Page:Restless Earth.djvu/129

his feet piling the shingle into heaps which he immediately flattened with vicious kicks, while the sun beat down upon his bared head. Nausea seized upon the pit of his stomach, and he felt a desire for tears. Physical weariness, hunger and despair had made a woman of him, he told himself bitterly.

A heavy blow in the small of his back tumbled him face down upon the shingle, and his manhood reasserted itself.

He rose to his feet swiftly and turned.

“Who did that?”’ he demanded, clenching his fists.

“I did,” grunted a brutal-faced young giant, who, with two helpers, was struggling to lift an upright piano over the low wall. “Sorry. Didn’t see you there. Give us a hand with this, will you?”

Harley nodded sullenly and reached over to get a grip of the instrument. Together they hoisted it to the top of the wall, where they rested it. The young giant released his hold to spring over the wall and secure a fresh grip. The instrument toppled and crashed back upon the pavement with a mighty jangling. The key-fall split with the impact and the imitation-ivory keys fanned comically.

“What the hell did you let go for?” shouted the young giant to his original helpers.

“We thought you had it,” answered one, feebly, while the other suppressed a laugh.

“Well, I didn’t have it! Now it’s nah-poohed!”

The young giant leapt upon the pavement again and stooped to lift the wreck.

“Come on!” he yelled angrily.

“What are you going to do with it. It’ll do there, won't it?”

“Come on! Heave it over! And none of your back-chat!”

With savage strength they heaved it over, and Harley found it necessary to side-step quickly as it stood upright on the shingle for a moment and crashed upon its face.