My father had such a skirmishing, cutting kind of a slashing way with him, in his disputations, thrusting and ripping, and giving every one a stroke to remember him by in his turn--that if there were twenty people in company--in less than half an hour he was sure to have every one of 'em against him.

My father had such a skirmishing, slashing way with him, in his arguments - thrusting and ripping, and giving everyone a stroke to remember him by - that if there were twenty people in company, in less than half an hour he was sure to have every one of 'em against him.
