"Yes, sir," said Joe, yielding the point respectfully, but standing his ground; "but before I go across your doorstep, and sit at your table and break bread with you, I want you to understand my position in this matter." "It's all settled between your mother and me," said Chase impatiently, drawing down his bayoneted eyebrows in a frown, "there's no understanding to come to between me and you--you've got nothing to say in the transaction. You're bound out to me for two years and three months at ten dollars a month and all found, and that settles it." "No, it don't settle it," said Joe with rising heat; "it only begins it. Before I put a bite in my mouth in this house, or set my hand to any work on this place, I'm going to lay down the law to you, Mr. Chase, and you're going to listen to it, too!" "Now, Joe, you've got too much sense to try to stir up a row and rouse hard feelin's between us at the start," said Isom, coming forward with his soft-soap of flattery and crafty conciliation. "If I hadn't 'a' known that you was the smartest boy of your age anywhere around here, do you suppose I'd have taken you in this way?" "You scared mother into it; you didn't give me a chance to say anything, and you took an underhanded hold," charged Joe, his voice trembling with scarce-controlled anger. "It wasn't right, Isom, it wasn't fair. You know I could hire out any day for more than ten dollars a month, and you know I'd never let mother go on the county as long as I was able to lift a hand." "Winter and summer through, Joe--you must consider that," argued Isom, giving his head a twist which was meant to be illustrative of deep wisdom. "You knew she was afraid of being thrown on the county," said Joe, "you sneaked in when I wasn't around and scared her up so she'd do most anything." "Well, you don't need to talk so loud," cautioned Isom, turning an uneasy, cross look toward the door, from which the sound of a light step fled. "I'll talk loud enough for you to hear me, and understand what I mean," said Joe. "I could run off and leave you, Isom, if I wanted to, but that's not my way. Mother made the bargain, I intend to live up to it, and let her have what little benefit there is to be got out of it. But I want you to know what I think of you at the start, and the way I feel about it. I'm here to work for mother, and keep that old roof over her head that's dearer to her than life, but I'm not your slave nor your servant in any sense of the word." "It's all the same to me," said Isom, dropping his sham front of placation, lifting his finger to accent his words, "but you'll work, understand that--you'll _work_!" "Mother told me," said Joe not in the least disturbed by this glimpse of Isom in his true guise, "that you had that notion in your mind, Isom. She said you told her you could thrash me if you wanted to do it, but I want to tell you----" "It's the law," cut in Isom. "I can do it if I see fit."