larry was too interested in the proceedings for a while to pay any more attention to peter. the latter had moved back to where he was at first, and though he occasionally glared at larry the latter did not look his way more than once or twice. the reporters were all making their pencils fly, there was no time to take notes, and they had to write out the story as it went along.
“i’ll have some copy in a minute,” mr. newton whispered to larry.
the boy stood up to stretch his legs, for he was stiff from sitting so long. he buttoned his coat up ready for a struggle through the crowd to reach the door.
“there,” said mr. newton, folding up his papers, and handing a bunch to larry. “come back as soon as you take them to the office.”
larry thrust them into his pocket and started to make his way to the door. with a little feeling of uneasiness he noticed that peter, also, had started out, accompanied by the boy to whom he had been whispering. larry, after a somewhat88 tight squeeze, managed to get out of the door. he found himself in a long corridor, that was almost deserted, for the usual loungers around the city hall had crowded into the chamber to hear what was going on. remembering his orders to hurry, larry started on a run. he saw nothing of his enemy peter and concluded the latter had gone for good.
suddenly, as larry was passing a particularly dark place in the corridor, a foot was thrust out. he stumbled over it, tried to recover his balance, and then went down in a heap.
“quick now!” he heard a voice exclaim, and he recognized peter’s tones. “git the copy out of his pocket while i hold him!”
“i will! grab his hands!” another boy exclaimed, and then larry felt someone land on his back as he lay prostrate, and grasp his wrists. at the same time a hand stole into his inside pocket.
though he was somewhat stunned by the fall, larry rapidly regained his senses. he realized that peter and the other boy were trying to get the copy, either to make him lose his job for his carelessness, or else to have the leader at a disadvantage. and larry was inclined to believe it was a spite against himself rather than a plot against the leader that peter was carrying out.
recovering from the first shock there came a fierce desire to fight peter, to attack him and prevent89 him from carrying out his plan. though taken at a disadvantage larry did not lose his presence of mind. he was a lad of considerable strength, which his country life had greatly increased.
with a sudden motion larry arched his back, wrenched free his hands from the grip of peter, and sent the latter rolling to one side.
“look out or he’ll git away!” he heard peter cry.
larry rose, felt in his pocket to see that the copy was still safe, and then sprang to the rear so as to get a wall at his back. then he waited for the attack, which he knew would soon begin. at first he almost wished some help would come, but the corridor remained deserted. in fact it was not the main one, and was seldom used. then, as he got his breath and recovered from the first surprise, larry rejoiced in the coming contest.
that the two boys did not mean to let him go without a struggle was evident. in the half light he could see them whispering together. then they advanced both at once, like the cowards that they were, to take an unfair chance.
larry clenched his fists, spread his feet apart, braced himself, and gritted his teeth.
“come on!” he cried.
and come on the two lads did. they made a rush at larry that almost overwhelmed him for a few seconds. he felt blows all over him.
90 with his right arm half crooked, as a guard, larry let out with his left. at first he struck blindly, for he could not see his antagonists well. he felt his fist land on someone’s face, and, by the cry that resulted, knew he had hit peter.
“give it to him!” cried the former copy boy of the leader.
larry was struck on the cheek and once on the nose. the blows seemed to give him new strength. striking out with both fists, he sailed at his tormentors, landing several hard thumps on faces and bodies and getting several in return.
then came numerous hard blows from the other boys, and larry was almost beaten to his knees. he began to feel a little weak from a heavy blow in the stomach and his head was dizzy. he feared he would fall and that the boys would steal his copy.
the thought of this nerved him to double energy. straightening up through a shower of blows, he made a sudden dash forward, hitting out with all his force. he felt his fist land on the chin of one of the lads.
an instant later there was the thud of a fall, and the boy with peter cried:
“i’ve had enough! he knocked me down!”
“i’ll fix him!” peter cried, and he sailed into larry harder than ever.
but the fight was more even now. the other boy had received punishment enough to last him91 for a while and he sneaked off into a dark corner to nurse his hurts. but peter kept it up, for he felt he had a grudge against larry and intended to pay it off.
blows were struck in quick succession. twice larry received hard knocks on the face, for peter was no unscientific fighter, having been trained in the school of the new york streets. on the other hand, larry was stout of arm, firm on his legs, and was long-winded. so, when our hero saw that he had but one antagonist left his spirits rose and he was almost glad of the chance to thrash peter.
once, aiming a hard left-hander at peter, larry slipped and went down in a heap. without regard for the rules of sport peter sprang on him and began hitting the prostrate lad.
this made larry more than ever angry and exerting all his strength he turned over and got peter down. then larry struggled to his feet.
“get up!” he cried to peter. “i’ll fight you fair!”
“come on, jim!” called peter to his friend. “we can do him now. he’s winded.”
“oh, i am, eh?” asked larry. “i guess you’ll find i can use my fists a bit yet!” and he waited for the oncoming of the two.
all this while the fight had been conducted quietly though none the less fiercely. being in a seldom-used part of the building it was not92 heard or it would have been interrupted long before.
now the two advanced at larry again. he braced himself for the blows he knew would come. and come they did, for the two went at him again, hot and heavy. an unexpected blow from peter’s fist, landing on the point of larry’s jaw, made him feel dizzy. he felt as if he was going to topple over. yet before he fell he resolved to give something in return. so, with a powerful half swing he struck out, straight at peter’s face.
he felt the blow land, and saw peter reel. then jim closed in on him and larry felt that the odds were too unequal. he was afraid his precious copy would be taken from him.
suddenly there sounded a step on the marble floor of the corridor.
“here, you lads! what do you mean by fighting in the city hall?” a gruff voice asked.
larry looked up, to see a big policeman approaching. the boy conquered his inclination to topple over and braced himself. peter and jim, at the sight of the bluecoat, took to their heels.
“were they both goin’ at ye at once?” asked the officer, seeing that larry did not flee.
“they tried to do me up,” said larry.
“ye didn’t make out so bad,” went on the policeman with a smile. “i saw that last blow ye landed. it was a dandy. what was the trouble?”
93 “oh, one of ’em had a quarrel with me,” replied larry, not caring to go into details, “and he had a friend to help him.”
“well, run along now, an’ don’t let me catch ye fightin’ agin,” said the officer, trying to speak severely. “if i do i’ll arrest ye. but,” he added, his admiration of larry’s powers overcoming his instincts of duty, “that was a fine blow ye landed, all right.”
larry lost no time in hastening to the office of the leader. he was tired and panting from the fight and the excitement of it, but in spite of this he ran all the way and reached the city room out of breath.
at first he felt inclined to tell mr. emberg about the matter. then he thought better of it, determining to fight his own battles. so, having delivered the copy, he hurried back for more, finding mr. newton had a bunch of it ready for him.
larry was not molested on this trip, and he noticed that peter was not among the copy boys, nor was jim. they evidently did not dare return, fearing larry would inform the policeman of their actions.
all that day, until the last edition went to press, larry rushed back and forth with copy from the aldermanic chamber to the city room. he was very tired when night came.
“why, larry!” exclaimed his mother when he reached home. “how did you get that big lump94 over your eye? and your cheek is cut!” she added.
“oh, another boy and myself had a little difference of opinion,” said larry.
“i hope you weren’t fighting,” came from mrs. dexter.
“well i—i—er had to defend myself against two of ’em,” said larry. “it wasn’t exactly a fight, i guess.”
“i’m sure i’d worry if i knew you had fought.”
larry did not want to deceive his mother, but he knew that to tell her the circumstances would only worry her, so he passed the matter over lightly.
