from his sails” completely by this sudden assertion, and he did not know what to say.
But Adrian was equal to the emergency. He never lost his temper in the least degree as he waited until he caught the angry eye of Mrs. Fred.
“What you say about the contract is very true, so far as it goes, Aunt Josie,” he observed, steadily; “but you forget evidently that it also reads that in case I wish to change managers I am to give three months’ notice, or else pay Uncle Fred that much salary in lieu of said notice. Here is the amount in this roll of bills, which, when he accepts, will constitute the change, so that he will no longer hold the position of manager of the Bar-S Ranch.”
He held out the money toward the little man. As he did so the woman gave a loud and ominous cry.
“Refuse to take it, Fred; don’t you dare touch his money!” she demanded, furiously. “If you decline to take it he’ll have to let you stay the three months out, don’t you see, you idiot?”
Perhaps that last part of her speech brought the man to a realization of the humiliating fact that there were numerous spectators to his being henpecked. At any rate Uncle Fred gritted his teeth, and stretching out his hand, took the money deliberately from Adrian. With a flash of his old independence he immediately held it up and said in a loud voice:
“Everybody take notice that I’ve accepted the pay for three months in advance from my nephew, and in so doing I sever all my connection with the Bar-S Ranch as manager.”
With that he contemptuously threw the roll of money at the feet of his wife. She looked at first as though she could tear him to pieces. Then, unable to resist the lure of the ready cash she stooped down and picked the three months’ salary up.
“Perhaps you think that this closes the house to Fred and me!” she snapped, turning on Adrian furiously; “but you have another guess coming, boy! You’re pretty young to meddle with the business of grown men; and there may be snarls about our affairs that’ll be harder to unravel than just tying up four drunken cattle rustlers, and bringing back the stock they’d run off. If you came here to make war on a woman, you’re bound to get your fill before it’s all over. And you’ll find that I’m not without friends who’ll see me get my rights. That’s all I’ve got to say to you; but there’ll be another chapter to this story, don’t forget that!”
She flung these bitter words at Adrian as though each one had a poisonous sting with which she meant to inflict pain upon him. Undoubtedly Aunt Josie did not intend to welcome her husband’s nephew in any hearty fashion to his ranch which he had not seen for some years, and which she had of late come to look upon as more or less her individual