"Oh, I dunno," he observed.
"What have you got to say about it?" Garland demanded.
"I ain't said much so far," Rennie pointed out, "and I ain't goin' to. Only this: Don't nobody overplay his hand in this game—nobody at all."
"Who are you?" asked Mr. Braden.
"Me? Dave Rennie. I'm workin' for the kid."
"Then," said Mr. Braden, "I fail to see what interest you have in the matter, my friend."
"I get in this way," said Dave. "I'm a friend of the kid's, as well as a hired man. You can take what you like out of that."
Whatever Mr. Braden took out of it he did not immediately speak, but drummed with his fingers on the table.
"One of my rules of life," he said, "is to get along without friction; I trust I am a reasonable man. When I find that my views conflict with those of others, I weigh both carefully. They may be right and I may be wrong. We must have no friction at the outset, Angus, and I think that you have misunderstood me. As you object to renting the ranch I am going to give you an opportunity to think it over, and I am going to think it over myself. Then we will have another talk. Naturally, I must do what is best for the estate, but I wish to meet your wishes as far as possible. My sole desire is to do my best for all of you. No friction—no, no. We do not want friction, do we, my boy?"
"I do not want trouble at all," Angus said. "All I want is to run the ranch, and that is what I am going to do."