Page 143 (1/1)

"Then," replied Mr Hicks, while his hand slipped carelessly to the stick of stove-wood, "if you force the issue, I will say that I've seen a good many wormy trout come out of the Yellowstone but that was the worst I ever erently

"And you dare boast of it!"

"I' you," replied Mr Hicks, calmly "An Eye for an Eye, a Tooth for a Tooth, that's h to eat at the table with her"

"You hear?" Stott turned to Wallie furiously "He did it on purpose I deers caressed the stove-hile he waited Wallie's answer

Wallie squirmed between the two of them

"It was reprehensible, Mr Stott, I am more distressed than I can tell you I have no excuse to offer for Hicks' action, but the truth is, as he knows and has taken advantage of it, I cannot replace hi without a cook with so large a party"

"You will, then, not discharge him?" Stott derinned triumphantly

"In that case," Mr Stott declared in a tone which implied that a tremendous upheaval of some kind would follow his decision, "h the Park by ue with any one so determined, so he h the deflection of two more persons was a serious ood-bye to the others, the Stotts paid their bill and departed, walking so erect in their indignation as they started down the road toward the Lake Hotel that they seemed to lean backward

It was not yet dark when Mr Stott, stepping briskly and carrying his Gladstone bag, raincoat, and u breezily that he had decided, upon reflection, not to "bite off his nose to spite his face" He declared that he would not let the likes of Ellery Hicks upset his plans for touring the Yellowstone, and while his wife refused to return he inal intention

But the real reason for Mr Stott's decision, as Wallie suspected fro upon a log in secluded spots counting his her then he had anticipated

Mrs Stott's absence did not leave the gap which she had anticipated In fact, after the first evening her name was never htly upon hiravitated toward Miss Gaskett with a proave rise to the suspicion that he had had his eye upon her, and Miss Gaskett responded so enthusiastically that it was a ossip