"Why, you impudent young jackanapes! I'll lick the daylight out of you now, just to drive some truth into you!"
"Don't you dare to touch me!" cried Ralph. He was fully aroused now. The natural glitter had returned to his eye, and with a quick move he jerked free from the grasp of the foreman, powerful as it was. "I allow no man to punish me for what I did not do, and this is a place where we stand as man to man."
The foreman had been surprised at Ralph's exhibition of genuine strength, but that manifestation had only served to increase his rage.
In positive fury he posed for a savage spring at Ralph. The latter put both hands on the defensive. His lips were firmly compressed. He did not wish to imperil his position by fighting with a superior, but he was determined to stand on his rights.
At that moment, in advance of the pressing crowd outside, big Denny Sloan, the yard watchman, came into view.
"Drop that, Tim Forgan!" he ordered quickly. "Don't touch that boy, or you'll be sorry for it to your dying day!"
