tone and manner flattered Pewee. One thing that keeps a rowdy a
rowdy is the thought that better people despise him. Pewee felt in his
heart that Jack had a contempt for him, and this it was that made him
hate Jack in turn. But now that the latter sought him in a friendly way,
he felt himself lifted up into a dignity hitherto unknown to him. "What
is it?"

"You are a kind of king among the boys," said Jack. Pewee grew an inch
taller.

"They are all afraid of you. Now, why don't you make us fellows behave?
You ought to protect the little boys from fellows that impose on them.
Then you'd be a king worth the having. All the boys and girls would
like you."

"I s'pose may be that's so," said the king.

"There's poor little Columbus Risdale----"

"I don't like him," said Pewee.

"You mean you don't like Susan. She _is_ a little sharp with her tongue.
But you wouldn't fight with a baby--it isn't like you."

"No, sir-ee," said Pewee.

"You'd rather take a big boy than a little one. Now, you ought to make
Riley let Lummy alone."

"I'll do that," said Pewee. "Riley's about a million times bigger than
Lum."

"I went to the school-house this morning," continued Jack, "and I found
Riley choking and beating him. And I thought I'd just speak to you, and
see if you can't make him stop it."

"I'll do that," said Pewee, walking along with great dignity.

When Ben Berry and Riley saw Pewee coming in company with Jack, they
were amazed and hung their heads, afraid to say anything even to each
other. Jack and Pewee walked straight up to the fence-corner in which
they stood.

"I thought I'd see what King Pewee would say about your fighting with
babies, Riley," said Jack.

"I want you fellows to understand," said Pewee, "that I'm not going to
have that little Lum Risdale hurt. If you want to fight, why don't you
fight somebody your own size? I don't fight babies myself," and here
Pewee drew his head up, "and I don't stand by any boy that does."

Poor Riley felt the last support drop from under him. Pewee had deserted
him, and he was now an orphan, unprotected in an unfriendly world!

Jack knew that the truce with so vain a fellow as Pewee could not last
long, but it served its purpose for the time. And when, after school,
Susan Lanham took pains to go and thank Pewee for standing up for
Columbus, Pewee felt himself every inch a king, and for the time he
was--if not a "reformed prize-fighter," such as one hears of sometim