lion. Without rising, he leaned
forward, and shook his fist under Colonel Vallier's nose, literally
roaring:

"What do you mean by entering this room without knocking, you miserable
old blowhard? You ought to have your face thumped, and, by thunder! I
believe I can do it!"

"Sah!" gasped the colonel, in the greatest amazement and dismay.

"Don't 'sah' me, you measly old fraud!" howled Scotch, waving his fists
in the air. "I don't believe in fighting, but this is about my time to
scrap. If you don't apologize for the intrusion, may I be blown to ten
thousand fragments if I don't give you a pair of beautiful black eyes!"

"Sah, there seems to be some mistake, sah," fluttered Colonel Vallier,
turning pale.

"You made the mistake!" thundered Scotch, leaping to his feet like a
jumping jack. "Get up here, and let me knock you down!"

"I decline to be struck, sah."

"You don't dare to get up!" howled the excited little man, growing still
worse, as the colonel seemed to shrink and falter. "Why, I can lick you
in a fraction of no time! You've been making lots of fighting talk, and
now it's my turn. Get up and put up your fists."

"Will somebody kindly hold this lunatic?" palpitated Colonel Vallier. "I
am no prize-fightah, gentlemen."

"That isn't my lookout," said the professor, who was forcing things
while they ran his way. "Get up and take off your coat! We'll settle
this affair without delay."

"With pistols, sah?"

"Yes, with pistols, if you want to!" cried the professor, to the
amazement of the boys. "I am ready, sir. We will settle it with pistols,
at once, in this room."

"But this is no place foh a duel, sah; yo' should know that, sah."

"This is just the place."

"The one who survives will be arrested, sah."

"There won't be a survivor, so you needn't fear arrest."

"No survivah, sah?"

"No."

"How is that?"

"I'll tell you how it is. You are such a blamed coward that you won't
fight me with your fists, for fear I will give you the thumping you
deserve; but you know you are a good pistol shot, and you think I am
not, so you hope to shoot me, and escape without harm to yourself. Well,
I am no pistol shot, but I am not going to miss you. We'll shoot across
that center table, and the width of the table is the distance that will
divide us. In that way, I'll stand as good a show as you do, and I'll
agree to shoot you through the body very near to the heart, so you'll
not linger long in agony. Come,