est of mine because
he was afraid to stay here." He wheeled suddenly upon the cowboy and
the Easterner. "Am I right?"

"Yes, Mr. Scully," said the cowboy, "I think you're right."

"Yes, Mr. Scully," said the Easterner, "I think you're right."

V

At six-o'clock supper, the Swede fizzed like a fire-wheel. He
sometimes seemed on the point of bursting into riotous song, and in
all his madness he was encouraged by old Scully. The Easterner was
incased in reserve; the cowboy sat in wide-mouthed amazement,
forgetting to eat, while Johnnie wrathily demolished great plates of
food. The daughters of the house, when they were obliged to replenish
the biscuits, approached as warily as Indians, and, having succeeded
in their purpose, fled with ill-concealed trepidation. The Swede
domineered the whole feast, and he gave it the appearance of a cruel
bacchanal. He seemed to have grown suddenly taller; he gazed, brutally
disdainful, into every face. His voice rang through the room. Once
when he jabbed out harpoon-fashion with his fork to pinion a biscuit,
the weapon nearly impaled the hand of the Easterner which had been
stretched quietly out for the same biscuit.

After supper, as the men filed towards the other room, the Swede smote
Scully ruthlessly on the shoulder. "Well, old boy, that was a good,
square meal." Johnnie looked hopefully at his father; he knew that
shoulder was tender from an old fall; and, indeed, it appeared for a
moment as if Scully was going to flame out over the matter, but in the
end he smiled a sickly smile and remained silent. The others
understood from his manner that he was admitting his responsibility
for the Swede's new view-point.

Johnnie, however, addressed his parent in an aside. "Why don't you
license somebody to kick you down-stairs?" Scully scowled darkly by
way of reply.

When they were gathered about the stove, the Swede insisted on another
game of High Five. Scully gently deprecated the plan at first, but the
Swede turned a wolfish glare upon him. The old man subsided, and the
Swede canvassed the others. In his tone there was always a great
threat. The cowboy and the Easterner both remarked indifferently that
they would play. Scully said that he would presently have to go to
meet the 6.58 train, and so the Swede turned menacingly upon Johnnie.
For a moment their glances crossed like blades, and then Johnnie
smiled and said, "Yes, I'll play."

They formed a square, with the little