Arthur Stringer

“ The little narrow chest of the new boy swelled with pride.
But this was by no means the end of the battle. From that day the struggle for supremacy merely took on another form. The defeated boy realised that a physical encounter was entirely out of the question. So the warfare for relative rank, since there was no other way to fight it out, became a battle of tongues.
Jimmie Carson told the girls of the school that Johnnie Armstrong wore his Aunt Martha's stockings. Johnnie writhed in spirit, for he knew this was sadly true. ”

“ Again Johnnie snorted his contempt.
"The doctor told my Aunt Martha my mother was going to cough herself to pieces, and that she might die any single day."
That rather staggered Jimmie Carson. A voice back in the crowd said, "Hurrah for Johnnie!" and the new boy's chest swelled with the old pride.
"And she can't ever get better," went on the exultant Johnnie. "And I'll ride in a cab, see, same as I did at grandpa's funeral!"
The enemy recovered himself. "Oh, ridin' in a cab ain't nothin'. I watched my grandpa die! And Uncle Jake was killed, too. ”

“ That meant that they had to fight it out then and there. He did n't mind fighting, nor did he mind getting whipped. But he felt that he would rather be pounded to pieces than endure any longer this uncertainty of position. One or the other must be boss, and boss for all time. ”