ht champion of his club, and it's an athletic
club, and----!"

"What-a-a-at?" roared Father Pat. "He's the--he's the--oh, say it
again!"

But even as Cis opened her lips to speak, swift steps were heard on the
stairs outside. She knew them. She rushed to the door and flung it wide.
And the next moment, fairly bouncing in, and looking as pink-faced, and
white-spatted, and dapper as ever, was none other than Mr. Perkins.

The dude had whipped his man.

CHAPTER XXXV

GOOD-BYS

A CHORUS of happy cries greeted him: "Dearest!"--"Oh, gee!"--"Satan's
defeated!"--"Goli'th wass licked, und David wass boss!"--"Whoopee!"

Then, great excitement. Cis ran to Mr. Perkins, laughing, "Oh, you're
safe! You're safe!" Whereupon he kissed her fingers again; and Johnnie,
on his feet now, felt that here, indeed, was a young knight come from
defending his lady. And he asked himself why he had ever thought that
Mr. Perkins was too much of a gentleman to be awe-inspiring.

Meanwhile, Father Pat and Mrs. Kukor were shaking hands like mad, and
mingling their broken English in a torrent of gratitude. To their
voices, Grandpa, out of sight beyond the bedroom door, added his, not
knowing what the celebration was about, yet cackling hilariously.

As for One-Eye, his conduct was extraordinary. Suddenly showing new
life, once more he took off his coat, found his hat and gauntlets, flung
all under him, and upon them did a grotesque dance of joy. And "Yip!
yip! yip! yip!" he shouted. "Y' tole him he'd need his breath! Oh,
peaches-'n'-cream! Oh, cute baby boy! Oh, who's on the quilt _now_?"

"One-Eye, did ye ever see annything like it in Kansas?" demanded the
Father triumphantly.

"Wy-o-ming! Wy-_o_-ming!" roared the cowboy. "Yip! yip! yip! yee-ow!"

Johnnie was no less delighted, but he was still too weak to do very
much. He contented himself with taking a turn up and down the room,
walking like Mr. Perkins, holding his head like Mr. Perkins (so that an
imaginary _pince-nez_ should not fall off), and talking to himself in
true scoutmaster style--"To insure a long life, to defend oneself, to
protect others. Training, that's the idea! Be prepared!"

Next, he lost himself in a glorious think. This time it was far in the
future. He was big and strong and brown. And he saw himself rising
quietly in the very teeth of some stalwart villain to say that the
matter of the beautiful young lady concerned (dimly she was a larger,
but a perfect,