Besides, at just the present moment he had no great love for the whole Mace
family.

Frank hurried around to the side of the house, to come upon Gill and his
companions, who were engaged in leaping across a puddle near a pit in the
hillside. He marched right up to the culprit, the little fellow he had
befriended trailing after him.

"See here, Gill Mace," cried Frank promptly, "can't you find a little
better employment of your time than bullying little children?"

Gill flushed up, but put on a braggart air.

"Any of your business?" he demanded blusteringly.

"I'm making it my business--it ought to be the business of any decent,
fair-minded fellow," asserted Frank staunchly.

"Well, what are you going to do about it?" demanded Gill, doubling up his
fists."

"I'm going to give you just twenty seconds to give that whistle back to
that boy, or I'm going to take it out of your hide," declared Frank
steadily.

"Oho! you are, eh?" snorted Gill, swelling up and glaring wickedly at
Frank. "Well, you won't get the whistle, for it's there in the mud."

"I've a good mind to make you go after it," began Frank, when Gill, making
a sudden jump, landed up against him, and dealt him a quick, foul blow