of me either," and he met them running
with an answering shout. He had never worked so hard at forgetting
himself before, and it answered so well that in the ardor of play, by
and by, he forgot the buttons too. They began a game of leap-frog, and
whether the fault of the back given him or whether his own fault, the
Boy missed twice jumping and hurt his temper. He began to dispute about
it with the Back, and presently they grew personal.

"Look here," cried the Boy angrily, "it _was_ your fault, I say. If I
were in fault don't you suppose I'd own it?"

"No," said the Back, shortly.

The Boy smiled scornfully. "'Cause _you_ don't understand such a thing
as owning up when you're in the wrong, eh? You act so. But all fellows
aren't made on your pattern, I'd have you know!"

"Nor all clothes on yours, Buttons, I'd have you know," said the Back
coolly.

The Boy glared at him and began to stutter, "You let my clothes alone,
d'ye hear?"

"Well," said the Back, "you say I don't know how to give a back; I say,
if I was buttoned up like you are, I wouldn't know how to take one. I
put it to vote--all in favor please say, aye, contrary, no."

"Aye!" shouted the boys.

"Ayes have it," said the Back. "Now, you know, everybody knows you
within ten miles by the name of the Button Boy, and I wouldn't seek any
more notoriety if I was you--I'd be content to come in second best on
leap-frog and say no more about it."

[Illustration: THE BOY GLARED AT HIM. "YOU LET MY CLOTHES ALONE!" SAID
HE.]

All the boys began to hoot and laugh--none of them sympathized with him
in his moments of superiority, and his scornful air failed to impress
them as of old.

The Button Boy choked by anger and mortification could not reply. But
after a moment, "All right for you; I'll be even with you," he said,
with a nod to the chief laugher, and went away.

It was some time before he had his chance, and during that time things
went from bad to worse with his conspicuous dress, forcing him to be
unostentatious, exact--for his goings and comings could be seen for a
mile--even retiring. He found now that he began to think of some acts
and some speeches of his, in the time when he was not a Button Boy, with
as much mortification as the buttons often gave him; and he often
checked himself when half-way into some piece of conceited folly. Yet he
never forgot that he owed the Back "one," nor that it was he who had
given him the worst smart of this miserab