"You're not quite smart enough, Mr. O'Reilly."
There was no time to lose.
O'Reilly was already on his knees, with the poor Chinaman's
treasured queue in his hand, when he felt himself seized in a
powerful grip.
"What are you about, O'Reilly?" demanded Richard Dewey, in a deep,
stern voice.
O'Reilly uttered a cry, rather of surprise than alarm.
"What are you about?" repeated Richard Dewey, in a tone of
authority.
"I'm goin' to cut off the haythen's pigtail," answered the Irishman
doggedly.
"What for?"
"I've said I'd do it, and I'll do it."
"Well, Mr. O'Reilly, I've said you sha'n't do it, and I mean to keep
my word."
O'Reilly tried to carry out his intent, but suddenly found himself
flung backward in a position very favorable for studying the
position of the stars.
"Are you not ashamed to creep up to my tent in the middle of the
night on such an errand as that, Patrick O'Reilly?" demanded Dewey.
"No, I'm not. Let me up, Dick Dewey, or it'll be the worse for you,"
said the intruder wrathfully.
"Give me your knife, then."
"I won't. It's my own."
"The errand on which you come is my warrant for demanding it."
"I won't give you the knife, but I'll go back," said O'Reilly.
Pages:
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189