'
'How d'yer know?'
'I was sneakin' round to get a shot at a cat, an' I heard 'em. Lemme go
'r he'll be gone, you fool.'
'Won't,' said Dick, masterfully. 'You ain't goin'.'
'Who'll stop me?'
'I will.'
'Tain't in yer.'
A struggle commenced between the boys and rapidly merged into a stand-up
fight. When Harry Hardy appeared on the scene, attracted by their cries,
he found the combatants locked in a fierce embrace, each clinging
desperately to a handful of the other's hair and hammering vigorously at
his opponent's ribs. Harry pulled them apart as if they had been
terriers.
'Here, here, what's all this about?' he cried.
'Dick stopped me goin' fer the troopers,' said Billy indignantly.
'The troopers?'
'Yes, fer Mr. Shine. He's up in his house. I heard him--he was talkin' to
Miss Chris in the dark.'
'Stop!' said Harry; but Billy, who had broken away, picked up his heels
and ran.
Harry did not linger, but turned and sped off to wards Shine's home,
leaving Dick cowering against the fence. The young man had no defined
intention--he did not know what he should do if he found Shine in the
house. His divided interests left his mind confused at the crucial
moment, but he did not relax his speed until he was within a few yards of
the searcher's door. Then, to his astonishment, he found lights burning
in the house, and Christina confronted him in the doorway as he was about
to enter.
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