the woods, and, dreading a fire at this dry season,
had dressed and come out.

"Hello, Da; why ain't you in bed, where you ought to be?"

Raften took no notice of his son, but said sneeringly to Caleb: "Ye
ain't out trying to get another shot at me, air ye?" 'Tain't worth
your while; I hain't got no cash on me to-night."

"Now see here, Da," said Sam, interrupting before Caleb could answer,
"you don't play fair. I know, an' you ought to know, that's all rot
about Caleb shooting at you. If he had, he'd 'a' got you sure. I've
seen him shoot."

"Not when he was drunk."

"Last time I was drunk we was in it together," said Caleb fiercely,
finding his voice.

"Purty good for a man as swore he had no revolver," and Raften pointed
to Caleb's weapon. "I seen you with that ten years ago. An' sure
I'm not scairt of you an' yer revolver," said Raften, seeing Caleb
fingering his white pet; "an' I tell ye this. I won't have ye and yer
Sheep-killing cur ramatacking through my woods an' making fires this
dry saison."

"D---- you, Raften, I've stood all I'm goin' to stand from you." The
revolver was out in a flash, and doubtless Caleb would have lived up
to his reputation, but Sam, springing to push his father back, came
between, and Yan clung to Caleb's revolver arm, while Guy got safely
behind a tree.

"Get out o' the way, you kids!" snarled Caleb.

"By all manes," said Raften scoffingly; "now that he's got me
unarrumed again. You dhirty coward! Get out av the way, bhoys, an
Oi'll settle him," for Raften was incapable of fear, and the boys
would have been thrust aside and trouble follow, but that Raften as he
left the house had called his two hired men to follow and help fight
the fire, and now they came on the scene. One of them was quite
friendly with Caleb, the other neutral, and they succeeded in stopping
hostilities for a time, while Sam exploded:

"Now see here, Da, 'twould just 'a' served you right if you'd got a
hole through you. You make me sick, running on Caleb. He didn't make
that fire; 'twas me an' Yan, an' we'll put it out safe enough. You
skinned Caleb an' he never done you no harm. You run on him just as
Granny de Neuville done on you after she grabbed your groceries. You
ought to be ashamed of yourself. Tain't square, an' 'tain't being a
man. When you can't prove nothin' you ought to shut up."

Raften was somewhat taken aback by this outburst, especially as he
found all the company against him. He had