By the significant glances of the boys, Hartsook detected the perpetrator of the joke, and with the hard and dogged look in his eyes, with just such a look as Bull would give a puppy, but with the utmost suavity in his voice, he said: "William Means, will you be so good as to put this dog out of doors ?" FOOTNOTES: [Footnote 2: _Aout_ is not the common form of _out_, as it is in certain rustic New England regions.

The vowel is here drawn in this way for imperative emphasis, and it occurs as a consequence of drawling speech.] [Footnote 3: "_'Nough said_" is more than enough said for the French translator, who takes it apparently for a sort of barbarous negative and renders it, "I don't like to speak to him." I need hardly explain to any American reader that _enough said_ implies the ending of all discussion by the acceptance of the proposition or challenge.] [Footnote 4: _Durn't, daren't, dasent, dursent_, and _don't dast_ are forms of this variable negative heard in the folk-speech of various parts of the country.

The tenses of this verb seem to have got hopelessly mixed long ago, even in literary use, and the speech of the people reflects the historic confusion.] [Footnote 5: _To take a dare_ is an expression used in senses diametrically opposed.

Its common sense is that of the text.

The man who refuses to accept a challenge is said to take a dare, and there is some implication of cowardice in the imputation.