“What, you young puppy!” said the gentleman, springing to his feet. “Don’t you give me a word of impudence! If you do, I’ll thrash you within an inch of your life!” This was not exactly the kind of customer Tommy liked to deal with, for there was fight in the stranger’s eye; but he was just the person whom Tommy’s case required. “Are you going to get out, Wolf Penniman, or are you going to be put out?” added the president, turning from the stranger to me. “I’m not going to get out, and it remains to be seen whether I’m going to be put out.” “He has paid his fare,” suggested the gentlemanly conductor, in a low tone. “Give him back his money, then.” I refused to take it, and the belligerent gentleman urged me not to budge an inch. “Put him out, conductor,” said Tommy. “If you put him out, you must put me out,” suggested Tom Walton, with one of his broad, good-natured laughs. “Put them both out!” stormed Tommy. “I shall be prosecuted, if I do, for assault and battery.” “That’s so,” growled the gentleman behind me. “I’ll see you through,” interposed Tommy, violently. “This thing has gone far enough,” said the stranger, rising in his seat. “This road was chartered for the accommodation of the public. These two young men have paid their fare, and have behaved themselves properly in the car. I say, for one, they shall not be put out.” “So say we all of us!” shouted several of the passengers, who were annoyed by the delay; and most of them understood the merits of the case. “Now, conductor, start your train, and don’t keep us waiting here all day,” added the gentleman. “Go ahead!” shouted some of the passengers. “You can’t go ahead till these fellows are put out,” replied Tommy, who seemed to feel that he had the weather-gage in the dispute. “Go ahead!” “Go ahead!” cried the passengers. “Why don’t you put them out, as I tell you?” said Tommy to the conductor. “If you say so, I will, whatever happens,” replied the conductor. “I do say so!” The proprietor of the gold jewel put his hand upon my collar; but he had hardly done so before my belligerent friend did him a similar service, and jerked him away from me. Other passengers crowded forward. “It’s an outrage! Bully for the young engineer,” shouted the noisiest of the crowd. The conductor was intimidated. He had no heart in the job he had undertaken, and he gave up with no show of fight. “Now go ahead!” said the belligerent stranger. “We won’t submit to any outrage here.” “This train won’t start till those persons are put out of the car,” added Tommy. “Won’t it?” “No, it won’t. I’m the president of this road,” replied Tommy. “Are you? Well, this train’s going ahead,” added the stranger. To my astonishment, he seized the distinguished little functionary by the collar, and dragged him towards the door. The conductor attempted to interfere; but the passengers, among whom there were hardly a dozen Middleporters, crowded upon him, and prevented him from doing anything.