Andy at Yale | Page 4

sure are!" came in an energetic chorus from the others.
"Then come on!" cried Andy, and with a short run he cleared the fence
and dashed up toward the farmer, who was still lashing away with the
horse-whip.
CHAPTER II
GOOD SAMARITANS
"Here! Quit that!" exclaimed Andy, panting a bit from his exertion.
"Drop that whip!"
The farmer wheeled around, for Andy had come up behind him.
Surprise and anger showed plainly on the man's flushed face, and
blazed from his blood-shot eyes.
"Wha--what!" he stammered in amazement.
"I said quit it!" came in resolute tones from Andy. "Don't you hit him
any more! You ought to be ashamed of yourself. Using a whip! Why
don't you take some one your size, and use your hands if you have to.
You're a coward!"
"That's right!" chimed in Chet Anderson.
"It's a blooming shame--that's what it is!" protested Tom Hatfield.
"Let's make a rough-house of him, fellows!"
"What's that?" cried the farmer. "You threaten me, do you? Get out of
my barnyard before I treat you as I did him! Get out, do you hear!"
"No!" exclaimed Andy. "We don't go until you promise to leave him
alone," and he nodded at the shrinking youth.

"Say, I'll show you!" blustered the big farmer. "I'll thrash you young
upstarts----"
"Oh no, you won't!" exclaimed Tom, easily. And when big Tom
Hatfield, left guard on the Milton eleven, spoke in this tone trouble
might always be looked for. "Oh, no you won't, my friend! And, just to
show you that you won't--there goes your whip!"
With a quick motion Tom pulled the lash from the man's hand, and sent
it whirling over the fence into the road.
"You--you!" blustered the farmer. He was too angry to be able to speak
coherently. His hands were clenched and his little pig-like eyes roved
from one to the other of the lads as though he were trying to decide
upon which one to rush first.
"Take it easy, now," advised Tom, his voice still low. "We're five to
one, and we'll certainly tackle you, and tackle you hard, if you don't be
nice. We're not afraid of you!"
Perhaps the angry man realized this. Certainly he must have known that
he would stand little chance in attacking five healthy, hearty youngsters,
each of whom had the glow of clean-living on his cheeks, while their
poise showed that they were used to active work, and ready for any
emergency.
"Get out of this yard!" roared the farmer. "What right have you got
interfering between me and my hired man, anyhow? What right, I'd like
to know?"
"The right of every lover of fair-play!" exclaimed Andy. "Do you think
we'd stand quietly by and let you use a horse-whip on a young fellow
that you ought to be able to handle with one hand? And he with his arm
in a sling! To my way of thinking, you ought to be ashamed of
yourself."
The farmer growled out something unintelligible.

"We ought to do you up good and brown!" exclaimed Tom, his fists
clenched.
"He's only playing off on me--he ain't hurt a mite!" growled the farmer.
"He's only fakin' on me."
"I certainly am not," spoke the young fellow in firm but respectful
terms. "I sprained my arm unloading your wagon, Mr. Snad, and I can't
drive the team any more to-day. I put my handkerchief around it
because the sprain hurt me so. I certainly can't work!" His voice
faltered and he choked. His spirit seemed as much hurt as his
body--perhaps more.
"Huh! Can't work, eh? Then get out!" snarled Mr. Snad. "I want no
loafer around here! Get out!"
"I'm perfectly willing to go when you pay me what you owe me," said
the helper, quietly.
"Owe you! I don't owe you nothin', you lazy lout!" snapped the farmer.
"You certainly do. You owe me twelve dollars, and as soon as you pay
me I'll get out, and be glad to go!"
"Twelve dollars! I'd like to see myself giving you that much money!"
grumbled the farmer. "You ain't wuth but ten dollars at the most, an' I
won't pay you that for you busted my mowin' machine, an' it'll take that
t' pay for fixin' it."
"That mowing machine was in bad order when you had me take it out,"
replied the young fellow, "and you know it. It was simply an accident
that it broke, and not my fault in the least."
"Well, you'll pay for it, just the same," was the sneering reply. "Now be
off!"
"Not until I get my wages. You agreed to pay me twelve dollars a
month, and board me. My month is up to-day, and I want my money.

It's about all I have in the world; I need