time, as if it would have afforded him uncommon pleasure to lay it over
his back. But there was something in the look of our hero which
unconsciously cowed him, and, much as he wished to strike him, he held
back.

"Well, you're a cool hand," he said, after a moment's hesitation.

To this our hero did not see fit to make any reply. But he grasped his
own whip a little tighter. So brutal had been the tone assumed by the
stranger, that he was not sure but he might proceed to carry out his
threat, and lay the whip over his back. He determined, in that case, to
give him as good as he sent. I will not express any opinion as to the
propriety of this determination, but I am certain, from what I know of
our hero's fearless spirit, that he would not have hesitated to do it,
be the consequences what they might. But he did not have the
opportunity.

"Once more," demanded the stranger, furiously; "are you going to turn
out?"

"No," said the boy, decidedly.

"Then--I'll run you down."

So saying, he brought the whip violently on the horse's back. The latter
gave a convulsive spring forward. But his driver had not taken into
consideration that the farm-wagon was the stronger of the two vehicles,
and that in any collision the buggy must come off second best. So it
happened that a wheel of the buggy was broken, and the driver, in the
shock, thrown sprawling into a puddle on the other side of the road. The