he room.
They were turning into ashes, all his books and the other things, and he
wanted one last look at them before they were wholly gone. He picked up
the poker, lifted a lid, and gazed down.

"Don't y' touch anythin'!" warned the longshoreman, fussing with the
matches as he strolled.

"I won't." Layers of curling black leaves were lying uppermost in the
stove. And they were moving, as if they were living and suffering
things. On some of the leaves Johnnie could see lettering. But as, at
the sight, his tears burst forth again, the force of his breath upon
those blistered pages broke them, and they crumbled.

He covered the stove and stumbled away. An odd thought was in his
tortured brain: What Scout Law of the Twelve covered the burning of a
uniform? of the books that all scouts should love? "Trustworthy," he
repeated aloud; "loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind,
obedient----"

"Oh, shut up!" ordered Barber.

"Yes, shut up, Johnnie," advised Cis. "Because those are all things this
man doesn't know about--he's never heard, even, of anybody's being kind,
or friendly." Then as there came from the stove a sudden snapping and
blowing, she turned her face toward the longshoreman, and it was
strangely unlike her face, so changed was it by hate. "Oh, you vile,
vile thing!" she cried.

"Now I guess that'll about do," said Barber. "Understand me. I've heard
enough."

"_Nothing'll_ do," she returned firmly. "You won't ever stop my talking
again! I sha'n't ever obey you again--no, about anything! And there are
some things I'm going to tell about you. You think I don't know them--or
that I've forgot. But my mother told me what she knew about you, and I
remember it all. And to-morrow I'm going to hunt a policeman, and----"

In one long step he was beside her. "You--you--_you_!" he raged,
choking. His face was blue, and working horribly, and there was fear in
the bulging eyes. "What're y' _talkin'_ about? Have y' gone clean
crazy?" With a half-bend, he caught up a length of the clothesline from
the floor and doubled it. "You open your mouth to anybody," he told her,
fiercely, "and I'll break ev'ry bone in y'r body!"

"Cis!" Johnnie rushed to her, clung to her bound arms, and warned her to
silence.

But she would not be still. She was triumphant, seeing how afraid he was
of her threat. She straightened, moving the table as she moved, and
broke into a shout of defiance. "_Break_ my bones!" she challenged.
"Kill me,