As she reached Jimmy’s side, he lunged toward her.  He struck viciously at her with his fist, the blow landing on her shoulder near the neck.  It had been aimed at her face, but she had somehow dodged it.  The force of the blow brought Jimmy against her, and he seized her around the waist and attempted to throw her.  She brought the switch down sharply on Jimmy’s legs as they struggled, and the sting of the blow enraged the boy.  He deliberately wrenched himself loose; then leaped forward, swinging his arms viciously.

He had not struck the girl fairly, but she was in a daze from the rapid movement, and she was not aware of what was going on around her, centering all her energy in an attempt to keep the boy from striking her face.

But she suddenly became conscious that a big form had loomed close to her; she heard a deep, angry voice saying: 

“I’ll attend to you—­you young pirate!”

And then Jimmy was jerked backward, away from her; and she saw Kane Lawler standing not more than two or three paces from her.  His right hand was twisted in Jimmy’s collar; and there was an expression of cold rage on his face—­despite the smile he gave her when she looked at him—­that chilled her.

But she made no objection when Lawler walked to a chair that stood on the platform, dragging the now protesting Jimmy after him by the scruff of the neck.  There was something of majestic deliberation in Lawler’s movements, she thought, as he seated himself in the chair and placed the struggling Jimmy across his knees.

Ruth had never entertained a bloodthirsty thought, but her passions were very near that point when she saw Lawler’s large, capable right hand begin to descend upon Jimmy’s anatomy.  She gasped at first, at Lawler’s temerity; and then she stepped back and watched him, her heart singing with approval.

Lawler’s capable right hand descended many times with a force that brought dismal howls from the unlucky culprit—­so many times and with such force that the girl began to fear that Jimmy would be fatally injured.  Jimmy likewise entertained that fear, for his howls grew more shrill, laden with mingled terror and pain, until the piercing appeal of them sent the other pupils out of their seats and into the open shouting that Jimmy was being “killed.”

Then, just when Ruth decided to protest, Lawler swung Jimmy around and placed him upright upon the platform.  What Lawler said to Jimmy, Ruth did not hear, so low was his voice.  But she heard Jimmy’s reply, as did some of the children who still lingered outside the door: 

“You’ve walloped me, damn you; you’ve walloped me!”

Jimmy ran frenziedly to the door, plainly in fear that he would be “walloped” again if he did not make his escape; and when he reached the door he shrieked through unmanly tears: 

“My paw will wallop you; you locoed maverick—­you see if he don’t!”

Jimmy vanished.  There was no doubt in Lawler’s mind, nor in Ruth’s, that he had gone to relate his trouble to his “paw;” and that “paw” would presently appear to exact the lurid punishment Jimmy desired.