"Broposition! Broposition! Now you get hot mit old Max for nothing."

"If you didn't contemplate trouble," pursued the boy, "what was your
point just now in sampling my marksmanship?" He kicked some snow in the
direction of the shattered bottle. "It's understood no whiskey comes on
that ranch. But if no gunpowder goes along with me, either, let's call
the deal off. Buy some other fool."

"You haf not understand, my boy. Und you get very hot because I happen to
make that liddle joke about somebody killing you. Was you thinking maybe
old Max not care what happen to you?"

A moment of silence passed before the answer came: "Suppose we talk
business?"

"Very well, very well. Only notice this thing. When oder peoples talk oop
to me like you haf done many times, it is not they who does the getting
hot. It is me--old Max. Und when old Max gets hot he slings them out of
his road anywheres. Some haf been very sorry they get so slung. You
invite me to buy some oder fool? Oh, my boy, I will buy no oder fool
except you, for that was just like me when I was yoong Max!" Again the
ruddy and grizzled magnate put his hand on the shoulder of the boy, who
stood looking away at the bottles, at the railroad track, at anything
save his employer.

The employer proceeded: "I was afraid of nobody und noding in those days.
You are afraid of nobody and noding. But those days was different. No
Pullman sleepers, no railroad at all. We come oop the Columbia in the
steamboat, we travel hoonderts of miles by team, we sleep, we eat
nowheres in particular mit many unexpected interooptions. There was