“Steady, boy, steady,” she whispered under her breath.

Despite the seriousness of the moment Racey’s heart skipped a beat and the pleasantest shiver in the world ran about his body.  “Boy!” she had called him.  “Boy.”  Her hand was actually touching his own.  He—­

“I don’t want to be hard on you, Mis’ Dale,” resumed Luke, after an apprehensive glance at Racey Dawson.  “I don’t like to be hard on anybody that’s sittin’ into a run of hard luck, but business is business, ma’am.  You know that.  And after all I’m—­we’re only asking for what we’re by rights entitled to.  We got title to this place fair and square, and—­”

“Title, huh?” struck in Racey, unable to keep silent.  “Not yet you ain’t.”

“S-s-sh,” breathed Molly, tightening her grip on his wrist.

“It’s like I say, Mis’ Dale,” Luke Tweezy burred on from behind his handkerchief, “I ain’t got any wish to add to yore troubles, and so I got my partner to agree for me to give you five hundred dollars cash money if you’ll pack up and clear out quiet and peaceful.”

“Don’t you do it, Mis’ Dale!” urged Racey.  “There’s a trick in that offer.”

“They ain’t any trick!” contradicted Luke Tweezy, vehemently.  “I just wanna save trouble, thassall.”

Save trouble!  That had been Lanpher’s reason for coming the day he rode through the garden.  Save trouble, indeed.

“If yo’re so shore the sheriff is going to serve those eviction papers,” said Racey as calmly as he could because of the warning pressure on his wrist, “if yo’re so shore why are you giving away five hundred?”

“Because I don’t like to be hard on Mis’ Dale.  Then, again, I’ll admit we wanna get in here soon as we can.”

“You admit it, huh?  That’s a good one, that is.  Don’t you do it, Mis’ Dale.  You stand pat.”

“I don’t want your five hundred dollars,” said Mrs. Dale.

“Seven-fifty,” climbed up Tweezy.

Mrs. Dale shook her head.  “No.”

“One thousand,” Tweezy raised his ante.

“Lemme throw him out, Mis’ Dale?” begged Racey Dawson.  “Just lemme throw him out, and I’ll guarantee he’ll never bother you again.”

Again Mrs. Dale shook her head, and the pressure on Racey’s wrist increased.  “You mustn’t touch him,” said Mrs. Dale.  “He’ll go.”

“Think it over,” Tweezy blundered on.  “One thousand dollars gratis cash money in yore hands if you’ll leave at once.”

“I’ll wait awhile,” said Mrs. Dale.  “Please go.”

Luke Tweezy opened his mouth to speak.  Racey broke from Molly’s detaining grasp and stepped between him and Mrs. Dale, and Tweezy closed his mouth without speaking.

“You heard what she said,” Racey drawled, softly.  “Git.”

And Tweezy got.

“Do you think the sheriff will put us out?” asked Mrs. Dale, twisting a corner of her apron between her hands.