"How much truth is there in the statement that you two assaulted Kalinski in the street last night, beating him so badly that he was unable to report for duty this morning? He is in the hands of a doctor, I understand." Steve colored again, and Bob laughed bitterly. "All lies!" exclaimed Brodsky. The two superintendents turned sharply. They had not noticed his presence before. "Brodsky, what are you doing in here?" demanded Mr. Keating. Ignatz did not answer. "If you speak again, until you are spoken to, I will call the officer and have him put you out." Ignatz subsided, settling far down in his chair. "It is both true and untrue." "Explain." "I will do so, though I was not present at the beginning of the trouble. Jarvis can better tell you more about that than I, and I do hope that what we say will not get our friend, Ignatz Brodsky, into trouble. He is a faithful friend and an honest, well-meaning boy." "I will decide that when I hear the story. Jarvis, you may tell it." "It was this way," began Bob. "I--we--had been suspecting that Ignatz was watching Kalinski and Foley ever since we were discharged from the mill. He took our dismissal very much at heart. He got hurt on the street, the other night, and said he had been kicked by a horse. I suspected that it was a two-legged horse that had kicked him. Last night, as I was walking along, I saw Ignatz. I followed him. Then, soon after, I saw Kalinski coming from the post-office. Both men stopped and then I began to understand what was in the wind. Well, sir, they sailed into each other without a word----" "Who started the fight?" interrupted Mr. Keating. "Both," answered Bob promptly. "Go on." "I didn't think it was my business to take a hand, though I wanted to. The little fellow held his own pretty well for a time, but the boss was too big and strong for him. Then Kalinski knocked the boy down, and began to kick him." "The ruffian!" exclaimed Mr. Keating. "Yes, sir, that's what I thought; and not a man of the crowd that had gathered went to the boy's assistance. They seemed to think it was a barrel of fun. Well, sir, you know I couldn't stand for that." "I should say not." "I just sailed in, and we had it right and left all over the street. He had a sore nose and I played a tune on that for a little while. I had a sore head, where I got burned the other day in the mill, and Kalinski played rag-time on that. After awhile there wasn't any more music left in either of us, except in our ears. Mine were ringing like a church bell at Christmas time." By this time both superintendents were laughing at the humorous recital of the Iron Boy. Even Steve Rush was smiling, despite his efforts to be serious. "What next?" questioned Mr. Keating, brushing his hand across his face to hide his laughter. "I wound up with a tattoo on his face, and Kalinski went to the ground, and I didn't kick him either. It came pretty close to being a fight."