The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1909-09-08
Nv. r. ROSE. in Cleveland Plain DealerJ

eye"
Is that all?"
That's all | noticed. He attended
to his work as W.ual"
The Judge shook his head.
And you are sure he Is not big
quarrelsome brute with brass knuc-
kles, or something of that sore?"
Henry Appleton frowned.
He is quiet, well behaved boy"
he answered. "Do you want me 20
talk to him?"
Not until | talk to jim" replied
the Judge. And he went away. look
ing worried.
That night Henry Appleton told his
wife about the call.
Well . she said, "I'll tell you
what Stephen said. He confessed he
had been fighting, and that he was
heartily ashamed of it.. But. he
added, 1t couldn't be helped. The
fight was forced on him and the only
way in which he could retain his
place in the school was to resent the
treatment he had received from some
of the pupils. If | thought he had
done wrong he would go away"
'And what did you do?" Henry
Appleton asked.
~ gave him a lotion for his eye"
the lady replied.
The next morning Judge Strong
called again
did you speak to that boy of
yours, Appletoa," he asked.
"No."
I'm glad of it. | had talk with
Jim. Jim said, you had a fight
ct school the other day. Jim ad-
mitted It. 'You fought with a boy
named Stephen Bruce Jim ad-
mitted the charge. And he whipped
you?' Jim nodded. Yes he re-
piled, he whipped me. And he can
whip any boy in school," The Judge
looked hard at Appleton. "Do you
know that that pleased me-" he said
1T did me good to find out that Jim
had the moral courage to admit his
defeat. Jim has been a pretty diff
cult proposition for us, as 1 suppose
you know. He has neglected his
studies and run pretty wild. But we
won't admit that he is really bad
He's Just foolish and hayward"
"Of course" said Henry Appleton.
Il guess l won't say anything to
Stephen"
The judge suddenly laughed
Il hope he won't insist upon teach
Ing my boy prize fighting. What do
you know about him as a scholar?"
Nothing. All the curiosity along
that line is confined to my wife. I'll
ask what she knows"
He told his wife what the Judge
had said End she laughed over it,
'Now I'll tell You what Stephen
told me about the trouble" she said.
II judge from what he said that the
Strong boy is The bully of the school.
lie must have borne down pretty
heavily on Stephen and finally he
went a little too far. He rid:culed
Stephens clothes and his country
manners, and his red hair. And fin
ally he tainted Stephen with being a
coward and slapped him Then Ste
nhen took off his coat and they
fought in the little grove behind the
school, And Stephen whipped him.
1t was the only thing he could do, he
told me. He said his connection with
the school would have been unendur-
able if he had let the Strong boy con-
tinue to tyrannize over him."
Henry Appleton laughed.
And where did our Stephen OBJ
tain his unusual prowess?" he asked.
He taught district school," his
wife answered. "And he had to whip
every one of the big boys before he
could establish his authority. and
some of them were as big as full
grown men. And after he had
whipped them all he had no more
trouble"
Henry Appleton laughed again.
Our Stephen grows more and
more interesting" he said. "And
didn't the worthy principal find out
about this little scrap in the grover"
"Yes, Stephen told him."
Stephen"
stephen went to the principal