In spite of himself, Bowers snickered, but his grin faded at the expression which came to the stranger’s face when he realized the cause of his painful awakening. It was devilish, nothing less than appalling, in its ferocity. Bowers had seen rage before, but the peculiar fiendishness of the man’s expression, not knowing himself observed, fascinated him.
The lamb had backed off for another run when the stranger jumped for it. Bowers called sharply:
“Don’t tech that little sheep, pardner!”
The answer was snarled through white teeth:
“I’m goin’ to kick its slats in! I’m goin’ to break every bone in its body.”
“I wouldn’t advise nothin’ like that. Come here, Mary!” Bowers endeavored to speak calmly, but he was seized with a tremulous excitement when he saw that the stranger intended to carry out his threat.
“I’ll pay you fer it,” he panted as he tried to catch the lamb, “but I’m aimin’ to kill that knot-head!”
Bowers dried his hands on his overalls and stepped inside the wagon. He returned with his shotgun.
“And I aim to blow the top of your head off ef you try it,” Bowers said, breathing heavily. “That little innercent sheep don’t mean no harm to nobody. Sence we’re speakin’ plain, I don’t like you nohow. I don’t like the way you act; I don’t like the way you talk; I don’t like the way your face grows on you; I don’t like nothin’ about you, and ef I never see you agin it’ll be soon enough. You’d better go while I’m ca’m, for when I gits mad I breaks in two in the middle and flies both ways!”
Panting from his chase, the stranger stopped and stood looking at Bowers in baffled fury. Then he turned sharply on his heel, caught his horse and swung into the saddle. He hesitated for the part of a second before spurring his horse a little closer.