The pain in Badger's eye was excruciating, and it
rendered him for a little while absolutely reckless. Fortunately, it
also rendered him incapable of inflicting on his former friend the
punishment which his rage dictated.
For a short time affairs were exciting enough. Sophomores and freshmen
deserted the procession and leaped for the elm where the crowd was
quickly gathering. Badger threw himself on Pike, after the latter was
down, and would have proceeded to pound his face, without doubt, but
that his arms were caught and held.
It was all over within less than two minutes. Some of the Westerner's
friends held him back and began to talk some sense into him, while
Pike's friends drew him out and away.
"I reckon this isn't the end of it!" snarled Badger, flinging the words
at Pike. "There will be a beautiful settlement of this, remember."
Then he hobbled blindly out of the crowd with some acquaintances, to
have his smarting eye attended to, while the procession reformed, and
the rollicking students began again to shout their "Omega Lambda Chi."
The "beautiful settlement" came at a late hour that night. Badger
encountered Pike while the latter was on his way to his room. The
Kansan's eye still pained him, and his rage was hot. As soon as he saw
Pike he stepped across the walk and took him by the nose.
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