Harry Watson's High School Days Part 21

"It's a new one, that's easy to see. Let's skate out and look her over.

If she's any good, I'll rig up the _Glider_ and we'll have some races."

Readily the other boys agreed to the suggestion, and as soon as they had adjusted their skates, they dashed out over the smooth, clear ice.

Not far had they gone, however, before Pud let out a whoop of glee.

"That's Paul Martin; and he's got Jerry and Watson with him!" he shouted. "Come on, we'll have some fun with the forger's son!"

The evident viciousness of the bully did not meet with the approval of some of the fellows, however, and they were not slow to let Snooks know it. But the thought that he had a lever with which to make his enemy unhappy made him impervious to any comments of his schoolmates.

Ere the boys had covered more than half the distance which separated them from the iceboat they saw that unless something were done instantly to delay the start, they would arrive too late, for Paul and his companions were stretching themselves along the runners, preparatory to getting under way.

"Hey there! Wait a minute!" yelled Elmer, putting his hands to his lips that he might make a funnel that would carry the sound farther.

Surprised at the hail, the three boys rolled from the iceboat, looking expectantly at the fellows hastening toward them.

"What's wanted?" shouted Paul, as the others came within easy speaking distance.

"I just wanted to tell you that the fellow you're chumming with and going to take on your boat is the son of a prison-bird!" exclaimed Elmer. "I thought you ought to know it."

As he heard the brutal statement, Harry's face grew deathly pale, and he clutched one of the guide ropes with his hand as though to keep himself from falling, while Paul and Jerry looked from his accuser to him, bewildered.

"Wha-what do you mean?" finally stammered Paul. "Who's the son of a prison-bird?"

"Harry Watson!" chorused Elmer and Pud.

"That's not true!" cried Harry, in a quavering voice.

"It is! My mother received a paper from Lawrenceburgh this morning, and it says that Amos Watson is going to prison for five years for forgery!"

announced the bully, gloatingly.

"And Amos Watson is your father, isn't he?" demanded Elmer of Harry.

"Yes. But there has been some dirty work somewhere. My father is as innocent of the charge as you are, Elmer Craven!"

"Evidently the judge didn't think so-or he wouldn't have refused his appeal," sneered the rich tormentor. "Before you get chummy with any more fellows, I advise you to make sure who they are, Paul. And you remember it was you who introduced this son of a prison-bird to Viola."

At the mention of the girl's name, Harry seemed suddenly to galvanize into action.

"You leave Miss Darrow's name out of this, Elmer Craven!" he cried, hotly.

"Oh, is that so? Well, I reckon it will take more than a forger's son to tell me what I shall do and what I shall not. Paul, you've either got to apologize to Viola for introducing this chap to her-or--"

"Or what?" demanded Harry, fairly leaping on his skates toward the boy who had been baiting him until he had goaded him beyond endurance.

Something there was in the tormented boy's eyes that alarmed his rich enemy, and the fellow gave ground, working himself toward the spot where Pud Snooks was standing, as though seeking the protection of the bully.

Harry, however, was too quick for him and, with a sudden turn cut off Elmer's attempt, forcing the boy to face him.

"Or what?" he demanded a second time.

Finding escape impossible, the rich fellow glared into the white, tense face before him.

"Or he'll have to settle with me!" Elmer finished, but his voice was so low that it carried none of its former bravado.

"You're wrong there, Craven. He'll be obliged to settle with me if he does apologize. I may not be as rich as you, nor my father as yours, but we're just as honest!"

"That doesn't seem to be what the judge thought!" repeated Elmer. "I--"

But the limit of insult that Harry could endure had been reached.

After the repet.i.tion of the remark about the opinion of the jurist who had denied Mr. Watson's appeal, the boy had drawn back his right arm-and the next moment, his tormentor lay stretched on the ice!

"Coward! Why don't you take a fellow of your size!" cried Pud, skating toward Harry.

"Why don't you?" demanded Paul and Jerry, throwing themselves between the hulking bully who overtopped their chum by three or four inches.

"What are you doing in this? Get out of my way!" snarled Snooks.

But the two boys refused to budge and, realizing that he would not be a match for the pair of them, the bully skated away, growling to himself.

In the meantime, Elmer had gotten to his feet.

"I'll fix you for this, you see if I don't!" he snarled with a look of fierce hatred at the boy who had knocked him down.

"I wouldn't, if I were you, Elmer. You only got what you deserved!"

returned Paul. "Come on, Harry, if we're going to have our sail on the _Lightning_, we've got to hurry."

"Much obliged-but I don't think I'll go this afternoon," exclaimed our hero; and despite the protests of his chums, he skated to the sh.o.r.e and then for home.

CHAPTER XXII-DARK DAYS

On his way to his aunt's house, Harry met Jed Brown, hobbling along, a valise in his hand.

One look at the boy's white face told the veteran that some new trouble had come to him, and he solicitously inquired its cause.

Harry, however, was not disposed to share his grief with anyone.

"Going away?" he asked, warding off the question.

"Yes, down to my sister's at Lawrenceburgh. You know I told you and Mrs.

Watson the other night that I was going down-and this afternoon we were talking it over and decided that if I was to do any good, I ought to start without delay."

For a moment Harry was silent as he strove to master himself sufficiently to speak about his father's dilemma.