"Look this way if you want to see him," said Joshua. "Put on your
specs if your eyes ain't good."

The man from Pike could no longer evade looking at his late comrade.
He pretended not to know him.

"Stranger," said he, with one hand on the handle of his knife, "are
you tired of life?"

"I am neither tired of life nor afraid of you," said Joshua manfully.

"You don't know me, or------"

"Yes, I do. You're the man that says he can whip his weight in
wildcats. I don't believe you dare to face your weight in tame cats."

"Sdeath!" roared the bully. "Do you want to die on the spot?"

"Not particularly, old Rip-tail. Don't talk sech nonsense. I'll
trouble you to tell me why you stole my horse on the way out here."

"Let me get at him," said the Pike man in a terrible voice, but not
offering to get up from the log.

"Nobody henders your gettin' at me," said Mr. Bickford composedly.
"But that ain't answerin' my question."

"If I didn't respect them two gentlemen too much, I'd shoot you where
you stand," said the Pike man.