annihilation rather than let any
man rob me of my right.

"I am afraid Mrs. Coombs is prejudiced against me, and it might save
unpleasantness if you paid me my wages and I left this place to-night," I
said; and read in Coombs' face that this was by no means what he desired.
Wages are high at harvest and labor scarce, while any one with a knowledge
of working land was a god-send at seven dollars a month. But Coombs was
equal to the emergency.

"I regret to see so much dishonesty in one so young," he said. "Our
bargain was until after harvest, and I'll neither pay you a dollar nor
give up your boxes if you go before. Let this be a lesson, if I overlook
it, to confine yourself to the truth."

I forget what I answered--we were always a hot-blooded race--but I fancy
that several adjectives and the word hypocrite figured therein; while
Coombs, shaken out of his usual assumption of ironical courtesy, made a
serious mistake when he tried bullying. As he strode toward me, fuming
like an irate turkey cock, in an absurdly helpless attitude, I grasped his
shoulder and backed him violently against a stall. Then, and whether this
was justifiable I do not know, though I know that otherwise not a cent
would I ever have got, I took out his wallet, which, as he had been
selling stock in Brandon, contained a roll of dollar bills, and counted
out the covenanted hire.

"Now I'm going to borrow your spare horse to carry my box," I said. "It
will be sent back from Jasper's to-morrow, and if you venture to interfere
I shall be compelled to hurt you. Let this also be a lesson to you--never
try to bluff an angry man and put your hands up like that."

I think he swore, I am sure he groaned distressfully when I went out with
what was due to me. Meeting Harry I told him the story.

"I don't think my guardians care much about me, and I'm coming with you,"
he said. "Good evening, Mrs. Coombs, you may make dusters of any old
clothes I leave. I am going away with Mr. Lorimer, and henceforward I am
afraid you will have to trust Marvin, who'll certainly eat the sugar, or
do your own plate washing."

So twenty minutes later, while Marvin stood chuckling on the threshold and
waved his hat to us, we marched out in triumph, leading Coombs' steed
which made an efficient pack-horse. It was dawn the next day when aching
and footsore we limped into Jasper's. He lay back in his hide chair
laughing until there were tears in his eyes when we told him the ta