' apologize for that young scamp of a nephew o' mine, young
Tommy. He ain't here or I'd make him beg your pardon hisself, or I'd
cut him to pieces with the bullick-whip. I heard all about Dave Regan
sendin' you that stinkin' fish, an' I think it was a damned mean, dirty
thing to do--to send stinkin' fish to a woman, an' especially to a
widder an' an unprotected woman like you, Mrs Hardwick. I've had mothers
an' sisters of me own. An' I want to tell you that I'm sorry a relation
o' mine ever had anythin' to do with it. As soon as I heerd of it I give
young Tommy a lambastin' he won't forgot in a hurry."

"Did Tommy know the fish was bad?" she says.

"It doesn't matter a rap," says Billy; "he had no right to go takin'
messages from nobody to nobody."

Mrs Hardwick thought a while. Then she says: "P'r'aps arter all Dave
Regan didn't know the fish was bad. I've often thought I might have
been in too much of a hurry. Things goes bad so quick out here in this
weather. An' Dave was always very friendly. I can't understand why he'd
do a dirty thing on me like that. I never done anything to Dave."

Now I forgot to tell you that Billy had a notion that Dave helped drive
his bullicks to pound that time, though I didn't believe it. So Billy
says:

"Don't you believe that for a minute, Mrs Hardwick. Dave knew what he
was a-doin' of all right; an' if I ketch him _I'll_ give him a beltin'
for it if no one else is man enough to stand up for a woman!" says
Billy.

"How d'yer know Dave knew?" says Mrs Hardwick.

"Know!" says Billy. "Why, he talked about it all over the district."

"What!" she screamed out, an' I moved away from that there fence, for
she had a stick to drive them heifers with. But Billy stood his ground.
"Is that the truth, Billy Grimshaw?" she screams.

"Yes;" he says. "I'll-take me oath on it. He blowed about it all over
the district, as if it was very funny, an' he says--" An' Billy stopped.

"What did he say?" she shouted.

"Well, the fact is," says Billy, "that I hardly like to tell it to a
lady. I wouldn't like to tell yer, Mrs Hardwick."

"But you'll have to tell me, Billy Grimshaw," she screams. "I have a
right to know. If you don't tell me I'll pull him next week an' have
it dragged out of you in the witness-box!" she says. "An' I'll have
satisfaction out of him in the felon's dock of a court of law!" she
says. "What did the villain say?" she screams.

"Well," says Billy, "if yer must have it--