Part 9 (1/2)
”Mr. Britt, that's a matter for the vote of the directors--and I'll wait to hear from them.”
Vaniman whirled from Britt, for the impulse was in him to smash his doubled fist into that hateful visage; his palm still itched; the open-handed buffet had not satisfied the tingling nerves of that hand.
Usial Britt had not hurried about raising himself from his crouching position. He was standing with his ap.r.o.n over his head and faced the citizens. He was smiling--an irradiating, genial, triumphant sort of smile! One might readily have taken him for the victor in a contest!
Spokesman Jones gulped. ”We came--we was intending--but this hoop-te-doo--”
Usial beamed blandly and helped out Mr. Jones's efforts to express his intentions. ”Yes, Brother Jones, it was quite a shower while it lasted.
What were you intending to do?”
”Ask you to take the nomination for the legislature.”
The crowd indorsed the request with _viva-voce_ enthusiasm.
”I certainly will. I am pleased and proud,” declared Usial.
Through the circle of men came Prophet Elias, his robe trailing on his heels. He stood beside Usial and faced the bystanders. He proclaimed, ”'Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors, through Him that loved us.'”
Somebody handed to Mr. Jones his whip and he inspected it carefully. ”Of course, there's more than one way of fighting a man--and I have my own notions--but maybe I'm wrong.”
”Eli has observed many a dog-fight,” Squire Hexter remarked; ”and, so far as he sees, the attacking dog doesn't get much out of the fracas except a ripped ear and a raw reputation in the neighborhood.” He marched to Vaniman, took that perturbed young man by the arm, and said that Xoa would be waiting supper.
CHAPTER VII
SQUARED OFF AND ALL SET
As Squire Hexter and Vaniman walked on together the notary deferred comment on the recent happenings, as if he hoped that the cas.h.i.+er would open up on the topic. But Frank was grimly silent.
Therefore the Squire broke the ice. ”What kind of a partner does Tasp Britt make in a polka, son? I saw you and him going at it pretty briskly.”
”I stopped him from making a fool of himself.”
”Quite a contract, boy! Quite a contract! And when you got to the matter of his purple whiskers and his lamp-mat hair--”
”I said nothing to Mr. Britt on such a ridiculous topic--certainly not, sir!”
”And yet you brag that you have stopped him from making a fool of himself,” purred the Squire. ”Tut! Tut! He's worse than ever. I heard him tell you that you're discharged from the bank.”
”Yes, I heard him, too!”
”I didn't catch what you answered back.”
”I told him I should ask the directors to decide that matter.”
”Quite right! You're sure of one vote for your side--that's mine! And I think that when President Britt considers that he has no other charge against you except that you took away a horsewhip that he was using not wisely but too well--”
”I struck him across the mouth.”
”Oh, I missed that,” said the Squire, regretfully. ”Why the pat?”
”I could not express my feelings in any other way. As to what those feelings were and why he stirred them, I'll have to ask you to excuse me, Squire Hexter. If I were going to stay in the bank I would explain the matter to you and to the directors. But I'm going to resign. Under these conditions, n.o.body has the right to tear the heart out of me and stick it up for a topic of conversation.”