"He! he! he! yes, you will compel me to thrash you if you don't go away.
Why, this lady is very much annoyed. I cannot see her annoyed; certainly
not, so go away and I'll not harm you."

"Hear him--hear him!" cried one of the rogues, and he added: "We'll have
to duck him for insultin' us."

"Yes, we'll have to duck him."

"Let's do it."

The men leaped forward when one of the most extraordinary scenes that
ever occurred followed. As the men leaped forward both Oscar and Cad
drew short billies--drew them so quickly that the men did not observe
them until they _felt_ them. A complete change had come over the
appearance and actions of Oscar and Cad. The former with an ease and
quickness that was wonderful to behold dealt the leader of the rogues a
smart tap on the head that caused him to lie down in the sand as though
stricken with a pain where his digestive organs reside. Cad meantime
played a single-note tattoo on the head of number two, and Oscar, after
dropping the first man, paid his compliments to number three, who also
concluded to lie down without any premeditation whatever. It was, as We
have intimated, a most singular, startling and extraordinary scene, and
before the men could rise each received to turn a second rap, when Oscar
inquired:

"What shall we do with them, sis?"

"Drown them," came the answer.

"No, no, it would be too bad to toss such mean carcasses into pure
water."

"But they'll become salted," said the girl.

"I reckon we've salted them pretty well; let's stroll."

Oscar and Cad walked away, resuming the same smart girl and dude role
they had played ere they fell to and downed the burly ruffians.

It was a sight for a comic paper, after Oscar and Cad had wandered away,
to behold the three ruffians rise and look at each other. For a moment
none of them spoke. They just looked, until one of the party, who
evidently was a sort of humorist, said:

"Cap, I don't think we'll go shopping with their wad to-day."

The other man fell to the spirit of the occasion and said:

"Well, cap, it was _easy_, yes, very easy _for them_."

The leader looked, yes, looked very _blue_.

"Well, did you ever!" he murmured.

"No, I never," came the response.

"What was it we struck?"

"I feel as though something had _struck me_," was the answer.

"My covies, we got it good."

"Did you? Well, I got it _bad_. Oh, how my head aches!"

"Who are they?"

"I'll never tell you, but it was the gal gave