The Old Man straightened with a grunt of pain because of his lame back, and waited.

Which made it all the harder for the Happy Family, especially for Andy Green who had been chosen spokesman--for his sins perhaps.
"We'd like our time," blurted Andy after an unpleasant silence, and fixed his eyes frigidly upon the lowest rung of the Old Man's chair.
"Oh, you would, hunh?
The whole bunch of yuh ?" The Old Man eyed them incredulously.
"Yes, the whole bunch of us.

We're going to quit." The Old Man's jaw dropped a little, but his eyes didn't waver from their Hangdog faces.

"Well, I never coaxed a man to stay yet," he stated grimly, "and I'm gittin' too old in the business to start coaxin' now.
Dell!" He turned stiffly in his chair so that he faced the open door.
"Bring me my time and check books outa the desk!" A gray hardness came slowly to the Old Man's face while he waited, his seamed hands gripping the padded arms of his chair.

A tightness pulled at his lips behind the grizzled whiskers.