"O, it was Dick Osgood! You know what a mean fellow he is, anyhow. He
had been tormenting some of the younger boys till I could not stand it.
Every one of them is afraid of him.

"I told him he ought to be ashamed of himself, and tried to make him
leave off, till, after a while, he turned from them, and coming to me,
he struck me in the face. I believe the mark is there now;" and he
turned the other cheek toward his mother. Her heart was filled with
sympathy and secret indignation.

[Illustration]

"Well," she said, "and you--what did you do?"

"I remembered what I had promised you for this year, and I took
it--think of it, mother--took it, and never touched him! I just looked
into his eyes, and said, 'If I should strike you back, I should lower
myself to your level.'

"He laughed a great, scornful laugh, and said, 'You hear, boys, Morgan's
turned preacher. You'd better wait, sir, before you lecture me on my
behavior to the little ones, till you have pluck enough to defend them.
I've heard about the last impudence I shall from a coward like you.'

"The boys laughed, and some of them said, 'Good for you, Osgood!' and I
came home. I had done it for the sake of my promise to you! for I'm
stronger than he is, any day; and _you_ know, mother, whether there's a
drop of coward's blood in my veins. I thought you were the one to
comfort me; though it isn't comfort I want so much, either. I just want
you to release me from that promise, and let me go back and thrash him."