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“Well, I be damned!”

Tish had not seen Aggie, and merely observed that she felt like that and even more. She then remarked that I had broken her other arm, and her nose, which had struck the wind shield. But the young man merely gave her a scornful glance, and leaning his gun against the haystack, came over to the car and inspected us all with a most scornful expression.

“I thought so!” he said. “When I saw you leaping that fence and jumping the creek, I knew what was wrong. Only I thought it was a party of men. In my wildest dreams–give me that bottle,” he ordered Aggie, holding out his hand.

Now it is Aggie’s misfortune to have lost her own teeth some years ago, owing to a country dentist who did not know his business. And when excited she has a way of losing her hold, as one may say, on her upper set. She then speaks in a thick tone, with a lisp.

“Thertainly not!” said Aggie.

To my horror, the young man then stepped on the running board of the car and snatched the bottle out of her hand.

“I must say,” he said, glaring at us each in turn, “that it is the most disgraceful thing I have ever seen.” His eyes stopped at Tish, and traveled over her. “Where is your clothing?” he demanded, fiercely.

It was then that Tish rose and fixed him with a glittering eye.

“Young man,” she said, “where my dress skirt is does not concern you. Nor why we are here as we are. Give Miss Pilkington that bottle of blackberry cordial.”

“Blackberry cordial!” jeered the young man.

“As for what you evidently surmise, you are a young idiot. I am the President of the local branch of the W. C. T. U.”

“Of course you are,” said the young man. “I’m Carrie Nation myself. Now watch.”

He then selected a large stone and smashed the bottle on it.

“Now,” he observed, “come over with the rest of it, and be quick.” But here he seemed to realize that Tish’s face was rather awful, for he stopped bullying and began to coax. “Now see here,” he said. “I’m going to help you out of this if I can, because I rather think it is an accident. You’ve all had something on an empty stomach. Go down to the creek and get some cold water, and then walk about a bit. I’ll see what I can do with the car.”

Aggie was weeping in the rear seat by that time, and I shall never forget Tish’s face. Suddenly she got out of the car and before he realized what was happening, she had his gun in her good hand.

“Now,” she said, waving it about recklessly, “I’ll teach you to insult sober and God-fearing women whose only fault is that one of them hasn’t all the wit she should have and let a car run away with her. Lizzie, get out of that seat.”

It was the young man’s turn to look strange.

“Be careful!” he cried. “Be careful! It’s loaded, and the safety catch—-“

“Get out, Aggie.”

Aggie crawled out, still holding the rug around where she had sat down in the creek.

“Now,” Tish said, addressing the stranger, “you back that car out and get it to the road. And close your mouth. Something is likely to fly into it.”

“I beg of you!” said the young man. “Of course I’ll do what I can, but–please don’t wave that gun around.”

“Just a moment,” said Tish. “That blackberry cordial was worth about a dollar. Just give a dollar to the lady near you. Aggie, take that dollar. Lizzie, come here and let me rest this gun on your shoulder.”

She did, keeping it pointed at the young man, and I could hear her behind me, breathing in short gasps of fury. Nothing could so have enraged Tish as the thing which had happened, and for a time I feared that she would actually do the young man some serious harm.