Teddy and Carrots: Two Merchants of Newpaper Row Part 30

"If you try to touch me here where we're sure of being arrested, I'll have you locked up for stealin'," Teddy said, sternly. "I could do that, anyway; but I'd rather manage my own affairs. I don't see how you can be too busy to leave for an hour, because you haven't done any work since you said you'd drive me out of town. I'll go wherever you say, an' the rest of the fellers shall promise to leave us alone till one of us says he's had enough!"

"Of course he's goin' to tackle the countryman!" Reddy Jackson said in reply to some of his friends, who at this moment began to express in an undertone their belief that "Skip was scared!"

Then Reddy took Skip aside and began to talk to him very earnestly, the others, meanwhile, discussing whether the bully was afraid.

It must have been plain to Skip that, if he did not wish to be despised by all whom he had cowed so long, it was necessary to accept Teddy's challenge; for there were at least a dozen in the throng who had some grudge against the young tyrant, and if he "showed the white feather" so publicly, there could be no question that the injured ones would try to revenge themselves, believing it could be done safely.

"I'm willin' to go an' thrash this feller, of course," Skip said, suddenly, as he stepped forward once more. "I _did_ count on doin' a good day's work, 'cause I've been takin' it easy so long; but I reckon I can spare the little time I need to settle him off. See here, now--I don't want any one in the crowd to beg off for him after I get started."

"Neither do I," added Teddy, promptly. "He says I can't stay in the town, an' I want that settled once for all; so the rest of the crowd are to hold back, never mind who's havin' the worst of the trade."

"You can count on fair play," a member of the party said, decidedly, and, as this speaker had always been believed to be one of Skip's warmest supporters, there seemed to be no question that Teddy would be treated well during the coming conflict.

"Do you s'pose you can get the best of him?" Carrots asked, in an anxious whisper, as, under the guidance of one of the party, all hands started toward a certain quiet and secluded spot, which had been suggested by Sid Barker.

"Well, I'll try mighty hard," said Teddy. "I don't take much stock in fightin', Carrots, but this is somethin' that's got to be done, or we'd never be able to run the stand."

This remark sounded to Carrots very much as if his partner had serious doubts regarding the outcome of the engagement, and, secretly, the junior partner began to indulge in the most gloomy forebodings.

Teddy had very little to say, but Skip, who walked among the leaders of the party, took pains to boast, in a very loud tone, of what he proposed to do with "the greenhorn after he'd broken him all up."

Sid conducted the throng to an untenanted stable in the rear of some dwellings on West Broadway, and said, as he led them through a convenient opening:

"I reckon you might fight here a month without anybody hearing you.

Could you find anything better'n this?"

Most of the boys were loud in their praises of the spot; but it really seemed as if Skip fancied it too retired.

"He'd rather be where the cops would come," Carrots whispered to Teddy.

"I do believe he's afraid already; an' I tell you, Teddy, if you can thrash Skip well, it'll be the biggest kind of a thing for a lot of fellers I know of in this town!"

"I reckon I'll be all right. Don't you even say a word, no matter what happens, and I think when our little sc.r.a.p is finished, he won't have anything more to say about our leaving the city."

It did not require many moments to settle the terms of combat.

Half a dozen of the larger members of the party arranged the details by promising to whip any fellow who should attempt to interfere, and then the word was given.

Teddy did not immediately put himself in an att.i.tude of defence, but, addressing the spectators, said:

"I don't want any feller to think I came here 'cause I'm fond of fight.

Skip Jellison has said I've got to leave town, and that Carrots must, too, just because he helped me. He tried to drive me away by stealing a dollar of my money from Carrots, and then he set the box pile on fire last night to smoke us out, or something worse. All I want of him is to give up the cash, and agree to let us alone. If he's willing to do that, there's no need of this row; but if he don't, I shall fight him the best I know how."

Skip's only reply was to rush forward angrily, and an instant later the battle was on.

It is very doubtful if even Carrots could have told much about the struggle, so suddenly was it begun and so soon ended.

Carrots told Ikey that same morning:

"It didn't seem as if Skip had a chance to put up his hands, before he was flat on his back; and every time he tried to stand up, he got another dose of the same medicine, till it was over."

In less than five minutes, Teddy was the conqueror, without a scratch, and Skip, lying at full length on the stable floor, was howling frantically for some one to "hold that Saranac jay."

"He hasn't thumped you half enough!" Sid Barker said, angrily, to the prostrate bully. "What are you yellin' like that for? Teddy ain't anywhere near you! To think that we fellers have let you pretty nigh run this town for as much as a year, when you wouldn't fight a mouse, unless you got the first clip at him!"

After a time, Skip was made to understand that Teddy had no idea of administering more punishment, and he was about to scramble to his feet, when the boy from Saranac stopped him by saying:

"Part of what I came here for was the dollar you stole, and as soon as you give that up the row will be over; but you don't leave this place till I get it."

"I haven't kept a cent! Reddy an' Sid got the same as I did!" Skip cried, cringing now as shamefully as he had ever bullied.

[Ill.u.s.tration: "'WHAT ARE YOU YELLIN' LIKE THAT FOR?' SAID SID."]

"All I know is that you took it, an' you've got to give it up," Teddy remarked, decidedly.

"I'll let you have some to-morrow," Skip replied, with a whine.

"We've come here to settle matters," Teddy insisted, "an' this is the place to square up. I can't afford to lose another morning's work on account of you."

Skip finally found eighteen cents, and then tried to borrow the rest from those whom he had counted as friends; but not one of his late admirers would have anything to do with him. He had shown himself to be a coward as well as a bully, and now his bitterest enemies were those with whom he had seemed most popular. Teddy soon understood that Skip had told the truth, and that he could not regain the whole amount stolen. So he said, as he took the eighteen cents on account:

"This will do for now; but you've got to come up with the balance by to-morrow night, or there'll be trouble. While you were talking so loud about pounding me, it would have looked as if I was scared an' didn't dare to do anything but go to the police, if I'd had you arrested. But now that every feller knows how much your brag amounts to, I'll have you right into court if the money isn't paid at the time I said. While I'm in court, it wouldn't be very queer if I should have somethin' to say 'bout the fire we saw last night."

"I'll pay back every cent just as soon as I can get it," Skip wailed.

"You'll have till to-morrow night," said Teddy, firmly, "but no longer.

I don't think there's any need to tell you what'll be done if you try to bother Carrots or me again."

Then, although many of Skip's friends were eager to cultivate his acquaintance, Teddy left the barn in the same quiet way he had entered; and Carrots followed close behind, saying, when they were where the words could not be overheard:

"Well, Teddy, who'd 'a' thought you was such a fighter?"

"But I'm not!" Teddy replied, sharply. "I don't believe in that sort of thing; but the way matters were going I thought it was somethin' that had to be done."

"And you did it in great shape!" Carrots insisted. "Even if we never get another cent of our dollar back I'll be satisfied, 'cause that bully Skip's done for in this town now. He can't scare any more fellers, an' I reckon all Teenie Ma.s.sey said about that Brooklyn fight was true."

"Don't let's talk of it, Carrots. I'm goin' to work, an' you'd better do the same, 'cause we've got a mighty big contract on our hands now, with so much rent to pay, an' a clerk to feed."

Carrots would have liked nothing better than to have remained there discussing all the incidents of the short battle during the next hour or two; but Teddy put an end to the talk by hurrying away for a stock of papers, and the bootblack could do no less than go in search of customers.

He had every chance to talk about Teddy's prowess during the remainder of that day, however.

Every boy who knew Skip had something to say about the fallen bully; and, naturally, such remarks were followed by praise for Teddy, who had settled his troubles in such a business-like fas.h.i.+on.

Teenie Ma.s.sey was so excited because of Skip's downfall that it was almost impossible for him to attend to any business during the next twenty-four hours. He told the story over and over again to such of his friends as were so unlucky as not to have witnessed the great combat.

None of Carrots's friends saw Skip during the remainder of that day; he disappeared from view as completely as if the earth had opened and swallowed him, and there was no sorrow because of his absence.