"Your loving wife made that, pardner, and I 'spose you'll acknowledge the corn now."
"Confound you!"
The hunter seemed angry enough to annihilate the tramp, but the latter stood back and grinned complacently in his face.
"Couldn't fool me, brother," chuckled Jounce. "I 'member when Iris gin ye that rap. She sticks to ye like a burr, pardner, and won't let ye play sweet on the ladies, as you'd like. Kinder mean fur a wife to keep sich a sharp eye out fur her lord, but I tell ye, Iris is grit to ther backbone, and she's jealous, too. But I won't tantalize yer, coz 'taint jest; but 'sposin' you gin me a little rhino? I'm busted—dead broke; out o' rocks, and wrecked on a lee shore."
The man uttered an imprecation.
"I see that you know me," he finally articulated. "I've fooled a good many, but it seems a loving relative can't be deceived. Don't you give me away, Perry, and I'll have money enough for all of us soon."
"No lying?"
"It's true as preaching"
"What lay are you on?"
"I make no confidants."