“I don’t know how, or when you got it,” answered David, who little dreamed that his brother had more ready money than that, and that the most of it rightfully belonged to himself, “and I have never asked you for any of it.  The money I shall receive for these quails will be mine, all mine.”

Dan uttered another wild Indian yell and once more went through the process of preparing himself for a fight, leaping high into the air, knocking his heels together, coming down with his feet spread out and his hands clenched, and when he was fairly settled on the ground again, he exclaimed: 

“Dave, does you want me to wallop you?”

“No, I don’t,” was the reply; “but if you do you won’t keep me from doing what I please with my own money.”

“But it won’t be your own when you get it.  I’m older nor you be, an’ now that pap’s away I’m the man of the house, I want you to know, an’ it’s the properest thing that I should have the handlin’ of all the money that comes into the family.  If you don’t go ’have yourself it’s likely you won’t tech a cent of them fifty dollars when it comes.  If you don’t go to crossin’ me, I’ll give you your shar’ an’ I’ll take mine; an’ we’ll get some nice things like Don and Bert Gordon has got.”

“But how does it come that you will have any share in it?  That’s what I can’t understand.”

“Why, I kalkerlate to help you set the traps an’ take out the quail when they’re ketched, an’ do a heap of sich hard work.”

“I intend to do all that myself, and it isn’t work either.  It’s nothing but fun.”

“But I’ll have a shar’ in it anyhow,” said Dan, with a grin, which showed that he felt sure of his position, “kase look at the boards I’ve split out fur you.”

David laughed outright.  “How many of them are there?” said he.  “Five; and I could have split them out in less than half the time you took to do it, and made better boards besides.  I can’t use these at all.”

“Dave,” said Dan, solemnly, as he picked up the frow and mallet, “I see you’re bound to go agin me.”

“No, I am not, and I don’t want you to go against me, either.”

“Yes, you be.  You’re goin’ to cheat me outen my shar’ of them fifty dollars, ain’t you now?”

“You will have no share in the money.  It will all belong to me, and I shall give it to mother.”

“Then, Dave, not a quail do you ketch in these yere fields so long as you hold to them idees.  Don’t you furget it, nuther.”

“What do you mean?” asked David, in alarm.  “What are you going to do?”

“I don’t make no threatenings.  I only say you can’t ketch no birds so long as you go agin me, an’ that’s jest what I mean.  If you come to me some day an’ say, ‘I wus wrong, Dannie, an’ now I’m goin’ to act decent, like a brother had oughter do,’ I’ll give you my hand an’ do what I can to help you.  You’ve got a big job afore you, an’ you can’t by no means do it alone.  You’d oughter have somebody to help you, an’ thar’s a heap of hard work in me, the fust thing you know.”