he skin of the back of
his hand. With an exclamation of pain, he released her, carrying his
wounded hand instinctively to his mouth.

"Gee, what sharp teeth you've got!"

"You cad! you cad!" she panted.

"I never thought you'd bite," he said, looking at his bleeding hand
ruefully. "That ain't much like a lady, according to _my_ idea."

"You filthy cad! To hit a woman!"

"Gee, I didn't hit you. You smacked my face and kicked my shins, and
you bit my hand. And now you say I hit _you_."

He picked up his pipe from the table and mechanically rammed the tobacco
down with his thumb and looked about for a match.

"You beast! I hate you!"

In the height of her passion she unconsciously began twisting up the
loosened strand of her hair.

"I don't care about that, so long as you wash them cups."

With a furious gesture she swept the table clean.

"Look!" she screamed, as cups, saucers, plates and teapot broke into a
thousand pieces at his feet.

There came another little sound of something breaking, like a faint echo
far away. It was his pipe which had fallen among the wreckage. In his
astonishment at her sudden action, he had bitten through the mouthpiece.

"That's a pity; we're terribly short of crockery. We shall have to drink
our tea out of cans now," was all he said.

"I said I wouldn't wash them, and I haven't washed them," Nora exulted.

"They don't need it now, I guess," he said humorously.

"I think I've won!"

"Sure," he said without the slightest trace of rancor. "Now take the
broom and sweep up all the darned mess you've made."

"I won't!"

"Look here, my girl," he said threateningly, "I guess I've had about
enough of your nonsense: you do as you're told and look sharp about it."

"You can kill me, if you like!"

"What would be the good of that? Women, as you reminded me a little
while back, are scarce in Manitoba."

He gave a searching look around the room and spying the broom in the
corner, went over and fetched it.

"Here's the broom."

"If you want that mess swept up, you can sweep it up yourself."

"Look here, you make me tired!"

His tone suggested that he was becoming more irritated. But Nora was
beyond caring. As he put the broom in her hand, she flung it from her as
far as she could. "Look here," he said again, and this time there was no
mistaking the menace in his voice, "if you don't clean up that mess at
once, I'll give you the biggest hiding you ever had in your life, I
p