Mark Mason's Victory Part 54

All this happened in open view of the house and of the public road. Mr.

Sprague was so intent upon his plan of punis.h.i.+ng Philip that he did not notice the approach of two men walking with unsteady steps along the highway and now close at hand. They were the two men who had talked with Philip in front of the drinking saloon. They had been drinking, but had not reached the stage of helplessness.

"I say, Joe," said one, looking towards Nahum Sprague's house, "there's where old Sprague lives."

"He's a mean rascal," hiccoughed the other. "I'd like to thrash him."

"There's the kid--the one he sent to buy some drink. And there's old Sprague with a whip in his hand. I'll be dog-goned if he ain't goin' to lick him. It's a beastly shame. I say, suppose we take a hand."

"All right, Bill."

Meanwhile Nahum Sprague, quite unaware that he was likely to be interfered with, took the whip from the hand of his son. He looked at Philip very much as a cat looks at a mouse whom she is preparing to swallow.

"Now you're going to catch it," he announced, with a cruel gleam in his eyes. "Now you're going to see what you get for spilling my whisky. I'll learn you!"

"Oh, please don't whip me, Mr. Sprague!" pleaded Philip. "Indeed. I didn't mean to break the bottle."

[Ill.u.s.tration: "Nahum brought the whip down with a swish on Philip's legs."--Page 285.

_Mark Mason's Victory_.]

"That's too thin! You didn't want to go for the whisky in the first place. You said your _papa_," with a mocking sneer, "didn't like to have you go to a saloon."

"That's true, but I went."

"Because you had to. You are lazy and put on airs, just as if you wasn't a beggar dependent on me for the bread you eat and the clothes you wear."

"My father bought me these clothes," said Philip.

"Suppose he did? When you have worn them out you'll expect me to buy you some more."

"What are you waiting for, pa?" asked Oscar impatiently. "If you're going to lick him, why don't you do it?"

"I'm going to," said Nahum, and, raising the whip he brought it down with a swish around the legs of the poor boy.

Philip cried with pain, dancing up and down, and Oscar went into a fit of laughter at what he thought an amusing spectacle.

"That's the talk, dad!" exclaimed Oscar. "You gave it to him good. Give it to him again."

"I mean to," said Nahum grimly, and he raised the whip a second time.

"Say, Joe, are we going to stand this?" asked Bill.

"Not by a long shot! Follow me, pard."

Mr. Sprague's back was turned to the street, and he did not see the quick approach of the two miners. He was just about to bring down the whip again upon poor defenseless Philip when he thought he was struck by a cyclone.

Bill seized him by the collar, while Joe s.n.a.t.c.hed the whip from his hand.

"Why, why, what's all this?" asked the astonished man in dismay.

"Two can play at your little game," answered Joe. "You can stand it better than the kid," and he lashed the unfortunate Nahum across the legs just as Philip had suffered a short time before.

"Stop, stop!" yelled Nahum, who was a coward at heart. "What do you mean? I'll have the law of you."

"That's what you were doing to the kid. I'll give you a dose of your own medicine," and Mr. Sprague received a second stroke.

"Give me the whip, Joe!" cried Bill. "Give me a chance at him! Don't keep all the fun to yourself."

"All right! Here it is."

Bill used the whip quite as effectively as his friend Joe.

"You stop licking my pa!" exclaimed Oscar, not daring, however, to approach the scene of conflict.

"I say, kid, what was he licking you for?" asked Bill after the first blow.

"He said I broke the bottle and spilled the whisky."

"And did you?"

"Yes, but Oscar pushed me and made me do it."

"Who's Oscar?"

"That boy there."

"Oho! so he's to blame for it."

"It's a lie!" retorted Oscar.

"It isn't. I know the kid's telling the truth. He deserves a dose, too.

Bring him here, Joe."

Joe advanced upon Oscar, and after a short chase seized him by the collar, and brought him up to the self-appointed dispenser of justice.

"Hold him tight, Joe!"

Then Oscar felt the whip lash coiling around his legs.

"You quit that!" he howled in anger and dismay.

"One more will do you good. You're bigger than the kid and you can stand it better."

A second time the lash descended with even greater force, and Oscar jumped and danced as Philip had done before him, but somehow it didn't seem to impress him as so funny.

"You'd better give the old man more and then we'll let him go," said Joe.

"I'll have you arrested!" shrieked Nahum Sprague, but in spite of his threat he received another dose of the same medicine.