Part 19 (1/2)

But because of the fire that had burned to the ground his father's disreputable cottage in the woods and which he and his followers had blamed upon the radio boys, Buck Looker thought himself safe in taunting the latter as much as he wished. He a.s.sumed that they would not dare resent anything he said or did, for fear he would make public the matter of the fire and accuse them openly.

It was a chance of a lifetime for Buck--or so he thought--and he was determined not to over-look it. So his manner became more insulting than ever and his face took on a wider grin as his glance s.h.i.+fted from Bob to Joe.

”So you're in a hurry, too, are you?” he sneered. ”Going to set some more houses on fire, eh?”

He turned to his cronies with a grin and they piped up together as if by a prearranged signal:

”Firebrands!”

This undeserved insult was more than the radio boys could stand, and all stepped forward with clenched fists.

”You take that back, Buck Looker!” cried Joe, with flas.h.i.+ng eyes.

”Take back nothing!” answered the bully.

”Yes, you will!” broke in Bob, and caught Buck by the arm.

At once the bully aimed a savage blow at Bob's head. But the latter ducked, and an instant later his clenched fist landed upon Buck's chin with such weight that the bully was sent over backward into the snow.

At the instant when Buck made his attack on Bob, Terry Mooney tried to hit Joe with a stick he carried. Joe promptly caught hold of the stick, and, putting out his foot, sent Terry backward into a snowdrift. Seeing this, Carl Lutz started to run away, but both Herb and Jimmy went after him and knocked him flat.

”You let me alone! I didn't do anything!” blubbered Carl, who was a thorough coward.

”You can't call me a firebrand,” answered Herb, and while fat Jimmy sat on the luckless Carl, Herb rammed some snow into his ear and down his neck.

While this was going on both Buck and Terry had scrambled to their feet, and then began a fierce fight between that pair and Bob and Joe.

Blows were freely exchanged, but soon the radio boys had the better of it, and when Terry's lip was bleeding and swelling rapidly, and Buck had received a crack in the left eye and it was also swelling, all three of the cronies were only too glad to back away.

”Have you had enough?” demanded Bob, pantingly.

”If you haven't, we'll give you some more,” added Joe.

”You just wait! We'll get square with you some other time,” muttered Buck. And thereupon he and his cronies lost no time in sneaking away into the woods.

”Of all the mean fellows that ever lived!” cried Herb.

”I guess they'll leave us alone--for a while, anyway,” came from Joe, as he felt of his shoulder where he had received a blow.

”I wonder what those fellows are doing around here, anyway,” said Bob thoughtfully. ”Do you suppose they're putting up at the Mountain Rest Hotel, too?”

”More than likely,” answered Joe, gloomily. ”Perhaps they've been driven out of Clintonia, too, on account of the epidemic. I heard quite a number of the other young folks were getting out. The whole town is pretty well scared.”

”They are sure trying their best to make trouble for us,” added Jimmy.

”That fire in the woods was just nuts for them,” said Bob, with a frown. ”They've been trying for a long time to get something on us, and now they think they've got it. They think we're afraid to beat 'em up now as they deserve, for fear they'll tell everybody we set that old shack on fire.”

”It was a funny thing,” remarked Joe, musingly, ”how that fire started, anyway.”