“Ah, that was right. Now, sonny, gulp that down and come in here; I want to talk to you for a minute.”
The boy followed him into the front room.
“Well, my son, I want to borrow your horse for the rest of the day.”
“You can’t have it,” said the boy promptly.
“Can’t have it? I must have it. Why, I’ll take it. You don’t imagine you can stop me, do you?”
The boy drew himself up, and folded his arms across his breast.
“What do you want with the horse, Mr. Yates?” he asked.
“I want to get to the nearest telegraph office. I’ll pay you well for it.”
“And what am I here for?”
“Why, to eat, of course. They’ll feed you high while you wait.”