The rival bicyclists

The next morning when Joe went to school he was immediately surrounded by a crowd of the boys.

“Lemuel Akers says you intend to fight him with one hand,” said half a dozen at once.

“I said I would,” replied Joe. “I don’t want to fight, but he must be more civil with his tongue.”

Many of the boys shook their heads at this. They believed Joe could whip the bully with two hands, but when it came to one hand only they were doubtful.

Many of the boys expected an encounter between the pair before school, but the bully was late and school was called when he came along.

There would be no chance to fight at noon, so it was arranged that the encounter should occur after school.

But toward the middle of the afternoon the sky grew black, and soon it began to rain.

“That will spoil all,” said Larry Dare, one of the boys. “They can’t fight in a howling rainstorm.”

“True,” replied Sam Anderson, another of the pupils. “They’ll have to wait until to-morrow.”

When school let out it was raining as hard as ever.

The master was in a hurry to get off and called one of the big boys to him.

“Lathrop,” he said. “I am going off. If the boys want to stay in the schoolroom until it clears off let them. I will look to you to lock up.”

“Yes, sir.”

“And, Lathrop, see to it that no skylarking occurs,” added Mr. Chalmondey, as he left.

“Yes, sir,” replied Lathrop again, and grinned from ear to ear.

“Now is your chance, fellows!” he cried as soon as the master was gone. “Have it out and done with.”

“I am willing,” said Joe quietly, but with determination.

“So am I,” growled the bully, who felt sure that he could give our hero a sound drubbing.

A piece of rope was procured, and after Joe had fixed up his clothing to suit himself, his left hand was tied behind him. Then Lemuel Akers faced him, and a ring was formed.

“All ready?” asked Larry Dare. “Very well, now go in and wax him, Joe!”

“It’s Lem will do the waxing!” retorted Jake Foley, one of the bully’s toadies.

Our hero and the bully watched each other like two cats. For several seconds neither made any effort to reach each other.

Then Lemuel struck out, but Joe leaped to one side.

With only one hand it was useless to attempt to parry a blow.

Then out shot his fist, and the bully caught a stinging blow that caused him to stagger back against a desk.

“Good for Joe!” cried a large part of the crowd.

As quickly as he could Lemuel rushed up once again. He struck out several times in quick succession and at last his left hand reached Joe’s neck.

It left a long scratch behind it.

Our hero immediately made an important discovery. Lemuel, even with the advantage of two hands against one, was not fighting him fair.

The bully had something sharp concealed in the palm of each closed hand.

The moment that Joe made the discovery that the bully was not fighting fair he called out time.

“Got enough, have you!” cried Jake Foley.

“I’ve got enough of this sort of fighting,” replied our hero calmly.

“Why, what’s the matter, Joe?” questioned Larry.

“Lemuel Akers is not fighting me fair.”

At this announcement nearly all the boys were greatly astonished.

“He is fighting fair,” blustered Jake Foley.

“He is not—and you know it,” retorted Joe. “He has something hard and sharp doubled up in each hand.”

“It’s a lie!” blustered the bully.

“Make him open both of his hands!” suggested several boys.

“You mind your own business,” put in Jake Foley.

“It’s my business to see that Joe has a fair show,” said Larry Dare.

“That’s right,” added Sam Anderson.

“See here, I am here to fight, not to talk,” howled Lemuel.

“But you must fight fair,” said Carl Lathrop. “If you are honest, open both of your hands.”

This the bully would not do.

While he was hesitating Joe winked to Larry.

He retired for an instant, then came forward and caught the bully by both wrists.

“Now open your fists,” he said sternly.

“Let go my wrists.”

In vain Lemuel tried to free himself.

Jake Foley wanted to spring in at Joe, but Sam and Larry held him back.

Soon Lemuel began to squirm, for Joe was pressing his wrists hard.

“Don’t break my hands!” shrieked the bully at last.

“Then open your fists,” said our hero, and unable to endure the pressure longer, the bully opened both hands.

Two sharp pieces of iron about half an inch in diameter fell to the floor.

A howl went up from the schoolboys.

“Joe was right!”

“Shame on you, Akers!”

“Give him a big licking now, Joe!”

Suddenly Joe let go his hold. Then he hauled off and gave the bully a sharp poke right in the nose.

The blood spouted, and the bully fell with a crash up against a desk. For fully a minute he lay dazed, his eyes rolling wildly.

Jake Foley assisted Lemuel to rise.

As the big boy got up a vivid streak of lightning nearly blinded every one in the schoolroom.

There followed a deafening peal of thunder, which shook the building from top to bottom. Instead of abating, the storm was increasing in violence.

The thunder and lightning drove all thoughts of fighting out of the scholars’ minds. They huddled together, Joe surrounded by his friends.

Not far away stood Lemuel and Foley, both shaking in their shoes.

The rain came down in torrents, and Carl Lathrop went around to shut up all the windows.

“This is the worst yet,” he said. “I’m glad I ain’t on the road.”

“Maybe it would be safer on the road than in here,” observed Sam, as the roll of thunder sounded out again.

“Maybe,” replied Carl.

A few minutes passed, and it looked as if the rain was letting up.

Akers and Foley moved toward the door, for they wished to get away just as quick as they could.

“I’ll fix you another time,” growled the bully, looking toward Joe.

“I’ll be ready for you any time,” returned our hero calmly. “But you’ll have to fight fair.”

At that instant a blinding flash of lightning struck terror to nearly every one in the building.

Amid the roar of thunder the lightning seemed to enter the schoolroom by the open doorway.

It ran along several desks, and, with a report like that of a gun, disappeared up the chimney.

Larry Dare was knocked flat, and several others were partly stunned.

A sulphurous odor filled the place, and a moment later a fire blazed up near the chimneypiece.

“Get out of here, boys!” cried Joe. “Quick!”

Blinded and confused, the boys ran out of the building into the pelting rain.

Joe waited long enough to pick up Larry’s unconscious form, and then he followed.

There was a shed not far away, and here Larry was placed on an old door. He was not seriously hurt, and soon returned to consciousness.

The boys were so bewildered they did not know what to do. They stood around like a flock of sheep.

“The schoolhouse is on fire!” suddenly cried Carl Lathrop. “See the smoke coming out of the door!”

But this report was not true, and presently the boys went back to the building. The bully of the school, however, had disappeared.