"He deserved it," was Chet's answer. His voice was strained, and his face pale. "I'll allow nobody to talk that way to me." "Yo--you young villain!" spluttered Josiah Graham, as he rolled over in the dirt of the gutter and picked himself up. "I'll--I'll----" "After this you keep a civil tongue in your head!" interrupted Chet. He still had his fists clenched. "You--you----" "If you call me any more names, I'll knock you down again." Chet's manner was so aggressive that Josiah Graham retreated several feet. A few persons had witnessed his fall, and a crowd began to collect. "What's the trouble?" "Is it a fight?" "Do you want a policeman?" "No, we don't want any policeman," said Andy in alarm. "Chet, we had better get out of this," he whispered. "If we don't, we'll all be taken to the station house!" "Your uncle is the meanest man I ever met! He ought to have a sound thrashing!" answered Chet, recklessly. "I know, but we don't want to have the police come down on us." "I've a good mind to have the law on yer!" howled the man who had been knocked down. "Do so--and I'll have the law on you," retorted Chet. "You can't slander me for nothing,--and you can't try to rob Andy, either." The last shot told, and Josiah Graham backed still further away. "We'll settle this some other time!" he muttered, and then turning, he disappeared into the crowd and hurried away much faster than was his usual speed. Not to be questioned by those who had gathered, Andy and Chet pushed through the crowd in the opposite direction. Soon they were a couple of blocks from where the encounter had taken place, and then they slackened their pace. "The miserable hound!" muttered Chet. He was still completely upset. "Don't take it so hard, Chet," answered Andy, soothingly. "It's just Uncle Si's mean way, that's all." "I suppose he tells everybody what he thinks I am!" "Oh, I don't think that. He was riled up, and wanted to say something extra mean. And it was mean--as mean as dirt!" added Andy. He continued to talk soothingly to his chum, and presently Chet cooled down somewhat. But he still said he wished he had stayed and given Josiah Graham the thrashing of his life. "He thinks I have the lost papers," said Andy, later on. "And I'd let him continue to think so," answered his chum. "If you say they are lost, your uncle may tell that fellow, Hopton, and the real estate man may fix it up to do you out of that claim anyway. I'd keep them in complete ignorance of the truth." Andy thought this a good idea, and resolved to follow the suggestion. He wondered if his uncle would make another move against him. He was soon to learn how really mean Josiah Graham could be.