"I would decline the appointment."
"Why?"
"Because at this time I am needed where I am, and I have started on a plan of action which I have a pride in finishing."
Brisbane grew distinctively less urbane. "You are bent on fighting me, are you?"
"What do you mean?" asked Curtis, though he knew.
"You are dead set against the removal of the Tetongs?"
"Most certainly I am!"
Elsie re-entered the room during this rapid interchange of phrase, but neither of the men heard her, so intent were they upon each other.
"Young man, do you know who you are fighting?" asked Brisbane, bristling like a bear and showing his teeth a little. Curtis being silent, he went on: "You're lined up against the whole State! Not only the cattlemen round about the reservation, but a majority of the citizens are determined to be rid of those vagabonds. Anybody that knows anything about 'em knows they're a public nuisance. Why should they be allowed to camp on land which they can't use—graze their mangy ponies on lands rich in minerals—"
"Because they are human beings."