"Absurd, is it?" He laughed with a curious viciousness which once more disturbed the girl. "Absurd fer you to marry me," he cried harshly. "Absurd fer you, cos I ain't got no smarmy eddication, cos I ain't dressed in swaller tails an' kids, same as city folks. Oh, I know! You're a leddy--a city-raised leddy, an' I--I'm jest a prairie hog. That's it. You ain't got no use fer me. You jest come along right here an' laff, an' laff at us folks. Oh, you needn't to say you hav'n't!" as she raised a protesting hand. "Think I'm blind, think I'm deaf. Me! Say, you shown it right along jest so plain ther' wer'n't no need to tell it in langwidge." He broke off for a moment as though his anger had robbed him of further speech, and Joan watched the growing purpose in his hot eyes. Her own face was the color of marble. She was inwardly trembling, but she stood her ground with eyes stonily cold. She made no attempt to speak now, or defend herself against his accusations. She knew it would be useless. Only she longed in her mind for the presence of Buck to protect her from the insult she felt to be coming. Nor was she mistaken.
The man's pause gave way before the surge of his anger.
"See here," he suddenly cried, as though he had just arrived at a decision. "I ain't an easy man to laff at, as the folks around here knows. Ther' ain't no man around here can laff at Montana Ike, an' I don't guess no gal wi' red ha'r's goin' to neither. See?" He glanced swiftly round the farm. There was no one in sight. Suddenly one great hand shot out and he seized the girl by the arm in a crushing, powerful grasp and dragged her to him.
"You guess you ken laff at me," he cried, seizing her with both hands and holding her in spite of her struggles. "Wal, you ken laff after you kissed me. You ken laff, oh, yes! when I tell the folks you kissed me. Seems to me the laff'll mostly be with me."
He drew her toward him while she struggled violently. Then she shrieked for help, but she knew the only help she could hope for was the wholly inadequate help of her housekeeper. She shrieked Mrs. Ransford's name with all her power, while the man's face came nearer. It was quite hopeless; she knew she could not defend herself. And the half-drunken man was laughing as though he enjoyed her terror.
She felt his hot breath on her cheeks, she closed her eyes to shut out the sight of his grinning face. He released his hold with one hand and flung his arm about her waist. She fought with might and main, shrieking with all the power of her lungs. She suddenly felt the impress of his hot lips on her cheek, not once, but a dozen times. Then of a sudden he released her with a bitter oath, as the shrieking voice of Mrs. Ransford sounded close by, and the thwack of a heavy broom fell upon his head and shoulders.