s.

Instantly he was beside the twain, a huge dipper full of water in his
hand. "Don't let him faint! don't yuh now, Woolly!" he yelled, in mock
consternation. "Heah, put this on hes pore brow!" and he deliberately
poured a quart of ice water down Punk's neck. The effect was as
remarkable as it was instantaneous.

Punk's head flew up spasmodically, catching Woolly's nose with a force
that tilted that worthy's chair backwards and sent them to the floor
locked in each other's arms. Tangled up with their chairs, the impact
was attended with such a series of excruciating bruises that both men
lashed out retaliatingly and in a second they were fighting like wolves.
Holy, leaning up against the wall for support, was convulsed with
ecstasy: "Bite him in thu flank, Woolly! Pull hes ha'r out, Punk! Oh!
Gawd! Let me die now!"

In the midst of the amenities entered Abbie with eyes aflame, a mopstick
in her hand. Without hesitation, she impartially belabored both the
combatants, calling frantically on Douglass and Red for aid. When their
combined efforts had finally pried the two men apart she turned
witheringly upon Douglass and lashed him with her scorn.

"A fine boss yuh be to let these coyotes tear each other to pieces! Ef
yuh cain't manage men any bettah than thet yuh bettah take yuh lettle
pen an' write potery fer a livin'. Maybe yuh'd git yuh name in thu
papehs that way!" Then she stopped suddenly, the flood of invective
dying on her tongue. The man's face was a livid gray, the teeth showing
blue through the thin white lips. She quailed before the unlovable smile
that distorted his mouth as he bowed ironically to her and went silently
out.

"What hev I done wrong, now?" she muttered, speculatively. "He seemed
touched on thu raw!" Her thrust had been a random one and entirely
without malice or specific reference; Abbie merely had a wholesome
contempt for rhymes and rhymsters in general and had inadvertently
exercised that contempt in lieu of other more opprobious taunt. But this
Douglass did not know; he leaped, instead, to a different and altogether
unworthy conclusion, one that sickened him to the depths of his strong
being and ultimately brought much unnecessary pain to another heart.

And yet, as he walked into the bunkhouse a few minutes later, no one
looking at the outward impassiveness of that calm face would have even
the remotest suspicion of the hell of resentful anger and outraged
vanity burning in his heart