household without another woman in sight. Say, these cursed mills
have made it so I've had to commit every sort of rotten act a man can
commit against a high-spirited girl. And you ask me why I don't marry
her? You've been too long in the forests, Bat. Guess you've lost your
perspective. Nancy McDonald's no sort of chattel to be dealt with any
way we fancy. Get sense, man, an' talk it."

Bat's regard was unwavering before the other's angry eyes.

"Sense is a hell of a good thing to have an' talk," he said quietly. "I
most generally notice the feller yearnin' for someone else to get it an'
talk that way, mostly has least use for the thing he's preachin'. Maybe
Nancy feels the way you reckon. But that don't seem to me to worry a
deal. Still, maybe things have changed around since the days when I
hadn't sense to keep out of gunshot of a pair of dandy eyes. And anyway
I don't seem to remember the boys bein' worried with the sort of
argument you're handing out. If my memory's as good as I reckon, the
boys most gener'ly married the gal first, an' got busy wonderin' about
things after. All of which seems like so much hoss sense, seem' the
natur' of things is that most gals needs their minds made up for 'em.
You see, Bull, I kind o' fancy womenfolk ain't just ord'nary. They got a
bug that makes 'em think queer wher' men are concerned. Now Nancy's all
sorts of a gal, an' that bein' so I don't reckon she sees the hell-fire
crimes you've committed against her just the way you see 'em. I allow
they're pretty darn tough. Shootin' up her outfit an' dumpin' her into a
snowdrift up on Labrador's mighty hard sort of courtin'. Grabbin' her up
an' settin' her hospital nurse to her enemies, in a house full of a
bunch of tough men don't seem the surest way to make her smile on the
feller that did it. Then most generally beatin' the game she set out to
play looks like makin' fer trouble plenty. It sure seems that way. But
you never can tell with a woman, Bull. You just can't."

Bat shook his grizzled head in solemn denial, but his eyes were
laughing. Bull smothered his resentment. He, too, shook his head, and
somehow caught the infection of the other's smile.

"But she's ambitious," he said. "And she isn't the sort of girl to take
that easily. No."

Bat nodded and rose from his chair. Something of his purpose had been
achieved and he was satisfied. He felt he had said all that was needed
for the moment. So he prepared to take his depart