Page:Dave Porter at Oak Hall.djvu/84

70 "I thought he didn't have any boys that weren't good."

"Oh, they all come from pretty good families, but two or three of them try to fly pretty high, and one or two are regular bullies."

"I don't think I'll let anybody bully me," answered Dave, shortly.

"The worst bully at the Hall is Gus Plum. He's pretty rich, and he has an idea he can lord it over nearly everybody. I have never run up against him very much, but some of the others have. You want to look out for him."

"I shall."

"There is another boy you want to look out for too, and that's Chip Macklin. He's a little fellow and a regular sneak. He toadies to Gus Plum all the time, and he'll get you into trouble if you don't take care."

"It's a wonder somebody doesn't give the sneak a thrashing."

"Oh, he has been thrashed half a dozen times, and once the boys ducked him in the river, in the winter time, but it never did any good; Chip was worse after it than before. I guess more than three-quarters of the boys wish Gus Plum and Chip Macklin would leave the school."

By this time the dinner was being served, and both boys fell to eating with such appetites as growing lads usually possess. There were ox-tail soup,