ch was seated a ragged girl not over ten
years of age.

The sled brushed against Ferris' leg and angered him.

"What do you mean by doing that, you dirty thing?" he exclaimed. "Take
that, and learn better manners."

He hauled off and struck the girl in the face. It was a heavy blow, and
it caused her nose to bleed and her cheek to swell.

"You--you brute!" sobbed the girl.

"What's that?" howled Ferris. "A brute, am I? There's another for you!"

He stepped back to hit the girl again. But now there was a rush from the
rear, and on the instant the bully found himself in the strong grasp of
Hal Carson.

CHAPTER XVI.

HAL ON THE WATCH.

"Let up there, you brute!"

Dick Ferris looked around with a startled air.

When he caught sight of Hal his face fell, and he released the girl.

"What, you!" he exclaimed.

"Exactly. What do you mean by treating this girl so rudely?"

"You are following me," went on Ferris, ignoring the question which had
been put to him.

"What if I am?"

"You think you're smart, don't you?" sneered Ferris.

"He's a mean, ugly thing!" put in the girl, between her sobs. "I wish he
was arrested."

"Shut up!" roared Ferris, turning to her. "You ran into me on purpose."

"I didn't. We've got a right to coast in this alley; mamma said so."

"You ought to be arrested for striking the little girl," said Hal. "I am
awfully glad I arrived in the nick of time to save her from more
punishment."

"Good fer you, mister!" cried a small youth standing near. "Give him one
in der eye!"

"Yes, do him up, mister," cried several others.

Ferris turned upon them like a savage animal.

"Get out of here, every one of you," he howled, "unless you want to be
hammered to death."

"Don't you move," said Hal. "You evidently have more right here than he
has."

"Indeed!" said Ferris, turning to Hal. "I wish you would keep your nose
out of my affairs."

"Don't let him sass you, mister," put in one of the urchins. "He didn't
have no cause ter hit Katie."

Ferris pounced upon the boy at once, and cuffed him right and left. In
the midst of the castication, however, Hal caught the bully by the arm,
and a second later Dick Ferris measured his length in the gutter.

A shout went up from the boys and girls.

"Dat's der way ter do it!"

"Ain't der gent got muckle, dough?"

Then somebody threw a snow-ball, and in a trice the entire crowd were
snow-balling Ferris as furiously as they could.

H