"What's brought you away out here this time of the night?" questioned Stephen, "I thought you liked the store too well to travel this far from the fire."
"Bizness, Steve, bizness," and the man rubbed his hands together, at the same time taking a good survey of the cabin.
"You look as if you were going to hang yourself, Pete, with all that rope about your body. Surely you're not tired of living yet."
"No, no, Steve. Not on your life. There'd be no fun in that, an' it's fun I'm after this time."
"But I thought you said you were out on business, and now you say it's fun."
"Bizness an' fun, me boy. Bizness an' fun; that's my motto. My bizness this time is to pinch the Stickles' cow, an' the fun 'ill be to hear Stickles, Mrs. Stickles an' the little Stickles squeal. Ha, ha! Bizness an' fun, Steve. Bizness an' fun."
"What! You're not going to take away the only cow the Stickles have left?" cried Stephen in amazement.
"Sure. It's the boss's orders, an' he doesn't mean fun, either. Nuthin' but bizness with 'im; ah no, nuthin' but bizness."
"Farrington is a mean rascal!" and Stephen leaped to his feet, his fists clenched and his eyes flashing. "Hasn't he any heart at all? To think of him taking the only cow from a poor family when the husband is sick in bed! What does the man mean?"
"Don't git excited, me boy. It's only bizness, boss sez, only bizness. The heart has nuthin' to do with that."