"Levine!" exploded Charlie. "Are you Levine? You're the man then that my sister--" his voice rose to a shout. "I'll beat the face off of you right now." And he made a sudden spring for the astonished Levine. CHAPTER VII THE REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE "Nature counts no day as wasted."--_The Murmuring Pine_. Amos and Kent caught Charlie by either arm as his hands clutched for Levine's throat. Marshall did not stir out of his chair. During the remainder of the episode his face wore a complacent expression that, though Lydia did not consciously observe it at the time, returned to her in after years with peculiar significance. "Here! Here! This won't do, my young Indian!" cried Amos. "Let me get at him!" panted Charlie. Lydia moved away from Lizzie and Margery. The three had automatically jumped to grab Adam's collar for Adam always assisted in a fight, human or otherwise. She ran over to the Indian. "Charlie," she pleaded, looking up into his face, "you mustn't hurt Mr. Levine. He's my best friend. And it is not polite to come to call at my house and make a row, this way." "That's right," commented Marshall. "Do your fighting outdoors." John had not stirred from his chair. He looked up at the Indian and said slowly and insolently, "Get out of here! You know what I can do to you, don't you? Well, get out before I do it!" Charlie returned John's look of contempt with one of concentrated hatred. Then he turned to Kent. "Come on, Kent," he growled and followed by his friend, he marched out of the kitchen door. "Whew!" said Amos, "talk about civilizing Indians!" Lydia was trembling violently. "What made him act so---- _Did_ you hurt his sister, Mr. Levine?" "Didn't even know he had a sister," returned John, coolly relighting his cigar. Marshall rose and stretched his fat body. "Well, you serve up too much excitement for me, Amos. I'll be getting along. Come, Margery." "Wait and we'll all have some coffee," said Lizzie. "Land, I'm all shook up." "Pshaw! 'twan't anything. Kent should have had more sense than to bring him in here," said Levine. "Why, he's usually perfectly lovely," protested Lydia. "Goes to parties with the girls and everything." "I wouldn't go to a party with a dirty Indian," said Margery, her nose up in the air. "What do you know about parties, chicken?" asked Marshall, buttoning her coat for her. "Mama says I can go next year when I enter High School," replied Margery. "First boy, white or Indian, that comes to call on you before you're eighteen, I'll turn the hose on," said Dave, winking at the men. Amos and John laughed and Dave made his exit in high good humor. When the door had closed Amos said, "Any real trouble with the boy, John?" "Shucks, no!" returned Levine. "Forget it!"