It's
hungry you ought to be, the day, after the way you've been walking
all over the country on horseback and an empty stomach. Try this, as
a sample of your dinner, and sit down by the edge of the fire,
whilst, and tell me how it tastes."
The iron spoon scraped lustily over the iron dixey. Then Weldon
returned them both with a low bow.
"Like yourself, Paddy, short and sweet."
Paddy brandished the spoon, weapon-wise.
"Short is it, you little Canuck! So is a pepperpot short; but it
holds a hell of a flavor. Leave Paddy a gun in his hand, and his
short legs will keep up with your long ones, when it's the firing
line that's before him."
"The old sing-song, Paddy. Give us something new."
"So will I, when I get my wishing. Till then, you'll hear it over
and over again. A man of my temper, little one, will never rest
content at a firing line that's all surrounded about with ten-quart
pots of boiling beef."
"Why don't you resign, then?"
"Resigned! How can I be resigned? I'm a chunk of dynamite in a suet-
pot, hard to manage and ready to go off at any time that something
strikes me. Meantime, I am like what they say is dirt: matter out of
place.
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