"One o' them people is Dan McCloud, an' I'm goin' after that road-tax to-night," said Byram.
"Can't you wait till I ketch McCloud with them birds?" asked the warden, anxiously.
"No, I can't," snapped Byram; "I can't wait for no such thing!" But he spoke without enthusiasm.
"Can't we make it a kind o' 'ficial surprise for him, then?" suggested the warden. "Me an' you is 'ficials; your path-masters is 'ficials. We'll all go an' see Dan McCloud, that's what we'll do. How many path-masters hev you got to back you up?"
"One," he said; "we ain't a metropolipus."
"Well, git your path-master an' come on, anyhow," persisted the game-warden, rising and buttoning his faded coat.
"Ain't you road-master?" asked Dingman, astonished.
"Then, can't you git your own path-master to do his dooty an' execoote the statoots?"
"You see," stammered Byram, "I app'inted a--a lady."
"A lady," repeated Byram, firmly. "Tell the truth, we 'ain't got no path-master; we've got a path-mistress--Elton's kid, you know--"
"His kid? The girl that folks say is sweet on Dan McCloud?"
After a silence Byram spoke more calmly. "Old man Elton he didn't leave her nothin'. She done chores around an' taught school some, down to Frog Holler. She's that poor--nothin' but pertaters an' greens for to eat, an' her a-savin' her money for to go to one o' them female institoots where women learn to nurse sick folks."
"So you 'pinted her path-master to kinder he'p her along?"
The game-warden pretended to stifle a yawn.
"Well," he said, petulantly. "I never knowed nothin' about it--if they ask me over to Spencers."
"That's right! An' I'll he'p you do your dooty regardin' them pa'tridges," said Byram, quickly. "Dan McCloud's a loafer an' no good. When he's drunk he raises hell down to the store. Foxville is jest plumb sick o' him."
"Is it?" inquired the game-warden, with interest.
"The folks is that sick o' him that they was talkin' some o' runnin' him acrost the mountains," replied Byram; "but I jest made the boys hold their horses till I got that there road-tax outen him first."
"Naw," drawled Byram. "I sent Billy Delany to McCloud's shanty to collect it, but McCloud near killed Bill with a axe. That was Tuesday. Some o' the boys was fixin' to run McCloud outer town, but I guess most of us ain't hankerin' to lead the demonstration."