"Why, you," he said, his voice vibrating with some strange passion,
while he shook her head slowly from side to side as though he were
resisting an impulse to throttle her; "why, you--you--" he repeated,
his voice a sudden, tense whisper; "for two bits I'd--"
He hesitated, for she had recovered from her momentary physical and
mental paralysis, roused by the awful threat in his voice and manner,
and was fighting to free herself, clawing at his hands, kicking,
squirming, but ineffectively, for his hands were like bands of steel.
Finding resistance useless she sat rigid again, her eyes flashing
impotent rage and scorn.
"Coward!" she said breathlessly.
For an instant longer he held her and then laughed and dropped his
hands to his sides.
"Shucks," he said, his voice expressing disgust; "I reckon the old man
knowed what he was doin' when he appointed you my guardian! A man
can't fight a woman--like that!"
He walked to the chair upon which he had been sitting, turned it around
so that its back was toward Betty, and straddled it, leaning his arms
on its back and resting his chin on them.
"Well," he said, with a slow grin at her; "if it will do you any good
to know, I've decided to stay here and let you practice on me. What's
the first move?"
But his action had aroused her; she stood up and confronted him, her
face flushed with shame and indignation.
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