"Sol," began the girl tersely, "Joe tells me thet him an' you hed a
fight jest now over somethin' ye said erbout he. I kin do my own
fightin', but Joe hes something ter tell ye on his own account."
So introduced, Joe spoke and this time it was the swimmer striking
boldly into deep water.
"Alexander 'lows I didn't hev need ter fight over loose talk erbout
her. But when airy feller says thar hain't no man in my household, so
long's I'm thar, I hev got ample cause ter fight. Ye've got ter tek
thet back right now. Ef so be ye hain't rested up yit, an' ye've got
any friend hyar thet ye'd like ter hev take yore place, I'm ready fer
him."
But Sol had had enough, for the present. Alexander's presence made
him, somehow, feel foolish, as if his thrashing were less of an
embarrassment than its cause.
"I war jest a-funnin,'" he protested. "I'm willin' ter take back
anything thet's done give offense."
One day shortly after that, when Joe came unexpectedly into the house
he surprised Alexander attired as he had never before seen her--in the
skirts of her own sex.
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