There were two, and they sat defiantly in their seats, sneering their contempt of the teacher's wrath, advertising their entire disregard for the restraining influence of rules.
Both were boys.

The larger, freckle-faced, with an uptilted nose and belligerent eyes, was fully as tall as Ruth.

He was broad and muscular, and it was evident that consideration for his size was one influence that had thus far delayed the punishment he no doubt merited.
It was evident, too, that the culprit suspected this, for as Ruth's hesitation continued he grew bolder and more contemptuous.

And now, having divined that Ruth would not attempt to inflict the punishment she meditated, the young man guffawed loudly.
"Shucks," he sneered, winking piratically at his brother-culprit; "she's tryin' to run a whizzer in on us.

She ain't goin' to do _nuthin'_!" "Jimmy Singleton; you advance to the platform!" Ruth's voice came sharply, quavering with the passion she had been suppressing until now.
She stood rigid until "Jimmy" got out of his seat with elephantine deliberation, and shuffled to the edge of the platform, where he stood, grinning defiantly.
Ruth raised the lid of her desk and took out a formidable willow branch, which she had cut only the day before from a tree that grew beside the Wolf near her cabin, in anticipation of the present incident.
She had known for many days that she would have to punish Jimmy Singleton, for Jimmy had been growing daily less amenable to discipline.
But she had hoped that she would not be compelled to punish him--she had escaped that disagreeable task so far.
But there was no alternative, and though she grew deadly white and her legs grew weak as she drew out the willow switch, she advanced on Jimmy, her eyes flaming with desperate resolution.
As she reached Jimmy's side, he lunged toward her.