Then he argued with Dad, and declared that it would be far better to put a wire-fence up at once, and be done with it, instead of wasting time over a thing that would only be burnt down again.

"How long," he said, "will it take to get the posts?
Not a week," and he hit the ground disgustedly with a piece of stick he had in his hand.
"Confound it!" Dad said, "have n't you got any sense, boy?
What earthly use would a wire-fence be without any wire in it ?" Then we knocked off and went to dinner.
No one appeared in any humour to talk at the table.

Mother sat silently at the end and poured out the tea while Dad, at the head, served the pumpkin and divided what cold meat there was.

Mother would n't have any meat--one of us would have to go without if she had taken any.
I don't know if it was on account of Dan arguing with him, or if it was because there was no bread for dinner, that Dad was in a bad temper; anyway, he swore at Joe for coming to the table with dirty hands.

Joe cried and said that he could n't wash them when Dave, as soon as he had washed his, had thrown the water out.