Johnnie's own--the boy knew it then. Further, it was as
mean and cruel and little as the minds of those urchins who shouted "old
clothes," and "girl's hair." Yes, Barber had a man's body, but the brain
of an ignorant, wicked boy!

"Look at my face all y' want t'!" he was saying now. "But there's _one_
thing sure: after this we'll know who's boss 'round here!"

"This is the only place you can boss!" retorted Cis, turning wild,
defiant eyes upon him. "A crippled old man, and a couple of young folks!
But you bet you mind Furman!"

"_A-a-a-a-a-ah!_"

The cry was wrung from Johnnie. For with another loud laugh, Big Tom
had dropped the scout hat upon the flames.

"Coward!" charged the girl, again writhing in her ropes. "Low, mean
coward!"

It was beyond Johnnie's strength to watch what was happening. He threw
up an arm to shut out the sight of Big Tom, and faced the other way.
"Oh, don't!" he moaned weakly. "Oh, don't! Don't!" A strange, unpleasant
odor was filling the room. He guessed that was the hat. Smoke came
wafting his way next--a whole cloud of it--and drifted ceilingward. "Oh,
Cis! Cis!" he moaned again.

Some one was in the hall--Mrs. Kukor, for the steps rocked. "Chonnie?"
she called now. "Chonnie! Talk sometink!"

It was Big Tom who talked. "Oh, you go home, y' busybody!" he answered.

"Mrs. Kukor! Mrs. Kukor! He's burning everything of Johnnie's!" shouted
Cis.

"Ha! ha! ha! ha! ha!" burst out Barber, as if this had delighted him.
Into the fire he thrust the khaki breeches and the coat, poking them
down upon the coals with a hand which was too horny to be scorched by
the fire.

"The medal!" mourned the girl. "Oh, I hope they'll punish you for that!
And there's something you don't know, but it's the truth, and it'll mean
a lot that _you_ won't like!"

"Ye-e-e-eah?" Barber was waiting for the breeches and coat to burn.

"Yes! Johnnie's rich! He's got money! Lots of it! You'll see! You won't
have so much to say to-morrow!"

Big Tom laughed. "T'morrow," he said good-humoredly, "I'm goin' t' have
y'r brain examined." The room was half full of smoke now; he fell to
coughing, and went over to pull down the upper half of the window. When
he came back he thrust the leggings into the stove.

Peering round through the smoke, Johnnie saw that. "Oh!" he whispered.
"Oh!" He went forward a few steps, weakly; then all his strength seemed
suddenly to go out of him, and he dropped to his knees beside a wall,
bru