"I hate you," he answered.

"You're a snake!" I said.

We now stood, face to face and breast to breast, like a pair of young
roosters. He gave me a shove and told me to go home. I gave him a shove
and told him I wouldn't. I pushed up close to him again and we glared
into each other's eyes.

Suddenly he spat in my face. I gave him a scratch on the forehead with
my finger-nails. Then we fell upon each other and rolled on the ground
and hit and scratched with feline ferocity.

Mrs. Wills ran out of the house and parted us. Our blood was hot, and
leaking through the skin of our faces a little.

"He pitched on me," Henry explained.

I couldn't speak.

"Go right home--this minute--you brat!" said Mrs. Wills in anger.
"Here's your tea. Don't you ever come here again."

I took the tea and started down the road weeping. What a bitter day that
was for me! I dreaded to face my aunt and uncle. Coming through the
grove down by our gate I met Uncle Peabody. With the keen eyesight of
the father of the prodigal son he had seen me coming "a long way off"
and shouted:

"Well here ye be--I was kind o' worried, Bub."