motion, looking side-wise out of his wicked eyes. You can never mistake
a man-eater getting ready to knock a man down. We had had one to pasture
the year before.

"See that?" said my companion, turning over on the pine-needles. "Nice
for a woman walking 'cross lots, wouldn't it be?"

"Bring 'em out!" said the yellow horse, hunching his sharp back.
"There's no chance among them tall trees. Bring out the--oh! Ouch!"

It was a right-and-left kick from Muldoon. I had no idea that the old
car-horse could lift so quickly. Both blows caught the yellow horse full
and fair in the ribs, and knocked the breath out of him.

"What's that for?" he said angrily, when he recovered himself; but I
noticed he did not draw any nearer to Muldoon than was necessary.

Muldoon never answered, but discoursed to himself in the whining grunt
that he uses when he is going down-hill in front of a heavy load. We
call it singing; but I think it's something much worse, really. The
yellow horse blustered and squealed a little, and at last said that, if
it was a horse-fly that had stung Muldoon, he would accept an apology.

"You'll get it," said Muldoon, "in de sweet by-and-bye--all de apology
you've any use for. Excuse me interruptin' you, Mr. Rod, but I'm like
Tweezy--I've a Southern drawback in me hind legs."

"Naow, I want you all here to take notice, an' you'll learn something,"
Rod went on. "This yaller-backed skate comes to our pastur'-"

"Not havin' paid his board," put in Tedda.

"Not havin' earned his board, an' talks smooth to us abaout ripplin'
brooks an' wavin' grass, an' his high-toned, pure-souled horsehood,
which don't hender him sheddin' women an' childern, an' fallin' over the
dash onter men. You heard his talk, an' you thought it mighty fine, some
o' you."

Tuck looked guilty here, but she did not say anything.

"Bit by bit he goes on ez you have heard."

"I was talkin' in the abstrac'," said the yellow horse, in an altered
voice.

"Abstrac' be switched! Ez I've said, it's this yer blamed abstrac'
business that makes the young uns cut up in the Concord; an' abstrac'
or no abstrac', he crep' on an' on till he come to killin' plain an'
straight--killin' them as never done him no harm, jest beca'se they
owned horses."

"An' knowed how to manage 'em," said Tedda. "That makes it worse."

"Waal, he didn't kill 'em, anyway," said Marcus. "He'd ha' been half
killed ef he had tried."

"'Makes no differ," Rod answered. "He