Orval
Dallas had friends in Burley, both girls and boys. They associated as a group
rather than dating one another. Among that group was a shy girl who had terribly
bucked teeth and one of the boys liked to make fun of her. He was a bully type
of boy who ridiculed anyone who had abnormalities about themselves.
One
evening this heartless boy was so derisive and jeering of this poor girls teeth
that she started to cry. Most of the boys were embarrassed but said nothing.
Then from the crowd, up stepped, bold, brave, Orval Dallas to confront this
calloused boy. The boy was large and ugly himself. Orval said, "You make
fun of everyone, don't you?"
"What
if! do?
Who is going to stop me?"
"I
guess you would make jokes about my sister?"
"If she
had funny teeth, you bet I would," and he gave Orval a shove. The gauntlet had been thrown down and a
challenge made. Orval Dallas had a mercurial temper that was well backed up
with a fighting courage that was nothing short of heroic. He never looked for a
fight but when pushed-there he was-pugnacious, like a lion-unafraid and equal
to the task.
The
taller, bigger boy rushed at him and young Orval stepped to one side and hit
him hard in the stomach-just below the solar plexus. It doubled
his attacker up so he could not defend himself and Orval hit him at his
pleasure until he knocked him down. The mocking boy laid on the floor with a
hand over his bloody mouth and said, "I quit," and that was
Orval
Dallas's baptism of fighting with someone other than his bigger brother Les.
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