"
"You come down here to teach us sense too?"
Roger made no reply, but continued with his digging.
"I said you can't fence here." The man's voice was thick with anger,
and Roger, sensing what was coming, though he continued with his work,
his back turned to the rider, leaned forward upon the balls of his
feet, alert and ready for any emergency.
"You can't fence here!" snarled the rider. "That's what I come over to
see about. I heard talk about your planning to run a fence, but I
didn't think you'd be foolish enough to try it, so I came over to see.
And I'm warning you to stop. This is cattle country and free range.
You quit right where you are with your fence and you'll save yourself
money and us the trouble of cutting it down."
"It's against the law to cut fences," suggested Payne.
"Law! We're the law here; you're an outsider; and I'm laying down the
law to you now. You cut out that fence business and don't try to
change things round here and we may go easy on you. If you don't folks
will wonder what's become of you. Understand English? Now I've given
you my message. And now--you're in my way and it's time for you to
move!"
Like a flash the big buckskin leaped forward at the cruel dig of the
spurs, and like a flash Roger turned toward the thudding hoofs,
swinging the post-hole digger in a swift arc.
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