LY

The train was a long one, consisting of seven cars, beside the smoker,
but, as the homeward rush after summer vacations was in full swing, it
was pretty well filled, and the boys found it hard to get two seats
together.

It was only after they had gone through the first three coaches, that
they saw their opportunity.

About the middle of the fourth car, a back had been turned so that two
seats faced each other.

Only one passenger was occupying this space, a large overgrown boy,
about sixteen years old. His face was heavy, and his loose mouth and
protruding eyes gave him a most unpleasant expression. A traveling cap
was pulled down part way over his eyes, and he looked up from under the
peak of this with a cold, piggy stare, as the boys paused beside the
seats.

Filling up the rest of the seat beside him was a raincoat and a tennis
racket. On the seat facing him he had deposited a heavy suit case, that
filled it from end to end.

Fred and Teddy stood beside him for a moment without speaking, taking it
for granted that he would take his suit case from the seat and put it on
the floor. He did nothing of the kind, however, and continued to gaze at
them insolently.

The surprise that Fred felt at first was rapidly giving place to a
different feeling, but he restrained himself, and asked, pleasantly
enough:

"Beg pardon, but would you mind putting your suit case on the floor, so
that we may have the seat?"

"Of course, I'd mind," came the ungracious answer. "There are plenty of
other seats in the train, if you'll only look for them."

A red flush began to creep up Fred's neck, which to any one who knew him
would have been a danger signal. But he put out a hand to restrain
Teddy, and answered patiently:

"Perhaps there may be, though I haven't been able to find them, but I
just happen to want this one," and he pointed to where the suit case was
resting.

"Nothing doing!" sneered the other. "Guess again!"

Fred came of fighting stock. One of his ancestors had fought in the
battle of Kings Mountain, and another had scoured the seas under Decatur
in the War of 1812.

He had been taught to keep his temper under restraint and never to
provoke a quarrel. But he had been trained also never to dodge trouble
if it came his way in any case where his rights or his self-respect were
involved.

Like a flash, he grasped the heavy suit case and put it on the floor,
its owner giving a howl as it came down on his t