“Great juniper!”
“Hodge was unreasonable. I found it impossible to talk the matter over with him properly. When I tried to do so, he flew off the handle. For the first time since we became chums I was unable to control him. His hot temper had burned his reason out. He left the theater and rushed here to the hotel. Without delay he packed up and took a train out of town. If he had given himself time to cool down he would not have thought of doing such a thing.”
“I don’t like somethin’ they’re sayin’ about him naow.”
“What?”
“That is kainder looks ez if he run away to git rid of meetin’ Vance ag’in.”
Frank laughed.
“That is the worst kind of foolish talk,” he said. “Hodge would not run from an army of fellows like Lester Vance.”
“I don’t b’lieve he would, uther,” nodded Ephraim.
“If Vance had such a fancy in his head he is fooling himself.”
“I kainder think he b’lieves it hisself, by thutter!”