"Stop it!" he thundered.
Tad's assailant turned on the newcomer with an angry snarl, his rage now beyond all control.
"Let me alone! Let me get at the cub!" he cried, making a vicious pass at the man.
The cowboy's blow was neatly parried and a mighty fist was planted squarely between his eyes, sending him to earth in a heap.
"Get up!" commanded the man who had felled him.
The cowboy struggled to his feet, standing sullenly before his conqueror.
"Look at me, Lumpy! Didn't I tell you that I'd 'fire' you if you got into any trouble in town to-day?"
The cowboy nodded.
"Is this the way you obey orders? What sort of recommend do you suppose Boss Miller will give you when I tell him I found you trying to shoot up a kid?"
"I don't care. I ain't askin' any recommends. Besides, he—he got in——"