Part 6 (1/2)

Vainly Mary clung to his arm, shaking him back and forth and remonstrating.

”Can't you be sensible?” she cried. ”It's awful! I tell you it's awful!”

But Bert was irrepressible.

”Go it, old girl!” he encouraged. ”You win! Me for you every time! Now's your chance! Swat! Oh! My! A peach! A peach!”

”It's the biggest rough-house I ever saw,” Billy confided to Saxon. ”It sure takes the Micks to mix it. But what did that dude wanta do it for?

That's what gets me. He wasn't a bricklayer--not even a workingman--just a regular sissy dude that didn't know a livin' soul in the grounds. But if he wanted to raise a rough-house he certainly done it. Look at 'em.

They're fightin' everywhere.”

He broke into sudden laughter, so hearty that the tears came into his eyes.

”What is it?” Saxon asked, anxious not to miss anything.

”It's that dude,” Billy explained between gusts. ”What did he wanta do it for? That's what gets my goat. What'd he wanta do it for?”

There was more cras.h.i.+ng in the brush, and two women erupted upon the scene, one in flight, the other pursuing. Almost ere they could realize it, the little group found itself merged in the astounding conflict that covered, if not the face of creation, at least all the visible landscape of Weasel Park.

The fleeing woman stumbled in rounding the end of a picnic bench, and would have been caught had she not seized Mary's arm to recover balance, and then flung Mary full into the arms of the woman who pursued. This woman, largely built, middle-aged, and too irate to comprehend, clutched Mary's hair by one hand and lifted the other to smack her. Before the blow could fall, Billy had seized both the woman's wrists.

”Come on, old girl, cut it out,” he said appeasingly. ”You're in wrong.

She ain't done nothin'.”

Then the woman did a strange thing. Making no resistance, but maintaining her hold on the girl's hair, she stood still and calmly began to scream. The scream was hideously compounded of fright and fear.

Yet in her face was neither fright nor fear. She regarded Billy coolly and appraisingly, as if to see how he took it--her scream merely the cry to the clan for help.

”Aw, shut up, you battleax!” Bert vociferated, trying to drag her off by the shoulders.

The result was that the four rocked back and forth, while the woman calmly went on screaming. The scream became touched with triumph as more cras.h.i.+ng was heard in the brush.

Saxon saw Billy's slow eyes glint suddenly to the hardness of steel, and at the same time she saw him put pressure on his wrist-holds. The woman released her grip on Mary and was shoved back and free. Then the first man of the rescue was upon them. He did not pause to inquire into the merits of the affair. It was sufficient that he saw the woman reeling away from Billy and screaming with pain that was largely feigned.

”It's all a mistake,” Billy cried hurriedly. ”We apologize, sport--”

The Irishman swung ponderously. Billy ducked, cutting his apology short, and as the sledge-like fist pa.s.sed over his head, he drove his left to the other's jaw. The big Irishman toppled over sidewise and sprawled on the edge of the slope. Half-scrambled back to his feet and out of balance, he was caught by Bert's fist, and this time went clawing down the slope that was slippery with short, dry gra.s.s. Bert was redoubtable.

”That for you, old girl--my compliments,” was his cry, as he shoved the woman over the edge on to the treacherous slope. Three more men were emerging from the brush.

In the meantime, Billy had put Saxon in behind the protection of the picnic table. Mary, who was hysterical, had evinced a desire to cling to him, and he had sent her sliding across the top of the table to Saxon.

”Come on, you flannel-mouths!” Bert yelled at the newcomers, himself swept away by pa.s.sion, his black eyes flas.h.i.+ng wildly, his dark face inflamed by the too-ready blood. ”Come on, you cheap skates! Talk about Gettysburg. We'll show you all the Americans ain't dead yet!”

”Shut your trap--we don't want a sc.r.a.p with the girls here,” Billy growled harshly, holding his position in front of the table. He turned to the three rescuers, who were bewildered by the lack of anything visible to rescue. ”Go on, sports. We don't want a row. You're in wrong.

They ain't nothin' doin' in the fight line. We don't wanta fight--d'ye get me?”

They still hesitated, and Billy might have succeeded in avoiding trouble had not the man who had gone down the bank chosen that unfortunate moment to reappear, crawling groggily on hands and knees and showing a bleeding face. Again Bert reached him and sent him downslope, and the other three, with wild yells, sprang in on Billy, who punched, s.h.i.+fted position, ducked and punched, and s.h.i.+fted again ere he struck the third time. His blows were clean and hard, scientifically delivered, with the weight of his body behind.