“Sit down,” he urged pleasantly. “Sit down and rest your eye, Bully. One of ’em looks pretty tired. Hot day, isn’t it?” Bully growled out something inarticulate and sank into a chair with a scowl at Merry. Since he had blundered into it, he was determined to stick. As Chip remarked, it was a warm day for that time of year, and no mistake. Bully Carson was heated by his walk from the village, and he was perspiring profusely. He pulled out a handkerchief of purple silk with red bars, and mopped at his face, eying Merry furtively. Seeming to conclude that he was safe for the present, he regained his composure slowly. Chip knew that Carson was a thorough bully and coward. In fact, he had himself presented Bully with that black eye, when the other had attempted to “beat him up” in Carsonville the previous Saturday. He scanned Bully’s attire with a humorous twinkle in his eyes. “You ought to be more careful, Bully,” he remarked, with mock solicitude. “If you were seen on the Fardale streets in those duds, you’d be in danger of arrest.” “Huh? What for?” Bully growled suspiciously. He looked down at himself. “For disturbing the peace,” said Chip, with a laugh, dropping on the window seat. “Think you’re cussed smart, don’t you?” “Not a bit of it,” Chip gravely assured him. He found Bully capital amusement. “I only wonder at your nerve in coming here!” “You should worry,” retorted Bully, with a scowl. “Ain’t I got a right to visit my cousin?” “Sure. Only, if you had another cousin in jail, you’d have a better right to visit him, seems to me.” “Huh?” Carson turned pale and mopped at his face again. “What you goin’ to do about it?” Chip knew that he could have both Bully and his father arrested for what had taken place at Carsonville. This, however, was far from his thoughts. “Nothing. Make yourself right at home, old man. Only I wouldn’t advise you to light up that cigarette in here.” Bully had started to roll a cigarette. He paused, looking up quickly. “Why not?” “It’s not allowed. Go ahead and suck it all you want to, but don’t light it. We don’t approve of coffin nails at Fardale, and if the guards smelled smoke they’d throw you out of here in a hurry.” Carson grunted. Nevertheless, he apparently decided to take Chip’s warning in good part. There was an undernote to Merry’s voice that told him the other was not joking this time. He finished rolling the cigarette, licked it, and carefully inserted it into one corner of his mouth. Then he lolled back in his chair, glanced around, and favored Chip with a black look. “You fellers are goin’ to get the hide licked off you to-day,” he announced. His confidence was returning, as Merry made no hostile move. “Thanks for the news,” said Chip easily. “Are you going to pitch?” “No. We got a new feller named Green. He’ll show you dubs what real pitchin’ is, and I’m goin’ to back him to the limit.”