“If by being his champion I could save his cattle there would be no danger of giving up my championship. What I regret is that my sympathy should be so useless.”
“Never mind, mother, the Don will soon have the power to drive all this canaille out of his rancho,” Clarence said.
“Do you include me with the canaille?” asked Darrell.
“No, father, I do not. I suppose you have not forgotten you promised Don Mariano to pay for the land you located when the title should be approved.”
“When there is no more dispute about it,” Darrell explained.
“I understood you had said that when the government did not dispute it. We all know that the squatters will dispute it as long as they can find lawyers, who for a fee will fight against right and justice,” Clarence said.
“I will keep to what I said—but I am not going to have my words construed to suit everybody,” Darrell said, doggedly.
“How is the Don to have power to drive off the settlers, Clary? Tell us,” Webster inquired.
“Don't you tell him, Clary. He'll go and tell it to the squatters,” Willie interposed.
“And since when did you learn to call the settlers squatters, Master Willie? Ain't you a squatter yourself?” asked Mr. Darrell.