without asymptom of quailing. He had felt that this time must come, but now thedread of it passed from him instantly, and he was almost frightened bythat feeling of eager fierceness and uncontrollable rage which hadpossessed him in the hour when he was led to wreak physical violence onHayden for the destruction of little Jerry’s fiddle. Slowly andunconsciously he lifted his hand and touched his mutilated ear.
Bern, seeing that movement, flushed until his face took on a purplishtinge.
“It would have been a good thing,” he said in a harsh voice, “if inself-defense I had struck more effectively.”
Every nerve in Stone’s body seemed to vibrate. Without looking at thelame boy, who had begun to creep toward him, he said:
“Jimmy, you had better go into the house. I’ve some private business totransact with this person.”
The little lad hesitated a few steps away. “Ben,” he whispered, “oh,Ben, I’m afraid!”
“Go into the house, please,” urged Stone; and, with many fearfulbackward glances, Jimmy limped away.
For yet some moments they continued to stare, those two who hated eachother with all the intensity of their natures. If stabbing eyes couldhave killed, both would have sunk, mortally wounded, beneath theorchard trees.
“What do you want?”
It was Stone who asked the question. With a start, Hayden advanced afew steps, but he stopped while yet well beyond reach of the otherlad’s powerful hands. As he noted that Bern was disinclined to comenearer, something like a hideous smile momentarily contorted Stone’suncomely face.
“As I was passing I saw you here,” said Bern, “and I decided to tellyou just what you’re doing. You’re ruining the Oakdale football team,for there are a number of decent fellows who absolutely refuse to playon the same eleven with you.”
“Decent fellows!” scoffed Ben. “Your friends! If they knew you for whatyou are, as I do, the least decent among them would have nothing to dowith you.”
“Eliot is mulish, and, having taken a stand, he dislikes to turn back;but I know—and others know—that he would rejoice to be rid of you. Youwould realize it yourself if you were not so dull. Of course he tellsyou he wants you to play, for since you protected his sister he feelsthat he can’t do anything else. You saw last night that the fellows arequitting the team. It’s because you’re on it, and besides those whohave already quit there will be others. I’m in a position to know justhow they all feel about it, and unless you take yourself off it won’tbe long before Eliot will have no team behind him. You can’t playfootball, anyhow.”
It was this final taunt that brought Stone’s retort. “I can play aswell as you, Hayden, and I’ll prove it, too. In Hilton you always hadyour own way, but you can’t in Oakdale. You helped break my mother’sheart; you disfigured me for life, and you drove me, an outcast, fromHilton. Here, assisted by your cold-blooded, heartless old father, youtried your best to get me turned out of school and to force me indisgrace from the town. You failed in that, just as henceforth you’llfail in all your vile schemes. I was compelled to run from you once,but I’ll never do so again, Hayden. I’ll never turn my back on you;I’ll fight you to the finish, and may the best man win.”
“By which, I presume, you mean that you’re going to stick on the team?”
“I’m going to stick on the team; I’m going to stick in the school; I’mgoing to stick right here; and for all of you I’ll come out on top.”
It was a flat defiance, and at last Hayden realized that mere wordsalone would be quite as potent to move a mountain.
“Very well,” cried Bern, “then you’ll have to take the consequences,you—you son of a——”
“Stop! My father is dead—murdered—an innocent man. It will not be safefor you ever again to utter a slur against him in my hearing.”
The threat in the speaker’s face was far more effective than in hiswords, and Bern Hayden did not complete the interrupted sentence.Turning, he walked swiftly away, followed by the eyes of the lad he hadfailed to intimidate.
Spotty Davis, leaning on the orchard fence, had been watching them forsome moments. Hayden scarcely noticed Spotty as he passed, and Davisgrinned at Ben, to whom he called:
“Come on, Stoney, let’s toddle up to the acad. You’ll be late if youdon’t come along now.”
A strange calmness had come over Ben Stone. This had taken the place ofthe wrath that had burned in his veins, and now he felt that he wasindeed master of himself. And whoever masters himself may likewisemaster fate.
“You’n Bern are gittin’ kinder friendly, ain’t yer?” chuckled Spotty,as Ben came out. “Sorter surprised me to see him makin’ a mornin’ callon you.”
As he passed through the academy gate, Hayden glanced back and sawStone and Davis coming. A strange look flashed swiftly across his face,and the words which he muttered no one save himself could haveunderstood had they heard them.
That night Roger Eliot noted with satisfaction that Fred Sage waspromptly on hand at the football field. Hunk Rollins likewise put in anappearance; and, to complete Eliot’s triumph, both Barker and Haydenarrived before practice began.
There were others who took notice of these things, and Sleuth Piper,whispering mysteriously in Chub Tuttle’s ear, observed:
“My deduction is that Capt. Eliot has put on the screws and brought thedelinquents to time. The before-mentioned delinquents have cometrotting up to the dough dish as gentle as lambs, and——”
“Lambs don’t like dough,” said Chub. “Your figures of speech areshocking, Sleuth.”
“Mebbe so,” said Piper. “Gimme a peanut, will you?”
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