er
eye out!"

One-Eye was waltzing back. "Don't count y'r chickens 'fore they're
hatched!" he warned. "'Cause here y're gittin' a man o' y'r own size, y'
great, big, overbearin' lummox!"

Barber held up a hand. "This ain't no place t' fight," he protested.
"The old man'd hear."

"Y' can't git outen it that-a-way!" shouted One-Eye, arms in the air.
"They's miles o' room outside! Come down into the yard! Mosey! Break
trail! Vamose!" He waved the other out.

Buoyed up by so much excitement, Johnnie managed to stand for a moment.
"One-Eye!" he cried, all gratitude and pride; and, "One-Eye!" Cis
echoed, her palms together in a dumb plea for him to do his best.

The Westerner gave her a look which promised every result that lay in
his power. Then with a jerk of the head at Father Pat, and again
"Yip-yipping" lustily, he bore down upon the grinning longshoreman, who
was filling the hall doorway.

They met, and seized each other. Big Tom took One-Eye by either
shoulder, those great baboon hands clamping themselves over the top
joints of the Westerner's arms. The latter had Barber by the front of
his coat and by an elbow. For a moment they hung upon the sill. Then,
pivoting, they swung beyond it. As Father Pat closed the door upon them,
at once there came to the ears of the trio in the kitchen, the sounds of
a rough-and-tumble battle.

CHAPTER XXXIII

ONE-EYE FIGHTS

THOSE sounds of combat which penetrated to an anxious kitchen were deep,
rasping breathings, muttered exclamations and grunts, a shuffling of
feet that was not unlike a musicless dance, a swish-swishing, as if the
Italian janitress were mopping up the hall floor, and a series of soft
poundings.

Yet the battle itself was not amounting to much. In fact, to speak
strictly, no fight was going on at all.

In the first place, the hall was narrow, and gave small scope for a
contest on broad, generous lines--even had One-Eye and Big Tom known how
to wage such a bout; and both men knew little concerning the science of
self-defense. What happened--without any further abusive language--was
this: the longshoreman and the cowboy (while using due caution against
coming too close to the flimsy railing of the stairs) each set about
throwing his antagonist.

One-Eye sought to trip the longshoreman, but was unsuccessful, finding
those two massive pillars, Big Tom's legs, as securely fixed to the
rough flooring as if they were a part of the building itself. W