VALLEY

TIT FOR TAT 169exchange of epithets. She wished Jem Blythe hadbeen with her instead of Walter. If Dan Reese haddared to call her a pig-girl in Jem's hearing Jem wouldhave wiped up the dust with him. But it never occurredto Faith to expect Walter to do it,or blamehim for not doing it. Walter, she knew, never foughtother boys. Neither did Charlie Clow of the northroad. The strange part was that, while she despisedCharlie for a coward, itnever occurred to her to disdainWalter. It was simply that he seemed to heran inhabitant of a world of his own, where differenttraditions prevailed. Faith would as soon have expecteda starry-eyed young angel to pummel dirty,freckled Dan Reese for her as Walter Blythe. Shewould not have blamed the angel and she did not blameWalter Blythe.But she wished that sturdy Jem orJerry had been there and Dan's insult continued torankle in her seul.Walter was pale no longer. He had flushed crimsonand his beautiful eyes were clouded with shame andanger. He knew that he ought to have avenged Faith.Jem would have sailed right in and made Dan eat hiswords with bitter sauce. Ritchie Warren would haveoverwhelmed Dan with worse "names" than Dan hadcalled Faith. But Walter could not simply could not"call names." He knew he would get the worst ofit. He could never conceive or utter the vulgar, ribaldinsults of which Dan Reese had unlimited command.And as for the trial by fist, Walter couldn't fight.He