"It's like this," said the Kid. "We got t' have a place t' pull off this mill, see? So Bill says th' fam'ly's goin' off yachtin', an' we c'n come over here, where it's all quiet an' no bulls t' horn in, an' go as far as we like. He gives me th' keys an'——"
Aunt Caroline halted him with a peremptory hand, and turned to Bill.
"William Marshall, is this true?"
Bill drew a deep breath and managed to look her in the eye.
"Yes, Aunt Caroline."
"You gave this creature permission to conduct a prize-fight in my house?"
"I'm afraid I did."
"And then you brought me home to be a witness——"
Kid Whaley interrupted her.
"Nothin' like that," he said. "Bill didn't know we was pullin' it off t'-night. It wasn't comin' till next week. Only I got trained down kinda fine, see? I was li'ble to go stale. So th' Bearcat, he don't mind, an' we touches it off t'-night. Y' wouldn't expect a guy t' wait till he gets stale, would y'? I ain't makin' myself a set-up f'r nobody."