The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1907-09-28

boots with which they had so recently
made unpleasant acquaintance and
skunk behind their respective owners.
Course 'em l never knowed 'em
to do like that afore. Ye're NOT
afraid, be yer? Ere, Bull, sic'm.
Tige, seize holt
"We'll have to wade in, Phin."
"I have no quarrel with either of
you, and don't want to have,' said
Lawrence.
ooh, ye're a coward, be yer: On
yer own ground in the schoolhouse
yer WIZ bold enough, but here yer
sings another tune. Ye've got ter
fight and one or other of us goes over
that bridge" and he pointed to the
deep shadows in the ravine.
"Not l, if I can help it, nor you
either, so far as am concerned" re-
piled Lawrence, calmly.
"Take that, will yer2'' said Lar
kins, and he hit him buffet on the
cheek.
IT never struck a man yet," said
Lawrence, land I don't intend to !;
but I don't object to a passive resist
ance, and he skilfully warded off blow
after blow of Larkins' furious onset.
"Why don't ye pitch in, Phin 7
Give it i'm heavy"
"Not l." said Phin, "It's no fun
hittin' a man that won't hit back.
I'll stand by and see fair play"
Course i'm an yer too. It's not
fair play 1 want, but his blood, an
I'll have it, fair play or FOUL" and he
made mad rush at Lawrence which
would have swept him over the un-
defended edge of the bridge, had he
not been quick as weasel.
Larkins, with another rush, got in
side Lawrence's guard and flung his
long arms around the slim student
preacher with grasp like a beacon
strictor's. The ground was icy. Law
renee was in real peril of being hurl-
ed over the bridge side into the ra-
vine whose bottom was studded with
stumps and wood-cutters' debris. Put
to his mettle he got a wrestling grip
on Larkins, and they swayed and
struggled on the narrow bridge, the
one trying to get near the edge, the
other to keep in the centre.
1t was not for nothing that Law
renee had developed his thews and
sinews loading saw-logs in the lum-
ber-camp. With a mighty effort he
lifted his antagonist from the ground
and could easily have flung him over
the bridge into the ravine. but he
merely threw him into the snow-drift
bv the roadside, and was in turn
dragged down.
"Here, Bull, here, Tige, sic 'iu !
Seize i'm Tear i'm - roared Lar
kins with lip -blistering oaths.
"No, var don't, Tige," said Phin !;
1.-TWO to one is agin the rules O. the
game"
Bull snarled and snapped, but the
clouds again drifted across the moon
and in the shadow it was impossible
to distinguish which was Lawrence.
With a tremendous effort Lawrence
wrenched himself free, and Larkins
struggled slowly and painfully to his
feet.
Course him He's bruk my wrist.
The games up for this time"
"Sorry hurt you," said Law
renee. II didn't want to. Let me
see if it is badly injured.
"Pains like thunder" said Lar
kins, holding up dangling wrist.
"Here, Phin, yer take holt"
"Let the preacher try" said Phin,
as Larkins howled with pain. "He
knows more about these things nor
I do"
Lawrence, who had often bound
up sprains and bruises in the lumber
camp, took hold of the injured wrist,
despite Larkins' reluctance, and ten
derly examined it, though Larkins
WINGED at the touch.
"No bones broken, my good fel.
low" said Lawrence, "only a bad
sprain. Let me make splint," and
he rapidly shaped two fiat pieces oi
wood, and saying, "See, Phin, how
it is DONE" carefully bound them
with his own handkerchief on the
sprained wrist. isn't that better p
he asked.
CANT SO ALFRED painful as il
wuz," admitted Larkins.
"Now let me make you a sling
Got another handkerchief, boys p
But neither of them possessed such
an article; so Phin took off hi.
braces-"galluses," he called them
and "took up the slack of his trou
sers," as he termed it, with a nail
while Lawrence made sling to sup
port the injured wrist.
IT am very, very sorry" he said
IT didn't want to hurt you, believt
me-"
"Oh, hang it ALL" said Larkins,
"served me right, I guess-ye're no
such bad lot arter all. Will yel
shake hands and call it quits p and
he held out his uninjured hand. 81
meant murder, though, blest if
didn't !'-and this time the word wa.
not a curse. ''I couldn't have done
like yer did arter the ways I treated
yer, not by jrgful. Will yer for
give me? ?"
"With all my heart" said Law
renee; and as lie shook hands will
both the cronies, he added, "I beal
you no malice at all. God bless yot
BOTH"
"Here, Bull, here Tige," said th,
discounted comrades as they lurches
along to the Four Corners, and Law
renee went light-hearted on his way
to town. He had both killed an er
emy and made friend, adopting th'
Masters own method, the true psy
GEOLOGY of overcoming evil with good
Henceforth Larkins and Crowle wer'
the preachers champions at the Fou