reason it was by which Hugh had bound himself up to the present,
apparently the time had arrived when he could break his promise with
honor.

There was another brief struggle, exceedingly brief, to tell the truth.
Then, for the second time, Nick, the boss of all juvenile Scranton up
to this amazing hour, was thrown heavily to the ground, on which he
landed with a terrible crash.

"That's two for you!" said Hugh, in a hissing voice, as though he might
be speaking between his set teeth. "Now, if you're able get up again,
and give me a chance to finish my job, of which I'm already sick."

Nick was not yet defeated, though it took him longer to rise this time
than before. He was wary, too, and plainly disliked the idea of coming
in contact with those sturdy arms of Hugh Morgan. Seeing that Nick did
not mean to attack him, but had commenced to say harsh things in the
endeavor to force his rival to assume the aggressive, in hopes that the
advantage would fall to his share, Hugh lost no time in obliging him.

Vain were Nick's most desperate efforts to ward off the inevitable.
Hugh had decided to finish the bout with this third round, and the way
he pummeled staggering Nick almost dazed Leon Disney and those other
fellows, staring as though in the throes of a nightmare.

When for the third time clumsy Nick went down heavily before the attack
of the aroused Hugh, he refused to make the least effort to get on his
feet. Evidently Nick was a wise boy in one sense; he knew when he had
had enough of an unpleasant thing.