"Kind of sort of wet, isn't it ?" Annixter, his face suddenly scarlet, sat back in his place abruptly, exclaiming: "Oh--oh, there you are, are you ?" "I've been down there," explained Delaney, with a motion of his head toward the railroad, "to mend that break in the fence by the Long Trestle and I thought while I was about it I'd follow down along the fence toward Guadalajara to see if there were any more breaks.

But I guess it's all right." "Oh, you guess it's all right, do you ?" observed Annixter through his teeth.
"Why--why--yes," returned the other, bewildered at the truculent ring in Annixter's voice.

"I mended that break by the Long Trestle just now and---- "Well, why didn't you mend it a week ago ?" shouted Annixter wrathfully.
"I've been looking for you all the morning, I have, and who told you you could take that buckskin?
And the sheep were all over the right of way last night because of that break, and here that filthy pip, S.Behrman, comes down here this morning and wants to make trouble for me." Suddenly he cried out, "What do I FEED you for?
What do I keep you around here for?
Think it's just to fatten up your carcass, hey ?" "Why, Mr.Annixter----" began Delaney.
"And don't TALK to me," vociferated the other, exciting himself with his own noise.

"Don't you say a word to me even to apologise.

If I've spoken to you once about that break, I've spoken fifty times." "Why, sir," declared Delaney, beginning to get indignant, "the sheep did it themselves last night." "I told you not to TALK to me," clamoured Annixter.
"But, say, look here----" "Get off the ranch.