“Here, Piggy, you quit that,” said Mealy.

Jimmy said nothing.  He sprang into the air head foremost toward Piggy, who dived from sight.  His pursuer saw the direction Piggy took and followed him.  The boys were a few feet apart when Jimmy came to the surface, puffing and spouting and shaking the water from his eyes and hair.  He hesitated in his pursuit.  Piggy observed the hesitation, and with a quick overhand movement shot a stinging stream of water from the ball of his hand into his antagonist’s face.  Then Piggy turned on his side and swam swiftly to shallow water, where he stood and splashed his victim, who was lumbering toward shore with his eyes shut, panting loudly.  With every splash Piggy said, “How’s that, Jim?” or “Take a bite o’ this,” or “Want a drink?” When Jimmy got where he could walk on the creek bottom, he made a feint of fighting back, but he soon ceased, and stood by, gasping for breath, before saying, “Let’s quit.”

Then followed the fun of ducking, the scuffling and the capers of the young human animals at play—­at play even as gods in the elder days.  Mealy saw it all through envious eyes and with a pricking conscience, as he doggedly fumbled the myriad buttons which his mother had fastened upon his pretty clothes.  He heard Piggy dare Abe across the creek, and call him a cowardly calf, and say, “Any one’t ’ull take a dare’ll steal sheep.”  Mealy saw Jimmy grin as he cracked rocks under water while the other boys were diving, and watched Old Abe, as he made the waves rise under his chin, swimming after the fleeing culprit.  He saw Abe catch Jimmy and hold his head under water until Mealy’s smile faded to a horrified grin.  Then he saw the victim and the victor come merrily to the shallows, laughing as though nothing unusual had occurred.  It was high revel in Boyville, and the satyrs were in the midst of their joy.

[Illustration:  He saw Abe catch Jimmy and hold his head under water.]

Then Mealy heard Piggy say, “Aw, come in, Mealy; it won’t hurt you.”

“Is it cold?” asked Mealy.

“Naw,” replied Piggy.

“Naw, course it ain’t,” returned Jimmy.

“Warm as dish-water,” cried Abe.

Mealy’s ribs shone through his skin.  His big milky eyes made him seem uncanny, standing there shivering in the shade.  He hobbled down the pebbly bank on his tender feet, his bashful grin breaking into a dozen contortions of pain as he went.  The boys stood watching him like tigers awaiting a Christian martyr.  He paused at the water’s edge, put in a toe and jerked it out with a spasm of cold.

“Aw, that ain’t cold,” said Piggy.

“Naw, when you get in you won’t mind it,” insisted Abe.

Mealy replied, “Oo, oo!  I think that’s pretty cold.”

“Wet your legs and you won’t get the cramp,” advised Jimmy Sears.

Mealy stooped over to scoop up some water in his hands.  He heard the boys laugh, and the next instant felt a shower of water on his back.  It made the tears come.