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+The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Happy Family, by Bertha Muzzy Bower
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: The Happy Family
+
+Author: Bertha Muzzy Bower
+
+Release Date: October 7, 2004 [EBook #13670]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE HAPPY FAMILY ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Suzanne Shell, Victoria Woosley and the PG Online
+Distributed Proofreading Team.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: "A man's plumb crazy to go round blatting all he
+knows"]
+
+
+
+                    The Happy Family
+
+                          BY
+
+                      B.M. BOWER
+
+                    (B.M. SINCLAIR)
+
+
+                       AUTHOR OF
+
+   "Chip of the Flying U," "The Range Dwellers," "Her Prairie
+   Knight," "The Lure of the Dim Trails," "The Lonesome Trail,"
+   "The Long Shadow," Etc.
+
+
+
+                G.W. DILLINGHAM COMPANY
+
+                  PUBLISHERS NEW YORK
+
+
+
+
+      _1907, 1909, 1910, by_ STREET & SMITH.
+       _1910, by_ G.W. DILLINGHAM COMPANY.
+
+
+
+
+                  _The Happy Family_.
+
+
+
+
+                     To B.W.V.
+
+
+   _"... met the Ananias of the cow camp. I have knocked about cow
+   camps, mining camps, railroad and telegraph camps, and kicked
+   up alkali dust for many a weary mile on the desert. Yet
+   wherever I went I never failed to meet him. He is part and
+   parcel of every outfit.... He is indispensable, irresistible,
+   and incorrigible; and while in but few cases can he be held a
+   thing of beauty, he is certainly a joy forever--at least to
+   those who have known his type with some degree of
+   understanding...."_
+
+                                              From a letter.
+
+
+
+
+                       CONTENTS.
+
+     ANANIAS GREEN                            7
+     BLINK                                   35
+     MISS MARTIN'S MISSION                   61
+     HAPPY JACK, WILD MAN                    90
+     A TAMER OF WILD ONES                   118
+     ANDY, THE LIAR                         178
+     "WOLF! WOLF!"                          210
+     FOOL'S GOLD                            241
+     LORDS OF THE POTS AND PANS             269
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+
+
+                THE HAPPY FAMILY
+
+
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+
+
+ANANIAS GREEN
+
+
+Pink, because he knew well the country and because Irish, who also
+knew it well, refused pointblank to go into it again even as a rep,
+rode alone except for his horses down into the range of the Rocking R.
+General roundup was about to start, down that way, and there was stock
+bought by the Flying U which ranged north of the Bear Paws.
+
+It so happened that the owner of the Rocking R was entertaining a
+party of friends at the ranch; it also happened that the friends were
+quite new to the West and its ways, and they were intensely interested
+in all pertaining thereto. Pink gathered that much from the crew,
+besides observing much for himself. Hence what follows after.
+
+Sherwood Branciforte was down in the blacksmith shop at the Rocking R,
+watching one Andy Green hammer a spur-shank straight. Andy was what he
+himself called a tamer of wild ones, and he was hard upon his riding
+gear. Sherwood had that morning watched with much admiration the
+bending of that same spur-shank, and his respect for Andy was
+beautiful to behold.
+
+"Lord, but this is a big, wild country," he was saying
+enthusiastically, "and the people in it are big and--"
+
+"Wild," supplied Andy. "Yes, you've just about got us sized up
+correct." He went on hammering, and humming under his breath, and
+thinking that, while admiration is all right in its time and place, it
+is sometimes a bit wearisome.
+
+"Oh, but I didn't mean that," the young man protested. "What I meant
+was breezy and picturesque. Things can happen, out here. Life and men
+don't run in grooves."
+
+"No, nor horses," assented Andy. "Leastways, not in oiled ones." He
+was remembering how that spur-shank had become bent.
+
+"You did some magnificent riding, this morning. By Jove! I've never
+seen anything like it. Strange that one can come out here into a part
+of the country absolutely new and raw, and see things--"
+
+"Oh, it ain't so raw as you might think," Andy defended jealously,
+"nor yet new."
+
+"Of course it is new! A commonwealth in the making. You can't," he
+asserted triumphantly, "point to anything man-made that existed a
+hundred years ago; scarcely fifty, either. Your civilization is yet in
+the cradle--a lusty infant, and a--er--vociferous one, but still an
+infant in swaddling clothes." Sherwood Branciforte had given lectures
+before the Y.M.C.A. of his home town, and young ladies had spoken of
+him as "gifted," and he had come to hear of it, and to believe.
+
+Andy Green squinted at the shank before he made reply. Andy, also, was
+"gifted," in his modest Western way.
+
+"A country that can now and then show the papers for a civilization
+old as the Phenixes of Egypt," he said, in a drawling tone that was
+absolutely convincing, "ain't what I'd call raw." He decided that a
+little more hammering right next the rowel was necessary, and bent
+over the anvil solicitously. Even the self-complacency of Sherwood
+Branciforte could not fail to note his utter indifference to the
+presence and opinions of his companion. Branciforte was accustomed to
+disputation at times--even to enmity; but not to indifference. He
+blinked. "My dear fellow, do you realize what it is that statement
+might seem to imply?" he queried haughtily.
+
+Andy, being a cowpuncher of the brand known as a "real," objected
+strongly both to the term and the tone. He stood up and stared down at
+the other disapprovingly. "I don't as a general thing find myself
+guilty of talking in my sleep," he retorted, "and I'm prepared to let
+anything I say stand till the next throw. We may be some vociferous,
+out here twixt the Mississippi and the Rockies, but we ain't no
+infant-in-the-cradle, Mister. We had civilization here when the
+Pilgrim Fathers' rock wasn't nothing but a pebble to let fly at the
+birds!"
+
+"Indeed!" fleered Sherwood Branciforte, in a voice which gave much
+intangible insult to one's intelligence.
+
+Andy clicked his teeth together, which was a symptom it were well for
+the other to recognize but did not. Then Andy smiled, which was
+another symptom. He fingered the spur absently, laid it down and
+reached, with the gesture that betrays the act as having become second
+nature, for his papers and tobacco sack.
+
+"Uh course, you mean all right, and you ain't none to blame for what
+you don't know, but you're talking wild and scattering. When you stand
+up and tell me I can't point to nothing man-made that's fifty years
+old, or a hundred, you make me feel sorry for yuh. I can take you to
+something--or I've seen something--that's older than swearing; and I
+reckon that art goes back to when men wore their hair long and a
+sheep-pelt was called ample for dress occasions."
+
+"Are you crazy, man?" Sherwood Branciforte exclaimed incredulously.
+
+"Not what you can notice. You wait whilst I explain. Once last fall I
+was riding by my high lonesome away down next the river, when my horse
+went lame on me from slipping on a shale bank, and I was set afoot. Uh
+course, you being plumb ignorant of our picturesque life, you don't
+half know all that might signify to _imply_." This last in open
+imitation of Branciforte. "It implies that I was in one hell of a fix,
+to put it elegant. I was sixty miles from anywhere, and them sixty
+half the time standing on end and lapping over on themselves. That
+there is down where old mama Nature gave full swing to a morbid
+hankering after doing things unconventional. Result is, that it's
+about as ungodly a mixture of nightmare scenery as this old world can
+show up; and I've ambled around considerable and am in a position to
+pass judgment.
+
+"So there I was, and I wasn't in no mood to view the beauties uh
+nature to speak of; for instance, I didn't admire the clouds sailing
+around promiscous in the sky, nor anything like that. I was high and
+dry and the walking was about as poor as I ever seen; and my boots was
+high-heel and rubbed blisters before I'd covered a mile of that
+acrobatic territory. I wanted water, and I wanted it bad. Before I got
+it I wanted it a heap worse." He stopped, cupped his slim fingers
+around a match-blaze, and Branciforte sat closer. He did not know what
+was coming, but the manner of the indifferent narrator was compelling.
+He almost forgot the point at issue in the adventure.
+
+"Along about dark, I camped for the night under a big, bare-faced
+cliff that was about as homelike and inviting as a charitable
+institution, and made a bluff at sleeping and cussed my bum luck in a
+way that wasn't any bluff. At sun-up I rose and mooched on." His
+cigarette needed another match and he searched his pockets for one.
+
+"What about the--whatever it was you started to tell me?" urged
+Branciforte, grown impatient.
+
+Andy looked him over calmly. "You've lived in ignorance for about
+thirty years or so--giving a rough guess at your age; I reckon you can
+stand another five minutes. As I was saying, I wandered around like a
+dogy when it's first turned loose on the range and is trying to find
+the old, familiar barn-yard and the skim-milk bucket. And like the
+dogy, I didn't run across anything that looked natural or inviting.
+All that day I perambulated over them hills, and I will say I wasn't
+enjoying the stroll none. You're right when you say things can happen,
+out here. There's some things it's just as well they don't happen too
+frequent, and getting lost and afoot in the Bad-lands is one.
+
+"That afternoon I dragged myself up to the edge of a deep coulee and
+looked over to see if there was any way of getting down. There was a
+bright green streak down there that couldn't mean nothing but water,
+at that time of year; this was last fall. And over beyond, I could see
+the river that I'd went and lost. I looked and looked, but the walls
+looked straight as a Boston's man's pedigree. And then the sun come
+out from behind a cloud and lit up a spot that made me forget for a
+minute that I was thirsty as a dog and near starved besides.
+
+"I was looking down on the ruins--and yet it was near perfect--of an
+old castle. Every stone stood out that clear and distinct I could have
+counted 'em. There was a tower at one end, partly fell to pieces but
+yet enough left to easy tell what it was. I could see it had kinda
+loop-holes in it. There was an open place where I took it the main
+entrance had used to be; what I'd call the official entrance. But
+there was other entrances besides, and some of 'em was made by time
+and hard weather. There was what looked like awhat-you-may-call-'em--
+a ditch thing, yuh mind, running around my side of it, and a bridge
+business. Uh course, it was all needing repairs bad, and part of it
+yuh needed to use your imagination on. I laid there for quite a spell
+looking it over and wondering how the dickens it come to be way down
+there. It didn't look to me like it ought to be there at all, but in a
+school geography or a history where the chapter is on historic and
+prehistoric hangouts uh the heathen."
+
+"The deuce! A castle in the Bad-lands!" ejaculated Branciforte.
+
+"That's what it was, all right. I found a trail it would make a
+mountain sheep seasick to follow, and I got down into the coulee. It
+was lonesome as sin, and spooky; but there was a spring close by, and
+a creek running from it; and what is a treat in that part uh the
+country, it was good drinking and didn't have neither alkali nor
+sulphur nor mineral in it. It was just straight water, and you can
+gamble I filled up on it a-plenty. Then I shot a rabbit or two that
+was hanging out around the ruins, and camped there till next day, when
+I found a pass out, and got my bearings by the river and come on into
+camp. So when you throw slurs on our plumb newness and shininess, I've
+got the cards to call yuh. That castle wasn't built last summer,
+Mister. And whoever did build it was some civilized. So there yuh
+are."
+
+Andy took a last, lingering pull at the cigarette stub, flung it into
+the backened forge, and picked up the spur. He settled his hat on his
+head at its accustomed don't-give-a-darn tilt, and started for the
+door and the sunlight.
+
+"Oh, but say! didn't you find out anything about it afterwards? There
+must have been something--"
+
+"If it's relics uh the dim and musty past yuh mean, there was; relics
+to burn. I kicked up specimens of ancient dishes, and truck like that,
+while I was prowling around for fire-wood. And inside the castle, in
+what I reckon was used for the main hall, I run acrost a skeleton.
+That is, part of one. I don't believe it was all there, though."
+
+"But, man alive, why haven't you made use of a discovery like that?"
+Branciforte followed him out, lighting his pipe with fingers that
+trembled. "Don't you realize what a thing like that means?"
+
+Andy turned and smiled lazily down at him. "At the time I was there, I
+was all took up with the idea uh getting home. I couldn't eat
+skeletons, Mister, nor yet the remains uh prehistoric dishes. And I
+didn't run acrost no money, nor no plan marked up with crosses where
+you're supposed to do your excavating for treasure. It wasn't nothing,
+that I could see, for a man to starve to death while he examined it
+thorough. And so far as I know there ain't any record of it. I never
+heard no one mention building it, anyhow." He stooped and adjusted the
+spur to his heel to see if it were quite right, and went off to the
+stable humming under his breath.
+
+Branciforte stood at the door of the blacksmith shop and gazed after
+him, puffing meditatively at his pipe. "Lord! the ignorance of these
+Western folk! To run upon a find like that, and to think it less
+important than getting home in time for supper. To let a discovery
+like that lie forgotten, a mere incident in a day's travel! That
+fellow thinks more, right now, about his horse going lame and himself
+raising blisters on his heels, than of--Jove, what ignorance! He--he
+couldn't _eat_ the skeleton or the dishes! Jerusalem!" Branciforte
+knocked his pipe gently against the door-casing, put in into his coat
+pocket and hurried to the house to hunt up the others and tell them
+what he had heard.
+
+That night the roundup pulled in to the home ranch.
+
+The visitors, headed by their host, swooped down upon the roundup
+wagons just when the boys were gathered together for a cigarette or
+two apiece and a little talk before rolling in. There was no
+night-guarding to do, and trouble winged afar. Sherwood Branciforte
+hunted out Andy Green where he lay at ease with head and shoulders
+propped against a wheel of the bed-wagon and gossipped with Pink and a
+few others.
+
+"Look here, Green," he said in a voice to arrest the attention of the
+whole camp, "I wish you'd tell the others that tale you told me this
+afternoon--about that ruined castle down in the hills. Mason, here, is
+a newspaper man; he scents a story for his paper. And the rest refuse
+to believe a word I say."
+
+"I'd hate to have a rep like that, Mr. Branciforte," Andy said
+commiseratingly, and turned his big, honest gray eyes to where stood
+the women--two breezy young persons with sleeves rolled to tanned
+elbows and cowboy hats of the musical comedy brand. Also they had gay
+silk handkerchiefs knotted picturesquely around their throats. There
+was another, a giggly, gurgly lady with gray hair fluffed up into a
+pompadour. You know the sort. She was the kind who refuses to grow
+old, and so merely grows imbecile.
+
+"Do tell us, Mr. Green," this young old lady urged, displaying much
+gold by her smile. "It sounds so romantic."
+
+"It's funny you never mentioned it to any of us," put in the "old man"
+suspiciously.
+
+Andy pulled himself up into a more decorous position, and turned his
+eyes towards his boss. "I never knew yuh took any interest in
+relic-hunting," he explained mildly.
+
+"Sherwood says you found a _skeleton!_" said the young old lady,
+shuddering pleasurably.
+
+"Yes, I did find one--or part of one," Andy admitted reluctantly.
+
+"What were the relics of pottery like?" demanded one of the
+cowboy-hatted girls, as if she meant to test him. "I do some
+collecting of that sort of thing."
+
+Andy threw away his cigarette, and with it all compunction. "Well, I
+wasn't so much interested in the dishes as in getting something to
+eat," he apologized. "I saw several different kinds. One was a big,
+awkward looking thing and was pretty heavy, and had straight sides.
+Then I come across one or two more that was ornamented some. One had
+what looked like a fish on it, and the other I couldn't make out very
+well. They didn't look to be worth much, none of 'em."
+
+"Green," said his employer steadily, "_was_ there such a place?"
+
+Andy returned his look honestly. "There was, and there is yet, I
+guess," he asserted. "I'll tell you how you can find it and what it's
+like--if yuh doubt my words." He glanced around and found every man,
+including the cook, listening intently. He picked a blade of new grass
+and began splitting it into tiny threads. The host found boxes for the
+women to sit upon, and the men sat down upon the grass.
+
+"Before I come here to work, I was riding for the Circle C. One day I
+was riding away down in the Bad-lands alone and my horse slipped in
+some shale rock and went lame; strained his shoulder so I couldn't
+ride him. That put me afoot, and climbing up and down them hills I
+lost my bearings and didn't know where I was at for a day or two. I
+wandered around aimless, and got into a strip uh country that was new
+to me and plumb lonesome and wild.
+
+"That second day is when I happened across this ruin. I was looking
+down into a deep, shut-in coulee, hunting water, when the sun come out
+and shone straight on to this place. It was right down under me; a
+stone ruin, with a tower on one end and kinda tumbled down so it
+wasn't so awful high--the tower wasn't. There was a--a--"
+
+"Moat," Branciforte suggested.
+
+"That's the word--a moat around it, and a bridge that was just about
+gone to pieces. It had loopholes, like the pictures of castles, and
+a--"
+
+"Battlement?" ventured one of the musical-comedy cowgirls.
+
+Andy had not meant to say battlement; of a truth, his conception of
+battlements was extremely hazy, but he caught up the word and warmed
+to the subject. "Battlement? well I should guess yes! There was about
+as elegant a battlement as I'd want to see anywhere. It was sure a
+peach. It was--" he hesitated for a fraction of a second. "It was high
+as the tower, and it had figures carved all over it; them kind that
+looks like kid-drawing in school, with bows and arrows stuck out in
+front of 'em, threatening."
+
+"Not the old Greek!" exclaimed one of the girls in a little,
+breathless voice.
+
+"I couldn't say as to that," Andy made guarded reply. "I never made no
+special study of them things. But they was sure old. And--"
+
+"About how large was the castle?" put in the man who wrote things.
+"How many rooms, say?"
+
+"I'd hate to give a guess at the size. I didn't step it off, and I'm a
+punk guesser. The rooms I didn't count. I only explored around in the
+main hall, like, a little. But it got dark early, down in there, and I
+didn't have no matches to waste. And next morning I started right out
+at sun-up to find the way home. No, I never counted the rooms, and if
+I had, the chances are I'd have likely counted the same one more'n
+once; to count them rooms would take an expert, which I ain't--not at
+counting. I don't reckon, though, that there was so awful many.
+Anyway, not more than fifteen or twenty. But as I say, I couldn't
+rightly make a guess, even; or I'd hate to. Ruins don't interest me
+much, though I was kinda surprised to run acrost that one, all right,
+and I'm willing to gamble there was warm and exciting times down there
+when the place was in running order. I'd kinda like to have been down
+there then. Last fall, though, there wasn't nothing to get excited
+over, except getting out uh there."
+
+"A castle away out here! Just think, good people, what that means!
+Romance, adventure and scientific discoveries! We must go right down
+there and explore the place. Why can't we start at once--in the
+morning? This gentleman can guide us to the place, and--"
+
+"It ain't easy going," Andy remarked, conscientiously. "It's pretty
+rough; some places, you'd have to walk and lead your horses."
+
+They swept aside the discouragement.
+
+"We'd need pick and shovels, and men to dig," cried one enthusiast.
+"Uncle Peter can lend us some of his men. There may be treasure to
+unearth. There may be _anything_ that is wonderful and mysterious. Get
+busy, Uncle Peter, and get your outfit together; you've boasted that a
+roundup can beat the army in getting under way quickly, now let us
+have a practical demonstration. We want to start by six o'clock--all
+of us, with a cook and four or five men to do the excavating. Bring it
+to pass!" It was the voice of the girl whom her friends spoke of as
+"The life of the party;" the voice of the-girl-who-does-things.
+
+"It's sixty-five miles from here, good and strong--and mostly up and
+down," put in Andy.
+
+"'Quoth the raven,'" mocked the-girl-who-does-things. "We are prepared
+to face the ups-and-downs. Do we start at six, Uncle Peter?"
+
+Uncle Peter glanced sideways at the roundup boss. To bring it to pass,
+he would be obliged to impress the roundup cook and part of the crew.
+It was breaking an unwritten law of the rangeland, and worse, it was
+doing something unbusiness-like and foolish. But not even the owner of
+the Rocking R may withstand the pleading of a pretty woman. Uncle
+Peter squirmed, but he promised:
+
+"We start at six; earlier if you say so."
+
+The roundup boss gave his employer a look of disgust and walked away;
+the crew took it that he went off to some secluded place to swear.
+
+Thereafter there was much discussion of ways and means, and much
+enthusiasm among the visitors from the East--equalled by the
+depression of the crew, for cowboys do not, as a rule, take kindly to
+pick and shovel, and the excavators had not yet been chosen from among
+them. They were uneasy, and they stole frequent, betraying glances at
+one another. All of which amused Pink much. Pink would like to have
+gone along, and would certainly have offered his services, but for the
+fact that his work there was done and he would have to start back to
+the Flying U just as soon as one of his best saddle horses, which had
+stepped on a broken beer bottle and cut its foot, was able to travel.
+That would be in a few days, probably. So Pink sighed and watched the
+preparations enviously.
+
+Since he was fairly committed into breaking all precedents, uncle
+Peter plunged recklessly. He ordered the mess-wagon to be restocked
+and prepared for the trip, and he took the bed-tent and half the crew.
+The foreman he wisely left behind with the remnant of his outfit. They
+were all to eat at the house while the mess-wagon was away, and they
+were to spread their soogans--which is to say beds--where they might,
+if the bunk-house proved too small or too hot.
+
+The foreman, outraged beyond words, saddled at daybreak and rode to
+the nearest town, and the unchosen half turned out in a body to watch
+the departure of the explorers, which speaks eloquently of their
+interest; for cowboys off duty are prone to sleep long.
+
+Andy, as guide, bolted ahead of the party that he might open the gate.
+Bolted is a good word, for his horse swerved and kept on running,
+swerved again, and came down in a heap. Andy did not get up, and the
+women screamed. Then Pink and some others hurried out and bore Andy,
+groaning, to the bunk-house.
+
+The visitors from the East gathered, perturbed, around the door,
+sympathetic and dismayed. It looked very much as if their exploration
+must end where it began, and the-girl-who-does-things looked about to
+weep, until Andy, still groaning, sent Pink out to comfort them.
+
+"He says you needn't give up the trip on his account," Pink announced
+musically from the doorway. "He's drawing a map and marking the coulee
+where the ruin is. He says most any of the boys that know the country
+at all can find the place for yuh. And he isn't hurt permanent; he
+strained his back so he can't ride, is all." Pink dimpled at the young
+old lady who was admiring him frankly, and withdrew.
+
+Inside, Andy Green was making pencil marks and giving the chosen half
+explicit directions. At last he folded the paper and handed it to one
+called Sandy.
+
+"That's the best I can do for yuh," he finished. "I don't see how yuh
+can miss it if yuh follow that map close. And if them gay females make
+any kick on the trail, you just remind 'em that I said all along it
+was rough going. So long, and good luck."
+
+So with high-keyed, feminine laughter and much dust, passed the
+exploring party from the Rocking R.
+
+"Say," Pink began two days later to Andy, who was sitting on the shady
+side of the bunk-house staring absently at the skyline, "There's a
+word uh praise I've been aiming to give yuh. I've seen riding, and
+I've done a trifle in that line myself, and learned some uh the
+tricks. But I want to say I never did see a man flop his horse any
+neater than you done that morning. I'll bet there ain't another man in
+the outfit got next your play. I couldn't uh done it better myself.
+Where did you learn that? Ever ride in Wyoming?"
+
+Andy turned his eyes, but not his head--which was a way he had--and
+regarded Pink slantwise for at least ten seconds. "Yes, I've rode in
+Wyoming," he answered quietly. Then: "What's the chance for a job, up
+your way? Is the Flying U open for good men and true?"
+
+"It won't cost yuh a cent to try," Pink told him. "How's your back?
+Think you'll be able to ride by the time Skeeker is able to travel?"
+
+Andy, grinned. "Say," he confided suddenly, "if that hoss don't
+improve some speedy, I'll be riding on ahead. I reckon I'll be able to
+travel before them explorers get back, my friend."
+
+"Why?" dimpled Pink boldly.
+
+"Why? Well, the going is some rough, down that way. If they get them
+wagons half way to the coulee marked with a cross, they'll sure have
+to attach wings onto 'em. I've been some worried about that. I don't
+much believe uncle Peter is going to enjoy that trip--and he sure does
+get irritable by spells. I've got a notion to ride for some other
+outfit, this summer."
+
+"Was that the reason you throwed your horse down and got hurt, that
+morning?" questioned Pink, and Andy grinned again by way of reply.
+
+"They'll be gone a week, best they can do," he estimated aloud. "We
+ought to be able to make our getaway by then, easy."
+
+Pink assured him that a week would see them headed for the Flying U.
+
+It was the evening of the sixth day, and the two were packed and ready
+to leave in the morning, when Andy broke off humming and gave a snort
+of dismay. "By gracious, there they come. My mother lives in Buffalo,
+Pink, in a little drab house with white trimmings. Write and tell her
+how her son--Oh, beloved! but they're hitting her up lively. If they
+made the whole trip in that there frame uh mind, they could uh gone
+clean to Miles City and back. How pretty the birds sing! Pink, you'll
+hear words, directly."
+
+Directly Pink did.
+
+"You're the biggest liar on earth," Sherwood Branciforte contributed
+to the recriminating wave that near engulfed Andy Green. "You sent us
+down there on a wild-goose chase, you brute. You--"
+
+"I never sent nobody," Andy defended. "You was all crazy to go."
+
+"And nothing but an old stone hut some trapper had built!" came an
+indignant, female tone. "There never was any castle, nor--"
+
+"A man's home is his castle," argued Andy, standing unabashed before
+them. "Putting it that way, it was a castle, all right."
+
+There was babel, out of which--
+
+"And the skeleton! Oh, you--it was a dead _cow!_" This from the young
+old lady, who was looking very draggled and not at all young.
+
+"I don't call to mind ever saying it was human," put in Andy, looking
+at her with surprised, gray eyes.
+
+"And the battlements!" groaned the-girl-who-does-things.
+
+"You wanted battlements," Andy flung mildly into the uproar. "I always
+aim to please." With that he edged away from them and made his escape
+to where the cook was profanely mixing biscuits for supper. All-day
+moves put an edge to his temper. The cook growled an epithet, and Andy
+passed on. Down near the stable he met one of the chosen half, and the
+fellow greeted him with a grin. Andy stopped abruptly.
+
+"Say, they don't seem none too agreeable," he began tentatively,
+jerking his thumb toward the buzzing group. "How about it, Sandy? Was
+they that petulant all the way?"
+
+Sandy, the map-bearer, chuckled. "It's lucky you got hurt at the last
+minute! And yet it was worth the trip. Uh course we got stalled with
+the wagons, the second day out, but them women was sure ambitious, and
+made us go on with a packadero layout. I will say that, going down,
+they stood the hardships remarkable. It was coming back that frazzled
+the party.
+
+"And when we found the place--say, but it was lucky you wasn't along!
+They sure went hog-wild when they seen the ruins. The old party with
+the pompadoor displayed temper, and shed tears uh rage. When she
+looked into the cabin and seen the remains uh that cow-critter, there
+was language it wasn't polite to overhear. She said a lot uh things
+about you, Andy. One thing they couldn't seem to get over, and that
+was the smallness uh the blamed shack. Them fourteen or fifteen rooms
+laid heavy on their minds."
+
+"I didn't say there was fourteen or fifteen rooms. I said I didn't
+count the rooms; I didn't either. I never heard of anybody counting
+one room. Did you, Pink?"
+
+"No," Pink agreed, "I never did!"
+
+Sandy became suddenly convulsed. "Oh, but the funniest thing was the
+ancient pottery," he gasped, the tears standing in his eyes. "That old
+Dutch oven was bad enough; but when one uh the girls--that one that
+collects old dishes--happened across an old mackerel can and picked it
+up and saw the fish on the label, she was the maddest female person I
+ever saw in my life, barring none. If you'd been in reach about that
+time, she'd just about clawed your eyes out, Andy Green. Oh me, oh
+my!" Sandy slapped his thigh and had another spasm.
+
+Sounds indicated that the wave of recrimination was rolling nearer.
+Andy turned to find himself within arm's length of Uncle Pete.
+
+"Maybe this is your idea of a practical joke, Green," he said to Andy.
+"But anyway, it will cost you your job. I ought to charge you up with
+the time my outfit has spent gallivanting around the country on the
+strength of your wild yarn. The quicker you hit the trail, the better
+it will suit me. By the way, what's your first name?" He asked,
+pulling out a check-book.
+
+"Andy," answered the unrepentant one.
+
+"Andy," Uncle Peter paused with a fountain pen between his fingers. He
+looked Andy up and down, and the frown left his face. He proceeded to
+write out the check, and when it was done he handed it over with a
+pleased smile.
+
+"What did you do it for, Green?" he queried in a friendlier tone.
+
+"Self-defence," Andy told him laconically, and turned away.
+
+Half an hour later, Andy and Pink trailed out of the coulee that
+sheltered the Rocking R. When they were out and away from the fence,
+and Pink's horses, knowing instinctively that they were homeward
+bound, were jogging straight west without need of guidance, Andy felt
+in his pocket for cigarette material. His fingers came in contact with
+the check Uncle Peter had given him, and he drew it forth and looked
+it over again.
+
+"Well, by gracious!" he said to himself. "Uncle Peter thinks we're
+even, I guess."
+
+He handed the check to Pink and rolled his cigarette; and Pink, after
+one comprehending look at the slip of paper, doubled up over his
+saddle-horn and shouted with glee--for the check was written: "Pay to
+the order of Ananias Green."
+
+"And I've got to sign myself a liar, or I don't collect no money,"
+sighed Andy. "That's what I call tough luck, by gracious!"
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+
+
+BLINK
+
+
+The range-land was at its unpicturesque worst. For two days the wind
+had raged and ranted over the hilltops, and whooped up the long
+coulees, so that tears stood in the eyes of the Happy Family when they
+faced it; impersonal tears blown into being by the very force of the
+wind. Also, when they faced it they rode with bodies aslant over their
+saddle-horns and hats pulled low over their streaming eyes, and with
+coats fastened jealously close. If there were buttons enough, well and
+good; if not, a strap cinched tightly about the middle was considered
+pretty lucky and not to be despised. Though it was early September,
+"sour-dough" coats were much in evidence, for the wind had a chill way
+of searching to the very marrow--and even a good, sheepskin-lined
+"sour-dough" was not always protection sufficient.
+
+When the third day dawned bleakly, literally blown piecemeal from out
+darkness as bleak, the Happy Family rose shiveringly and with sombre
+disapproval of whatever met their blood-shot eyes; dressed hurriedly
+in the chill of flapping tent and went out to stagger drunkenly over
+to where Patsy, in the mess-tent, was trying vainly to keep the
+biscuits from becoming dust-sprinkled, and sundry pans and tins from
+taking jingling little excursions on their own account. Over the brow
+of the next ridge straggled the cavvy, tails and manes whipping in the
+gale, the nighthawk swearing so that his voice came booming down to
+camp. Truly, the day opened inauspiciously enough for almost any dire
+ending.
+
+As further evidence, saddling horses for circle resolved itself, as
+Weary remarked at the top of his voice to Pink, at his elbow, into "a
+free-for-all broncho busting tournament." For horses have nerves, and
+nothing so rasps the nerves of man or beast as a wind that never stops
+blowing; which means swaying ropes and popping saddle leather, and
+coat-tails flapping like wet sheets on a clothes line. Horses do not
+like these things, and they are prone to eloquent manifestations of
+their disapproval.
+
+Over by the bed-wagon, a man they called Blink, for want of a better
+name, was fighting his big sorrel silently, with that dogged
+determination which may easily grow malevolent. The sorrel was at best
+a high-tempered, nervous beast, and what with the wind and the
+flapping of everything in sight, and the pitching of half-a-dozen
+horses around him, he was nearly crazed with fear in the abstract.
+
+Blink was trying to bridle him, and he was not saying a word--which,
+in the general uproar, was strange. But Blink seldom did say anything.
+He was one of the aliens who had drifted into the Flying U outfit that
+spring, looking for work. Chip had taken him on, and he had stayed. He
+could ride anything in his string, and he was always just where he was
+wanted. He never went to town when the others clattered off for a few
+hours' celebration more or less mild, he never took part in any of the
+camp fun, and he never offended any man. If any offended him they did
+not know it unless they were observant; if they were, they would see
+his pale lashes wink fast for a minute, and they might read aright the
+sign and refrain from further banter. So Blink, though he was counted
+a good man on roundup, was left pretty much alone when in camp.
+
+Andy Green, well and none too favorably known down Rocking R way, and
+lately adopted into the Happy Family on the recommendation of Pink and
+his own pleasing personality, looped the latigo into the holder, gave
+his own dancing steed a slap of the don't-try-to-run-any-whizzers-on-me
+variety, and went over to help out Blink.
+
+Blink eyed his approach with much the same expression with which he
+eyed the horse. "I never hollered for assistance," he remarked
+grudgingly when Andy was at his elbow. "When I can't handle any of the
+skates in my string, I'll quit riding and take to sheep-herding."
+Whereupon he turned his back as squarely as he might upon Andy and
+made another stealthy grab for the sorrel's ears. (There is such a
+thing in the range-land as jealousy among riders, and the fame of Andy
+Green had gone afar.)
+
+"All right. Just as you say, and not as I care a darn," Andy retorted,
+and went back to where his own mount stood tail to the wind. He did
+not in the least mind the rebuff; he really felt all the indifference
+his manner portrayed--perhaps even more. He had offered help where
+help was needed, and that ended it for him. It never occurred to him
+that Blink might feel jealous over Andy's hard-earned reputation as a
+"tamer of wild ones," or mistake his good nature for patronage.
+
+Five minutes later, when Chip looked around comprehensively at the lot
+of them in various degrees of readiness; saw that Blink was still
+fighting silently for mastery of the sorrel and told Andy to go over
+and help him get saddled, Andy said nothing of having had his services
+refused, but went. This time, Blink also said nothing, but accepted in
+ungracious surrender the assistance thus thrust upon him. For on the
+range-land, unless one is in a mind to roll his bed and ride away, one
+does not question when the leader commands. Andy's attitude was still
+that of indifference; he really thought very little about Blink or his
+opinions, and the rapid blinking of the pale lashes was quite lost
+upon him.
+
+They rode, eighteen ill-natured, uncomfortable cowboys, tumultuously
+away from the camp, where canvas bulged and swayed, and loose corners
+cracked like pistol shots, over the hill where even the short, prairie
+grass crouched and flattened itself against the sod; where stray
+pebbles, loosened by the ungentle tread of pitching hoofs, skidded
+twice as far as in calm weather. The gray sky bent threateningly above
+them, wind-torn into flying scud but never showing a hint of blue.
+Later there might be rain, sleet, snow--or sunshine, as nature might
+whimsically direct; but for the present she seemed content with only
+the chill wind that blew the very heart out of a man.
+
+Whenever Chip pulled up to turn off a couple of riders that they might
+search a bit of rough country, his voice was sharp with the general
+discomfort. When men rode away at his command, it was with brows drawn
+together and vengeful heels digging the short-ribs of horses in quite
+as unlovely a mood as themselves.
+
+Out at the end of the "circle," Chip divided the remainder of his men
+into two groups for the homeward drive. One group he himself led. The
+other owned Weary as temporary commander and galloped off to the left,
+skirting close to the foothills of the Bear Paws. In that group rode
+Pink and Happy Jack, Slim, Andy Green and Blink the silent.
+
+"I betche we get a blizzard out uh this," gloomed Happy Jack, pulling
+his coat collar up another fraction of an inch. "And the way Chip's
+headed us, we got to cross that big flat going back in the thick of
+it; chances is, we'll git lost."
+
+No one made reply to this; it seemed scarcely worth while. Every man
+of them rode humped away from the wind, his head drawn down as close
+to his shoulders as might be. Conversation under those conditions was
+not likely to become brisk.
+
+"A fellow that'll punch cows for a living," Happy Jack asserted
+venomously after a minute, "had ought to be shut up somewheres. He
+sure ain't responsible. I betche next summer don't see me at it."
+
+"Aw, shut up. We know you're feeble-minded, without you blatting it by
+the hour," snapped Pink, showing never a dimple.
+
+Happy Jack tugged again at his collar and made remarks, to which no
+one paid the slightest attention. They rode in amongst the hills and
+narrow ridges dividing "draws" as narrow, where range cattle would
+seek shelter from the cutting blast that raked the open. Then, just as
+they began to realize that the wind was not quite such a raging
+torment, came a new phase of nature's unpleasant humor.
+
+It was not a blizzard that descended upon them, though when it came
+rolling down from the hilltops it much resembled one. The wind had
+changed and brought fog, cold, suffocating, impenetrable. Yet such was
+the mood of them that no one said anything about it. Weary had been
+about to turn off a couple of men, but did not. What was the use,
+since they could not see twenty yards?
+
+For a time they rode aimlessly, Weary in the lead. Then, when it grew
+no better but worse, he pulled up, just where a high bank shut off the
+wind and a tangle of brush barred the way in front.
+
+"We may as well camp right here till things loosen up a little," he
+said. "There's no use playing blind-man's-buff any longer. We'll have
+some fire, for a change. Mama! this is sure beautiful weather!"
+
+At that, they brightened a bit and hurriedly dismounted and hunted dry
+wood. Since they were to have a fire, the general tendency was to have
+a big one; so that when they squatted before it and held out cold,
+ungloved fingers to the warmth, the flames were leaping high into the
+fog and crackling right cheerily. It needed only a few puffs at their
+cigarettes to chase the gloom from their faces and put them in the
+mood for talk. Only Blink sat apart and stared moodily into the fire,
+his hands clasped listlessly around his knees, and to him they gave no
+attention. He was an alien, and a taciturn one at that. The Happy
+Family were accustomed to living clannishly, even on roundup, and only
+when they tacitly adopted a man, as they had adopted Pink and Irish
+and, last but not least important, Andy Green, did they take note of
+that man's mood and demand reasons for any surliness.
+
+"If Slim would perk up and go run down a grouse or two," Pink observed
+pointedly, "we'd be all right for the day. How about it, Slim?"
+
+"Run 'em down yourself," Slim retorted. "By golly, I ain't no lop-ear
+bird dog."
+
+"The law's out fer chickens," Happy Jack remarked dolefully.
+
+"Go on, Happy, and get us a few. You've got your howitzer buckled on,"
+fleered Andy Green. Andy it was whose fertile imagination had so
+christened Happy Jack's formidable weapon.
+
+"Aw, gwan!" protested Happy Jack.
+
+"Happy looks like he was out for a rep," bantered Pink. "He makes me
+think uh the Bad Man in a Western play. All he needs is his hat turned
+up in front and his sleeves rolled up to his elbow, like he was
+killing hogs. Happy would make a dandy-looking outlaw, with that gun
+and that face uh his."
+
+"Say, by golly, I bet that's what he's figurin' on doing. He ain't
+going to punch cows no more--I bet he's thinking about turning out."
+
+"Well, when I do, you'll be the first fellow I lay for," retorted
+Happy, with labored wit.
+
+"You never'd get a rep shooting at a target the size uh Slim," dimpled
+Pink. "Is that toy cannon loaded, Happy?"
+
+"I betche yuh dassen't walk off ten paces and let me show yuh,"
+growled Happy.
+
+Pink made as if to rise, then settled back with a sigh. "Ten paces is
+farther than you could drive me from this fire with a club," he said.
+"And you couldn't see me, in this fog."
+
+"Say, it _is_ pretty solid," said Weary, looking around him at the
+blank, gray wall. "A fellow could sit right here and be a lot ignorant
+of what's going on around him. A fellow could--"
+
+"When I was riding down in the San Simon basin," spoke up Andy,
+rolling his second cigarette daintily between his finger-tips, "I had
+a kinda queer experience in a fog, once. It was thick as this one, and
+it rolled down just about as sudden and unexpected. That's a plenty
+wild patch uh country--or it was when I was there. I was riding for a
+Spanish gent that kept white men as a luxury and let the greasers do
+about all the rough work--such as killing off superfluous neighbors,
+and running brands artistic, and the like. Oh, he was a gay mark, all
+right.
+
+"But about this other deal: I was out riding alone after a little
+bunch uh hosses, one day in the fall. I packed my gun and a pair uh
+field glasses, and every time I rode up onto a mesa I'd take a long
+look at all the lower country to save riding it. I guess I'd
+prognosticated around like that for two or three hours, when I come
+out on a little pinnacle that slopes down gradual toward a neighbor's
+home ranch--only the ranch itself was quite a ride back up the basin.
+
+"I got off my horse and set down on a rock to build me a smoke, and
+was gazing off over the country idle, when I seen a rider come up out
+of a little draw and gallop along quartering-like, to pass my pinnacle
+on the left. You know how a man out alone like that will watch
+anything, from a chicken hawk up in the air to a band uh sheep,
+without any interest in either one, but just to have your eyes on
+something that's alive and moves.
+
+"So I watched him, idle, while I smoked. Pretty soon I seen another
+fellow ride out into sight where the first one had, and hit her up
+lively down the trail. I didn't do no wondering--I just sat and
+watched 'em both for want uh something better to do."
+
+"Finding them strays wasn't important, I s'pose?" Happy Jack
+insinuated.
+
+"It could wait, and did. So I kept an eye on these gazabos, and pretty
+soon I saw the hind fellow turn off the trail and go fogging along
+behind a little rise. He come into sight again, whipping down both
+sides like he was heading a wild four-year-old; and that was queer,
+because the only other live thing in sight was man number one, and I
+didn't see no reason why he should be hurting himself to get around to
+windward like that.
+
+"Maybe it was five minutes I watched 'em: number one loping along like
+there wasn't nothing urgent and he was just merely going somewhere and
+taking his time for it, and number two quirting and spurring like
+seconds was diamonds."
+
+"I wish they was that valuable to you," hinted Pink.
+
+"They ain't, so take it easy. Well, pretty soon they got closer
+together, and then number two unhooked something on his saddle that
+caught the light. There's where I got my field glasses into play. I
+drew a bead with 'em, and seen right off it was a gun. And I hadn't no
+more than got my brain adjusted to grasp his idea, when he puts it
+back and takes down his rope. That there," Andy added naïvely,
+"promised more real interest; guns is commonplace.
+
+"I took down the glasses long enough to size up the layout. Glasses,
+you know, are mighty deceiving when it comes to relative distances,
+and a hilltop a mile back looks, through the glass, like just stepping
+over a ditch. With the naked eye I could see that they were coming
+together pretty quick, and they done so.
+
+"Number one looks back, but whether he seen number two I couldn't say;
+seemed to me like he just glanced back casual and in the wrong
+direction. Be that is it may, number two edged off a little and rode
+in behind a bunch uh mesquite--and then I seen that the trail took a
+turn, right there. So he pulled up and stood still till the other one
+had ambled past, and then he whirled out into the trail and swung his
+loop.
+
+"When I'd got the glasses focused on 'em again, he had number one
+snared, all right, and had took his turns. The hoss he was riding--it
+was a buckskin--set back and yanked number one end over end out uh the
+saddle, and number one's hoss stampeded off through the brush. Number
+two dug in his spurs and went hell-bent off the trail and across
+country dragging the other fellow--and him bouncing over the rough
+spots something horrible.
+
+"I don't know what got the matter uh me, then; I couldn't do anything
+but sit there on my rock and watch through the glasses. Anyway, while
+they looked close enough to hit with a rock, they was off a mile or
+more. So while I could see it all I couldn't do nothing to prevent. I
+couldn't even hear number one yell--supposing he done any hollering,
+which the chances is he did a plenty. It was for all the world like
+one uh these moving pictures.
+
+"I thought it was going to be a case uh dragging to death, but it
+wasn't; it looked to me a heap worse. Number two dragged his man a
+ways--I reckon till he was plumb helpless--and then he pulled up and
+rode back to where he laid. The fellow tried to get up, and did get
+partly on his knees--and number one standing over him, watching.
+
+"What passed I don't know, not having my hearing magnified like my
+sight was. I framed it up that number two was getting his past,
+present and future read out to him--what I'd call a free life reading.
+The rope was pinning his arms down to his sides, and number two was
+taking blamed good care there wasn't any slack, so fast as he tried to
+get up he was yanked back. From first to last he never had a ghost of
+a show.
+
+"Then number two reaches back deliberate and draws his gun and
+commences shooting, and I commences hollering for him to quit it--and
+me a mile off and can't do nothing! I tell yuh right now, that was
+about the worst deal I ever went up against, to set there on that
+pinnacle and watch murder done in cold blood, and me plumb helpless.
+
+"The first shot wasn't none fatal, as I could see plainer than was
+pleasant. Looked to me like he wanted to string out the agony. It was
+a clear case uh butchery from start to finish; the damnedest,
+lowest-down act a white man could be guilty of. He empties his
+six-gun--counting the smoke-puffs--and waits a minute, watching like a
+cat does a gopher. I was sweating cold, but I kept my eyes glued to
+them glasses like a man in a nightmare.
+
+"When he makes sure the fellow's dead, he rides alongside and flips
+off the rope, with the buckskin snorting and edging off--at the
+blood-smell, I reckon. While he's coiling his rope, calm as if he'd
+just merely roped a yearling, the buckskin gets his head, plants it
+and turns on the fireworks.
+
+"When that hoss starts in pitching, I come alive and drop the glasses
+into their case and make a jump for my own hoss. If the Lord lets me
+come up with that devil, I aim to deal out a case uh justice on my own
+hook; I was in a right proper humor for doing him like he done the
+other fellow, and not ask no questions. Looked to me like he had it
+coming, all right.
+
+"I'd just stuck my toe in the stirrup, when down comes the fog like a
+wet blanket on everything. I couldn't see twenty feet--" Andy stopped
+and reached for a burning twig to relight his cigarette. The Happy
+Family was breathing hard with the spell of the story.
+
+"Did yuh git him?" Happy Jack asked hoarsely. Andy took a long puff at
+his cigarette. "Well, I--Holy smoke! what's the matter with _you_,
+Blink?" For Blink was leaning forward, half crouched, like a cat about
+to pounce, and was glaring fixedly at Andy with lips drawn back in a
+snarl. The Happy Family looked, then stared.
+
+Blink relaxed, shrugged his shoulders and grinned unmirthfully. He got
+up, pulled up his chaps with the peculiar, hitching gesture which
+comes with long practice and grows to be second nature, and stared
+back defiantly at the wondering faces lighted by the dancing flames.
+He turned his back coolly upon them and walked away to where his horse
+stood, took up the reins and stuck his toe in the stirrup, went up and
+landed in the saddle ready for anything. Then he wheeled the big
+sorrel so that he faced those at the camp-fire.
+
+"A man's a damned fool, Andy Green, to see more than is meant for him
+to see. He's plumb crazy to go round blatting all he knows. You won't
+tell that tale again, _mi amigo!_"
+
+There was the pop of a pistol, a puff of blue against the gray, and
+then the fog reached out and gathered Blink and the sorrel to itself.
+Only the clatter of galloping hoofs came to them from behind the damp
+curtain. Andy Green was lying on his back in the grass, his cigarette
+smoking dully in his fingers, a fast widening red streak trailing down
+from his temple.
+
+The Happy Family rose like a covey of frightened chickens before the
+echoes were done playing with the gun-bark. On the heels of Blink's
+shot came the crack of Happy Jack's "howitzer" as he fired blindly
+toward the hoof-beats. There was more shooting while they scurried to
+where their horses, snorting excitement, danced uneasily at the edge
+of the bushes. Only one man spoke, and that was Pink, who stopped just
+as he was about to swing into the saddle.
+
+"Damme for leaving my gun in camp! I'll stay with Andy. Go on--and if
+yuh don't get him, I'll--" he turned back, cursing hysterically, and
+knelt beside the long figure in the grass. There was a tumult of sound
+as the three raced off in pursuit, so close that the flight of the
+fugitive was still distinct in the fog.
+
+While they raced they cursed the fog that shielded from their
+vengeance their quarry, and made such riding as theirs a blind gamble
+with the chances all in favor of broken bones; their only comfort the
+knowledge that Blink could see no better than could they. They did not
+talk, just at first. They did not even wonder if Andy was dead. Every
+nerve, every muscle and every thought was concentrated upon the
+pursuit of Blink. It was the instant rising to meet an occasion
+undreamed of in advance, to do the only thing possible without loss of
+a second in parley. Truly, it were ill for Blink to fall into the
+hands of those three in that mood.
+
+They rode with quirt and spur, guided only by the muffled
+_pluckety-pluck, pluckety-pluck_ of Blink's horse fleeing always just
+before. Whenever the hoof-beats seemed a bit closer, Happy Jack would
+lift his long-barreled .45 and send a shot at random toward the sound.
+Or Weary or Slim would take a chance with their shorter guns. But
+never once did they pull rein for steep or gulley, and never once did
+the hoof-beats fail to come back to them from out the fog.
+
+The chase had led afar and the pace was telling on their mounts, which
+breathed asthmatically. Slim, best he could do, was falling behind.
+Weary's horse stumbled and went to his knees, so that Happy Jack
+forged ahead just when the wind, puffing up from the open, blew aside
+the gray fog-wall. It was not a minute, nor half that; but it was long
+enough for Happy Jack to see, clear and close, Blink pausing
+irresolutely upon the edge of a deep, brush-filled gulley. Happy Jack
+gave a hoarse croak of triumph and fired, just as the fog-curtain
+swayed back maddeningly. Happy Jack nearly wept with pure rage. Weary
+and Slim came up, and together they galloped to the place, riding by
+instinct of direction, for there was no longer any sound to guide.
+
+Ten minutes they spent searching the gulley's edge. Then they saw
+dimly, twenty feet below, a huddled object half-hidden in the brush.
+They climbed down none too warily, though they knew well what might be
+lying, venomous as a coiled rattler, in wait for them below. Slipping
+and sliding in the fog-dampened grass, they reached the spot, to find
+the big sorrel crumpled there, dead. They searched anxiously and
+futilely for more, but Blink was not there, nor was there anything to
+show that he had ever been there. Then not fear, perhaps, but caution,
+came to Happy Jack.
+
+"Aw, say! he's got away on us--the skunk! He's down there in the
+brush, somewheres, waiting for somebody to go in and drag him out by
+the ear. I betche he's laying low, right now, waiting for a chance to
+pot-shot us. We better git back out uh this." He edged away, his eyes
+on the thicket just below. To ride in there was impossible, even to
+the Happy Family in whole or in part. To go in afoot was not at all to
+the liking of Happy Jack.
+
+Slim gave a comprehensive, round-eyed stare at the unpromising
+surroundings, and followed Happy Jack. "By golly, that's right. Yuh
+don't git me into no hole like that," he assented.
+
+Weary, foolhardy to the last, stayed longest; but even Weary could not
+but admit that the case was hopeless. The brush was thick and filled
+the gully, probably from end to end. Riding through it was impossible,
+and hunting it through on foot would be nothing but suicide, with a
+man like Blink hidden away in its depths. They climbed back to the
+rim, remounted and rode, as straight as might be, for the camp-fire
+and what lay beside, with Pink on guard.
+
+It was near noon when, through the lightening fog, they reached the
+place and discovered that Andy, though unconscious, was not dead. They
+found, upon examination of his hurt, that the bullet had ploughed
+along the side of his head above his ear; but just how serious it
+might be they did not know. Pink, having a fresh horse and aching for
+action, mounted and rode in much haste to camp, that the bed-wagon
+might be brought out to take Andy in to the ranch and the
+ministrations of the Little Doctor. Also, he must notify the crew and
+get them out searching for Blink.
+
+All that night and the next day the cowboys rode, and the next. They
+raked the foothills, gulley by gulley, their purpose grim. It would
+probably be a case of shoot-on-sight with them, and nothing saved
+Blink save the all-important fact that never once did any man of the
+Flying U gain sight of him. He had vanished completely after that
+fleeting glimpse Happy Jack had gained, and in the end the Flying U
+was compelled to own defeat.
+
+Upon one point they congratulated themselves: Andy, bandaged as he
+was, had escaped with a furrow ploughed through the scalp, though it
+was not the fault of Blink that he was alive and able to discuss the
+affair with the others--more exactly, to answer the questions they
+fired at him.
+
+"Didn't you recognize him as being the murderer?" Weary asked him
+curiously.
+
+Andy moved uneasily on his bed. "No, I didn't. By gracious, you must
+think I'm a plumb fool!"
+
+"Well, yuh sure hit the mark, whether yuh meant to or not," Pink
+asserted. "He was the jasper, all right. Look how he was glaring at
+yuh while you were telling about it. _He_ knew he was the party, and
+having a guilty conscience, he naturally supposed yuh recognized him
+from the start."
+
+"Well, I didn't," snapped Andy ungraciously, and they put it down to
+the peevishness of invalidism and overlooked the tone.
+
+"Chip has given his description in to the sheriff," soothed Weary,
+"and if he gets off he's sure a good one. And I heard that the sheriff
+wired down to the San Simon country and told 'em their man was up
+here. Mama! What bad breaks a man will make when he's on the dodge! If
+Blink had kept his face closed and acted normal, nobody would have got
+next. Andy didn't know he was the fellow that done it. But it sure was
+queer, the way the play come up. Wasn't it, Andy?"
+
+Andy merely grunted. He did not like to dwell upon the subject, and he
+showed it plainly.
+
+"By golly! he must sure have had it in for that fellow," mused Slim
+ponderously, "to kill him the way Andy says he did. By golly, yuh
+can't wonder his eyes stuck out when he heard Andy telling us all
+about it!"
+
+"I betche he lays for Andy yet, and gits him," predicted Happy Jack
+felicitously. "He won't rest whilst an eye-witness is running around
+loose. I betche he's cached in the hills right now, watching his
+chance."
+
+"Oh, go to hell, the whole lot of yuh!" flared Andy, rising to an
+elbow. "What the dickens are yuh roosting around here for? Why don't
+yuh go on out to camp where yuh belong? You're a nice bunch to set
+around comforting the sick! _Vamos_, darn yuh!"
+
+Whereupon they took the hint and departed, assuring Andy, by way of
+farewell, that he was an unappreciative cuss and didn't deserve any
+sympathy or sick-calls. They also condoled openly with Pink because he
+had been detailed as nurse, and advised him to sit right down on Andy
+if he got too sassy and haughty over being shot up by a real outlaw.
+They said that any fool could build himself a bunch of trouble with a
+homicidal lunatic like Blink, and it wasn't anything to get vain over.
+
+Pink slammed the door upon their jibes and offered Andy a cigarette he
+had just rolled; not that Andy was too sick to roll his own, but
+because Pink was notably soft-hearted toward a sick man and was prone
+to indulge himself in trifling attentions.
+
+"Yuh don't want to mind that bunch," he placated. "They mean all
+right, but they just can't help joshing a man to death."
+
+Andy accepted also a light for the cigarette, and smoked moodily. "It
+ain't their joshing," he explained after a minute "It's puzzling over
+what I can't understand that gets on my nerves. I can't see through
+the thing, Pink, no way I look at it."
+
+"Looks plain enough to me," Pink answered. "Uh course, it's funny
+Blink should be the man, and be setting there listening--"
+
+"Yes, but darn it all, Pink, there's a funnier side to it than that,
+and it's near driving me crazy trying to figure it out. Yuh needn't
+tell anybody, Pink, but it's like this: I was just merely and simply
+romancing when I told that there blood-curdling tale! I never was
+south uh the Wyoming line except when I was riding in a circus and
+toured through, and that's the truth. I never was down in the San
+Simon basin. I never set on no pinnacle with no field glasses--" Andy
+stopped short his labored confession to gaze, with deep disgust, upon
+Pink's convulsed figure. "Well," he snapped, settling back on the
+pillow, "_laugh_, darn yuh! and show your ignorance! By gracious, I
+wish _I_ could see the joke!" He reached up gingerly and readjusted
+the bandage on his head, eyed Pink sourly a moment, and with a grunt
+eloquent of the mood he was in turned his face to the wall.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+
+
+MISS MARTIN'S MISSION
+
+
+When Andy Green, fresh-combed and shining with soap and towel polish,
+walked into the dining-room of the Dry Lake Hotel, he felt not the
+slightest premonition of what was about to befall. His chief sensation
+was the hunger which comes of early rising and of many hours spent in
+the open, and beyond that he was hoping that the Chinaman cook had
+made some meat-pie, like he had the week before. His eyes, searching
+unobtrusively the long table bearing the unmistakable signs of many
+other hungry men gone before--for Andy was late--failed to warn him.
+He pulled out his chair and sat down, still looking for meat-pie.
+
+"Good after_noon!_" cried an eager, feminine voice just across the
+table.
+
+Andy started guiltily. He had been dimly aware that some one was
+sitting there, but, being occupied with other things, had not given a
+thought to the sitter, or a glance. Now he did both while he said good
+afternoon with perfunctory politeness.
+
+"Such a _beau_tiful day, isn't it? _so_ invigorating, like rare, old
+wine!"
+
+Andy assented somewhat dubiously; it had never just struck him that
+way; he thought fleetingly that perhaps it was because he had never
+come across any rare, old wine. He ventured another glance. She was
+not young, and she wore glasses, behind which twinkled very bright
+eyes of a shade of brown. She had unpleasantly regular hair waves on
+her temples, and underneath the waves showed streaks of gray. Also,
+she wore a black silk waist, and somebody's picture made into a brooch
+at her throat. Further, Andy dared not observe. It was enough for one
+glance. He looked again for the much-desired meat-pie.
+
+The strange lady ingratiatingly passed him the bread. "You're a
+cowboy, aren't you?" was the disconcerting question that accompanied
+the bread.
+
+"Well, I--er--I punch cows," he admitted guardedly, his gaze elsewhere
+than on her face.
+
+"I _knew_ you were a cowboy, the moment you entered the door! I could
+tell by the tan and the straight, elastic walk, and the silk
+handkerchief knotted around your throat in that picturesque fashion.
+(Oh, I'm older than you, and dare speak as I think!) I've read a great
+deal about cowboys, and I do admire you all as a type of free,
+great-hearted, noble manhood!"
+
+Andy looked exactly as if someone had caught him at something
+exceedingly foolish. He tried to sugar his coffee calmly, and so sent
+it sloshing all over the saucer.
+
+"Do you live near here?" she asked next, beaming upon him in the
+orthodox, motherly fashion.
+
+"Yes, ma'am, not very near," he was betrayed into saying--and she
+might make what she could of it. He had not said "ma'am" before since
+he had gone to school.
+
+"Oh, I've heard how you Western folks measure distances," she teased.
+"About how many miles?"
+
+"About twenty."
+
+"I suppose that is not far, to you knights of the plains. At home it
+would be called a _dreadfully_ long journey. Why, I have known numbers
+of old men and women who have never been so far from their own doors
+in their lives! What would you think, I wonder, of their little forty
+acre farms?"
+
+Andy had been brought to his sixteenth tumultuous birthday on a
+half-acre in the edge of a good-sized town, but he did not say so. He
+shook his head vaguely and said he didn't know. Andy Green, however,
+was not famous for clinging ever to the truth.
+
+"You out here in this great, wide, free land, with the free winds ever
+blowing and the clouds--"
+
+"Will you pass the butter, please?" Andy hated to interrupt, but he
+was hungry.
+
+The strange lady passed the butter and sent with it a smile. "I have
+read and heard so much about this wild, free life, and my heart has
+gone out to the noble fellows living their lonely life with their
+cattle and their faithful dogs, lying beside their camp-fires at night
+while the stars stood guard--"
+
+Andy forgot his personal embarrassment and began to perk up his ears.
+This was growing interesting.
+
+"--And I have felt how lonely they must be, with their rude fare and
+few pleasures, and what a field there must be among them for a great
+and noble work; to uplift them and bring into their lonely lives a
+broader, deeper meaning; to help them to help themselves to be better,
+nobler men and women--"
+
+"We don't have any lady cowpunchers out here," interposed Andy mildly.
+
+The strange lady had merely gone astray a bit, being accustomed to
+addressing Mothers' Meetings and the like. She recovered herself
+easily. "Nobler men, the bulwarks of our nation." She stopped and eyed
+Andy archly. Andy, having observed that her neck was scrawny, with
+certain cords down the sides that moved unpleasantly when she talked,
+tried not to look.
+
+"I wonder if you can guess what brings me out here, away from home and
+friends! Can you guess?"
+
+Andy thought of several things, but he could not feel that it would be
+polite to mention them. Agent for complexion stuff, for instance, and
+next to that, wanting a husband. He shook his head again and looked at
+his potato.
+
+"You _can't guess_?" The tone was the one commonly employed for the
+encouragement, and consequent demoralization of, a primary class. Andy
+realized that he was being talked down to, and his combativeness
+awoke. "Well, away back in my home town, a woman's club has been
+thinking of all you lonely fellows, and have felt their hearts swell
+with a desire to help you--so far from home and mother's influence,
+with only the coarse pleasures of the West, and amid all the
+temptations that lie in wait--" She caught herself back from
+speech-making--"and they have sent _me_--away out here--to be your
+_friend_; to help you to help yourselves become better, truer men
+and--" She did not say women, though, poor soul, she came near it.
+"So, I am going to be your friend. I want to get in touch with you
+all, first; to win your confidence and teach you to look upon me in
+the light of a mother. Then, when I have won your confidence, I want
+to organize a Cowboys' Mutual Improvement and Social Society, to help
+you in the way of self-improvement and to resist the snares laid for
+homeless boys like you. Don't you think I'm very--_brave_?" She was
+smiling at him again, leaning back in her chair and regarding him
+playfully over her glasses.
+
+"You sure are," Andy assented, deliberately refraining from saying
+"yes, ma'am," as had been his impulse.
+
+"To come away out here--_all alone_--among all you wild cowboys with
+your guns buckled on and your wicked little mustangs--Are you sure you
+won't shoot me?"
+
+Andy eyed her pityingly. If she meant it, he thought, she certainly
+was wabbly in her mind. If she thought that was the only kind of talk
+he could savvy, then she was a blamed idiot; either way, he felt
+antagonistic. "The law shall be respected in your case," he told her,
+very gravely.
+
+She smiled almost as if she could see the joke; after which she became
+twitteringly, eagerly in earnest. "Since you live near here, you must
+know the Whitmores. Miss Whitmore came out here, two or three years
+ago, and married her brother's coachman, I believe--though I've heard
+conflicting stories about it; some have said he was an artist, and
+others that he was a jockey, or horse-trainer. I heard too that he was
+a cowboy; but Miss Whitmore certainly wrote about this young man
+driving her brother's carriage. However, she is married and I have a
+letter of introduction to her. The president of our club used to be a
+schoolmate of her mother. I shall stop with them--I have heard so much
+about the Western hospitality--and shall get into touch with my
+cowboys from the vantage point of proximity. Did you say you know
+them?"
+
+"I work for them," Andy told her truthfully in his deep amazement, and
+immediately repented and wished that he had not been so virtuous. With
+Andy, to wish was to do--given the opportunity.
+
+"Then I can go with you out to their farm--ranchero! How nice! And on
+the way you can tell me all about yourself and your life and
+hopes--because I do want to get in touch with you all, you know--and
+I'll tell you all my plans for you; I have some _beau_tiful plans! And
+we'll be very good friends by the time we reach our destination, I'm
+sure. I want you to feel from the start that I am a true friend, and
+that I have your welfare very much at heart. Without the confidence of
+my cowboys, I can do nothing. Are there any more at home like you?"
+
+Andy looked at her suspiciously, but it was so evident she never meant
+to quote comic opera, that he merely wondered anew. He struggled
+feebly against temptation, and fell from grace quite willingly. It
+isn't polite to "throw a load" at a lady, but then Andy felt that
+neither was it polite for a lady to come out with the avowed intention
+of improving him and his fellows; it looked to him like butting in
+where she was not wanted, or needed.
+
+"Yes, ma'am, there's quite a bunch, and they're pretty bad. I don't
+believe you can do much for 'em." He spoke regretfully.
+
+"Do they--_drink_?" she asked, leaning forward and speaking in the
+hushed voice with which some women approach a tabooed subject.
+
+"Yes ma'am, they do. They're hard drinkers. And they"--he eyed her
+speculatively, trying to guess the worst sins in her category--"they
+play cards--gamble--and swear, and smoke cigarettes and--"
+
+"All the more need of someone to help them overcome," she decided
+solemnly. "What you need is a coffee-house and reading room here, so
+that the young men will have some place to go other than the saloons.
+I shall see to that right away. And with the Mutual Improvement and
+Social Society organized and working smoothly, and a library of
+standard works for recreation, together with earnest personal efforts
+to promote temperance and clean-living, I feel that a _wonderful_ work
+can be done. I saw you drive into town, so I know you can take me out
+with you; I hope you are going to start soon. I feel very impatient to
+reach the field and put my sickle to the harvest."
+
+Andy mentally threw up his hands before this unshakable person. He had
+meant to tell her that he had come on horseback, but she had
+forestalled him. He had meant to discourage her--head her off, he
+called it to himself. But there seemed no way of doing it. He pushed
+back his chair and rose, though he had not tasted his pie, and it was
+lemon pie at that. He had some faint notion of hurrying out of town
+and home before she could have time to get ready; but she followed him
+to the door and chirped over his shoulder that it wouldn't take her
+two minutes to put on her wraps. Andy groaned.
+
+He tried--or started to try--holding out at Rusty Brown's till she
+gave up in despair; but it occurred to him that Chip had asked him to
+hurry back. Andy groaned again, and got the team.
+
+She did not wait for him to drive around to the hotel for her;
+possibly she suspected his intentions. At any rate, she came nipping
+down the street toward the stable just as he was hooking the last
+trace, and she was all ready and had a load of bags and bundles.
+
+"I'm not going to begin by making trouble for you," she twittered. "I
+thought I could just as well come down here to the wagon as have you
+drive back to the hotel. And my trunk did not come on the train with
+me, so I'm all ready."
+
+Andy, having nothing in mind that he dared say to a lady, helped her
+into the wagon.
+
+At sundown or thereabouts--for the days were short and he had a load
+of various things besides care--Andy let himself wearily into the
+bunk-house where was assembled the Happy Family. He merely grunted
+when they spoke to him, and threw himself heavily down upon his bunk.
+
+"For Heaven's sake, somebody roll me a cigarette! I'm too wore out to
+do a thing, and I haven't had a smoke since dinner," he groaned, after
+a minute.
+
+"Sick?" asked Pink solicitously.
+
+"Sick as a dog! water, water!" moaned Andy. All at once he rolled over
+upon his face and shook with laughter more than a little hysterical,
+and to the questioning of the Happy Family gave no answer but howls.
+The Happy Family began to look at one another uneasily.
+
+"Aw, let up!" Happy Jack bellowed. "You give a man the creeps just to
+listen at yuh."
+
+"I'm going to empty the water-bucket over yuh in a minute," Pink
+threatened, "Go get it, Cal; it's half full."
+
+Andy knew well the metal of which the Happy Family was made, and the
+night was cool for a ducking. He rolled back so that they could see
+his face, and struggled for calm. In a minute he sat up and merely
+gurgled.
+
+"Well, say, I had to do something or die," he explained, gasping.
+"I've gone through a heap, the last few hours, and I was right where I
+couldn't do a thing. By gracious, I struck the ranch about as near
+bug-house as a man can get and recover. Where's a cigarette?"
+
+"What you've gone through--and I don't give a cuss what it is--ain't a
+marker for what's going to happen if yuh don't loosen up on the
+history," said Jack Bates firmly.
+
+Andy smoked hungrily while he surveyed the lot. "How calm and innocent
+yuh all look," he observed musingly, "with your hats on and saying
+words that's rude, and smoking the vile weed regardless, never
+dreaming what's going to drop, pretty soon quick. Yuh make me think of
+a hymn-song my step-mother used to sing a lot, about 'They dreamed not
+of danger, those sinners of old, whom--"
+
+"Hand me the water bucket," directed Pink musically.
+
+"Oh, well--take it from the shoulder, then; I was only trying to lead
+up to it gradual, but yuh _will_ have it raw. You poor, dear cowboys,
+that live your lonely lives watching over your cattle with your
+_faithful dogs_ and the stars for company, you're going to be
+_improved_. (You'll sure stand a lot of it, too!) A woman's relief
+club back East has felt the burden of your no-accountness and general
+orneriness, and has sent one of its leading members out here to reform
+yuh. You're going to be hazed into a Cowboys' Mutual Improvement and
+Social Society, and quit smoking cigarettes and cussing your hosses
+and laying over Rusty's bar when yuh ride into town; and for pleasure
+and recreation you're going to read Tennyson's poems, and when yuh get
+caught out in a blizzard yuh'll be heeled with Whittier's _Snowbound_,
+pocket edition. Emerson and Browning and Shakespeare and Gatty" (Andy
+misquoted; he meant Goethe) "and all them stiffs is going to be set
+before yuh regular and in your mind constant, purging it of unclean
+thoughts, and grammar is going to be learnt yuh as a side-line. Yuh--"
+
+"Mama mine," broke in Weary. "I have thought sometimes, when Andy
+broke loose with that imagination uh his, that he'd gone the limit;
+but next time he always raises the limit out uh sight. He's like the
+Good Book says: he's prone to lie as the sparks fly-upward."
+
+Andy gazed belligerently at the skeptical group. "I brought her out
+from town," he said doggedly, "and whilst I own up to having an
+imagination, she's stranger than fiction. She'd make the fellow that
+wrote "She" lay down with a headache. She's come out here to help us
+cowboys live nobler, better lives. She's going to learn yuh Browning,
+darn yuh! and Emerson and Gatty. She said so. She's going to fill your
+hearts with love for dumb creatures, so when yuh get set afoot out on
+the range, or anything like that, yuh won't put in your time cussing
+the miles between you and camp; you'll have a pocket edition of 'Much
+Ado About Nothing' to read, or the speech Mark Anthony made when he
+was running for office. Or supposing yuh left 'em all in camp, yuh'll
+study nature. There's sermons in stones, she says. She's going to send
+for a pocket library that can easy be took on roundup--"
+
+"Say, I guess that's about enough," interrupted Pink restlessly. "We
+all admit you're the biggest liar that ever come West of the
+Mississippi, without you laying it on any deeper."
+
+Whereupon Andy rose in wrath and made a suggestive movement with his
+fist. "If I was romancing," he declared indignantly, "I'd do a
+smoother job; when I do lie, I notice yuh all believe it--till yuh
+find out different. And by gracious yuh might do as much when I'm
+telling the truth! Go up to the White House and see, darn yuh! If yuh
+don't find Miss Verbena Martin up there telling the Little Doctor how
+her heart goes out to her dear cowboys and how she's going to get in
+touch with 'em and help 'em lead nobler, better lives, you can kick me
+all round the yard. And I hope, by gracious, she _does_ improve yuh!
+Yuh sure do need it a lot."
+
+The Happy Family discussed the tale freely and without regard for the
+feelings of Andy; they even became heated and impolite, and they made
+threats. They said that a liar like him ought to be lynched or gagged,
+and that he was a disgrace to the outfit. In the end, however, they
+decided to go and see, just to prove to Andy that they knew he lied.
+And though it was settled that Weary and Pink should be the
+investigating committee, by the time they were halfway to the White
+House they had the whole Happy Family trailing at their heels. A light
+snow had begun to fall since dark, and they hunched their shoulders
+against it as they went. Grouped uncomfortably just outside the circle
+of light cast through the unshaded window, they gazed silently in upon
+Chip and the Little Doctor and J.G. Whitmore, and upon one other; a
+strange lady in a black silk shirtwaist and a gold watch suspended
+from her neck by a chaste, black silken cord; a strange lady with
+symmetrical waves in her hair and gray on her temples, and with
+glasses and an eager way of speaking.
+
+She was talking very rapidly and animatedly, and the others were
+listening and stealing glances now and then at one another. Once,
+while they watched, the Little Doctor looked at Chip and then turned
+her face toward the window. She was biting her lips in the way the
+Happy Family had learned to recognize as a great desire to laugh. It
+all looked suspicious and corroborative of Andy's story, and the Happy
+Family shifted their feet uneasily in the loose snow.
+
+They watched, and saw the strange lady clasp her hands together and
+lean forward, and where her voice had before come to them with no
+words which they could catch distinctly, they heard her say something
+quite clearly in her enthusiasm: "Eight real cowboys _here_, almost
+within reach! I must see them before I sleep! I must get in touch with
+them at once, and show them that I am a true friend. Come, Mrs.
+Bennett! Won't you take me where they are and let me meet my boys? for
+they _are_ mine in spirit; my heart goes out to them--"
+
+The Happy Family waited to hear no more, but went straightway back
+whence they had come, and their going savored of flight.
+
+"Mama mine! she's coming down to the bunkhouse!" said Weary under his
+breath, and glanced back over his shoulder at the White House bulking
+large in the night. "Let's go on down to the stable and roost in the
+hay a while."
+
+"She'll out-wind us, and be right there waiting when we come back,"
+objected Andy, with the wisdom gained from his brief acquaintance with
+the lady. "If she's made up her mind to call on us, there's no way
+under Heaven to head her off."
+
+They halted by the bunk-house door, undecided whether to go in or to
+stay out in the open.
+
+"By golly, she don't improve _me_!" Slim asserted pettishly. "I hate
+books like strychnine, and, by golly, she can't make me read 'em,
+neither."
+
+"If there's anything I do despise it's po'try," groaned Cal Emmett.
+
+"Emerson and Browning and Shakespeare and _Gatty_," named Andy
+gloomily.
+
+Whereat Pink suddenly pushed open the door and went in as goes one who
+knows exactly what he is about to do. They followed him distressfully
+and silently. Pink went immediately to his bunk and began pulling off
+his boots.
+
+"I'm going to bed," he told them. "You fellows can stay up and
+entertain her if yuh want to--_I_ won't!"
+
+They caught the idea and disrobed hastily, though the evening was
+young. Irish blew out the lamp and dove under the blankets just as
+voices came faintly from up the hill, so that when Chip rapped a
+warning with his knuckles on the door, there was no sound within save
+an artificial snore from the corner where lay Pink. Chip was not in
+the habit of knocking before he entered, but he repeated the summons
+with emphasis.
+
+"Who's there-e?" drawled sleepily a voice--the voice of Weary.
+
+"Oh, I do believe they've retired!" came, in a perturbed feminine
+tone, to the listening ears of the Happy Family.
+
+"Gone to bed?" cried Chip gravely.
+
+"Hours ago," lied Andy fluently. "We're plumb wore out. What's
+happened?"
+
+"Oh, don't disturb the poor fellows! They're tired and need their
+rest," came the perturbed tone again. After that the voices and the
+footsteps went up the hill again, and the Happy Family breathed freer.
+Incidentally, Pink stopped snoring and made a cigarette.
+
+Going to bed at seven-thirty or thereabouts was not the custom of the
+Happy Family, but they stayed under the covers and smoked and
+discussed the situation. They dared not have a light, and the night
+was longer than they had ever known a night to be, for it was late
+before they slept. It was well that Miss Verbena Martin could not
+overhear their talk, which was unchivalrous and unfriendly in the
+extreme. The general opinion seemed to be that old maid improvers
+would better stay at home where they might possibly be welcome, and
+that when the Happy Family wanted improving they would let her know.
+Cal Emmett said that he wouldn't mind, if they had only sent a young,
+pretty one. Happy Jack prophesied plenty of trouble, and boasted that
+she couldn't haul _him_ into no s'ciety. Slim declared again that by
+golly, she wouldn't do no improving on _him_, and the others--Weary
+and Irish and Pink and Jack Bates and Andy--discussed ways and means
+and failed always to agree. When each one hoots derision at all plans
+but his own, it is easy guessing what will be the result. In this
+particular instance the result was voices raised in argument--voices
+that reached Chip, grinning and listening on the porch of the White
+House--and tardy slumber overtaking a disgruntled Happy Family on the
+brink of violence.
+
+It was not a particularly happy Family that woke to memory and a snowy
+Sunday; woke late, because of the disturbing evening. When they spoke
+to one another their voices were but growls, and when they trailed
+through the snow to their breakfast they went in moody silence.
+
+They had just brightened a bit before Patsy's Sunday breakfast, which
+included hot-cakes and maple syrup, when the door was pushed quietly
+open and the Little Doctor came in, followed closely by Miss Martin;
+an apologetic Little Doctor, who seemed, by her very manner of
+entering, to implore them not to blame _her_ for the intrusion. Miss
+Martin was not apologetic. She was disconcertingly eager and glad to
+meet them, and pathetically anxious to win their favor.
+
+Miss Martin talked, and the Happy Family ate hurriedly and with
+lowered eyelids. Miss Martin asked questions, and the Happy Family
+kicked one another's shins under the table by way of urging someone to
+reply; for this reason there was a quite perceptible pause between
+question and answer, and the answer was invariably "the soul of
+wit"--according to that famous recipe. Miss Martin told them naively
+all about her hopes and her plans and herself, and about the distant
+woman's club that took so great an interest in their welfare, and the
+Happy Family listened dejectedly and tried to be polite. Also, they
+did not relish the hot-cakes as usual, and Patsy had half the batter
+left when the meal was over, instead of being obliged to mix more, as
+was usually the case.
+
+When they had eaten, the Happy Family filed out decorously and went
+hastily down to the stables. They did not say much, but they did
+glance over their shoulders uneasily once or twice.
+
+"The old girl is sure hot on our trail," Pink remarked when they were
+safely through the big gate. "She must uh got us mixed up with some
+Wild West show, in her mind. Josephine!"
+
+"Well, by golly, she don't improve _me_," Slim repeated for about the
+tenth time.
+
+The horses were all fed and everything tidy for the day, and several
+saddles were being hauled down significantly from their pegs, when
+Irish delivered himself of a speech, short but to the point. Irish had
+been very quiet and had taken no part in the discussion that had waxed
+hot all that morning.
+
+"Now, see here," he said in his decided way. "Maybe it didn't strike
+you as anything but funny--which it sure is. But yuh want to remember
+that the old girl has come a dickens of a long ways to do us some
+good. She's been laying awake nights thinking about how we'll get to
+calling her something nice: Angel of the Roundup, maybe--you can't
+tell, she's that romantic. And right here is where I'm going to give
+the old girl the worth of her money. It won't hurt _us_, letting her
+talk wild and foolish at us once a week, maybe; and the poor old
+thing'll just be tickled to death thinking what a lot uh good she's
+doing. She won't stay long, and--well, I go in. If she'll feel better
+and more good to the world improving me, she's got my permission. I
+guess I can stand it a while."
+
+The Happy Family looked at him queerly, for if there was a black sheep
+in the flock, Irish was certainly the man; and to have Irish take the
+stand he did was, to say the least, unexpected.
+
+Cal Emmett blurted the real cause of their astonishment. "You'll have
+to sign the pledge, first pass," he said. "That's going to be the ante
+in _her_ game. How--"
+
+"Well, I don't play nobody's hand, or stake anybody's chips, but my
+own," Irish retorted, the blood showing under the tan on his cheeks.
+
+"And we won't das't roll a cigarette, even, by golly!" reminded Slim.
+For Miss Martin, whether intentionally or not, had made plain to them
+the platform of the new society.
+
+Irish got some deep creases between his eyebrows, and put back his
+saddle. "You can do as yuh like," he said, coldly. "I'm going to stay
+and go to meeting this afternoon, according to her invite. If it's
+going to make that poor old freak feel any better thinking she's a
+real missionary--" He turned and walked out of the stable without
+finishing the sentence, and the Happy Family stood quite still and
+watched him go.
+
+Pink it was who first spoke. "I ain't the boy to let any long-legged
+son-of-a-gun like Irish hit a gait I can't follow," he dimpled, and
+took the saddle reluctantly off Toots. "If he can stand it, I guess I
+can."
+
+Weary loosened his latigo. "If Cadwolloper is going to learn poetry, I
+will, too," he grinned. "Mama! it'll be good as a three-ringed circus!
+I never thought uh that, before. I couldn't miss it."
+
+"Oh, well, if you fellows take a hand, I'll sure have to be there to
+see," Andy decided. "Two o'clock, did she say?"
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+"I hate to be called a quitter," Pink remarked dispiritedly to the
+Happy Family in general; a harassed looking Happy Family, which sat
+around and said little, and watched the clock. In an hour they would
+be due to attend the second meeting of the M.I.S.S.--and one would
+think, from the look of them, that they were about to be hanged. "I
+hate to be called a quitter, but right here's where I lay 'em down.
+The rest of yuh can go on being improved, if yuh want to--darned if I
+will, though. I'm all in."
+
+"I don't recollect hearing anybody say we wanted to," growled Jack
+Bates. "Irish, maybe, is still burning with a desire to be nice and
+chivalrous; but you can count me out. One dose is about all I can
+stand."
+
+"By golly, I wouldn't go and feel that foolish again, not if yuh paid
+me for it," Slim declared.
+
+Irish grinned and reached for his hat. "I done my damnettest," he said
+cheerfully. "I made the old girl happy once; now, one Irish Mallory is
+due to have a little joy coming his way. I'm going to town."
+
+    "'Break, break, break, on thy cold, gray crags, oh sea,
+    And I would that my tongue could utter the thoughts that come over me.'
+
+"You will observe, gentlemen, the beautiful sentiment, the euphonious
+rhythm, the noble--" Weary went down, still declaiming mincingly,
+beneath four irate bodies that hurled themselves toward him and upon
+him.
+
+"We'll break, break, break every bone in your body if you don't shut
+up. You will observe the beautiful sentiment of _that_ a while," cried
+Pink viciously. "I've had the euphonious rhythm of my sleep broke up
+ever since I set there and listened at her for two hours. Josephine!"
+
+Irish stopped with his hand on the door knob. "I was the jay that
+started it," he admitted contritely. "But, honest, I never had a hunch
+she was plumb locoed; I thought she was just simply foolish. Come on
+to town, boys!"
+
+Such is the power of suggestion that in fifteen minutes the Happy
+Family had passed out of sight over the top of the grade; all save
+Andy Green, who told them he would be along after a while, and that
+they need not wait. He looked at the clock, smoked a meditative
+cigarette and went up to the White House, to attend the second meeting
+of the Mutual Improvement and Social Society.
+
+When he faced alone Miss Verbena Martin, and explained that the other
+members were unavoidably absent because they had a grudge against a
+man in Dry Lake and had gone in to lynch him and burn the town, Miss
+Martin was shocked into postponing the meeting. Andy said he was glad,
+because he wanted to go in and see the fight; undoubtedly, he assured
+her, there would be a fight, and probably a few of them would get
+killed off. He reminded her that he had told her right in the start
+that they were a bad lot, and that she would have hard work reforming
+them; and finally, he made her promise that she would not mention to
+anyone what he had told her, because it wouldn't be safe for him, or
+for her, if they ever got to hear of it. After that Andy also took the
+trail to town, and he went at a gallop and smiled as he rode.
+
+Miss Martin reflected shudderingly upon the awful details of the
+crime, as hinted at by Andy, and packed her trunk. It might be brave
+and noble to stay and work among all those savages, but she doubted
+much whether it were after all her duty. She thought of many ways in
+which she could do more real good nearer home. She had felt all along
+that these cowboys were an untrustworthy lot; she had noticed them
+glancing at one another in a secret and treacherous manner, all
+through the last meeting, and she was positive they had not given her
+that full confidence without which no good can be accomplished. That
+fellow they called Happy looked capable of almost any crime; she had
+never felt quite safe in his presence.
+
+Miss Martin pictured them howling and dancing around the burning
+dwellings of their enemies, shooting every one they could see; Miss
+Martin had imagination, of a sort. But while she pictured the horrors
+of an Indian massacre she continued to pack her suit-case and to
+consult often her watch. When she could do no more it occurred to her
+that she would better see if someone could take her to the station.
+Fortunately for all concerned, somebody could. One might go further
+and say that somebody was quite willing to strain a point, even, in
+order to get her there in time for the next train.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+The Happy Family was gathered in Rusty Brown's place, watching Irish
+do things to a sheep-man from Lonesome Prairie, in a game of pool.
+They were just giving vent to a prolonged whoop of derision at the
+sheep-man's play, when a rig flashed by the window. Weary stopped with
+his mouth wide open and stared; leaned to the window and craned to see
+more clearly.
+
+"Mama mine!" he ejaculated incredulously. "I could swear I saw Miss
+Verbena in that rig, with her trunk, and headed towards the depot.
+Feel my pulse, Cadwolloper, and see if I'm normal."
+
+But Pink was on his way to the back door, and from there climbed like
+a cat to the roof of the coal-house, where, as he knew from
+experience, one could see the trail to the depot, and the depot
+itself.
+
+"It's sure her," he announced. "Chip's driving like hell, and the
+smoke uh the train's just coming around the bend from the big field.
+Wonder what struck her so sudden?" He turned and looked down into the
+grinning face of Andy Green.
+
+"She was real insulted because you fellows played hookey," Andy
+explained. "I tried to explain, but it didn't help none. I don't
+believe her heart went out to us like she claimed, anyhow."
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+
+
+HAPPY JACK, WILD MAN.
+
+
+Happy Jack, over on the Shonkin range, saw how far it was to the river
+and mopped the heat-crimsoned face of him with a handkerchief not
+quite as clean as it might have been. He hoped that the Flying U
+wagons would be where he had estimated that they would be; for he was
+aweary of riding with a strange outfit, where his little personal
+peculiarities failed to meet with that large tolerance accorded by the
+Happy Family. He didn't think much of the Shonkin crew; grangers and
+pilgrims, he called them disgustedly in his mind. He hoped the Old Man
+would not send him on that long trip with them south of the
+Highwoods--which is what he was on his way to find out about. What
+Happy Jack was hoping for, was to have the Old Man--as represented by
+Chip--send one of the boys back with him to bring over what Flying U
+cattle had been gathered, together with Happy's bed and string of
+horses. Then he would ride with the Happy Family on the familiar range
+that was better, in his eyes, than any other range that ever lay
+outdoors--and the Shonkin outfit could go to granny. (Happy did not,
+however, say "granny").
+
+He turned down the head of a coulee which promised to lead him, by the
+most direct route--if any route in the Badlands can be called
+direct--to the river, across which, and a few miles up on Suction
+Creek, he confidently expected to find the Flying U wagons. The coulee
+wound aimlessly, with precipitous sides that he could not climb, even
+by leading his horse. Happy Jack, under the sweltering heat of
+mid-June sunlight, once more mopped his face, now more crimson than
+ever, and relapsed into his habitual gloom. Just when he was telling
+himself pessimistically that the chances were he would run slap out on
+a cut bank where he couldn't get down to the river at all, the coulee
+turned again and showed the gray-blue water slithering coolly past,
+with the far bank green and sloping invitingly.
+
+The horse hurried forward at a shuffling trot and thrust his hot
+muzzle into the delicious coolness. Happy Jack slipped off and, lying
+flat on his stomach, up-stream from the horse, drank deep and long,
+then stood up, wiped his face and considered the necessity of
+crossing. Just at this point the river was not so wide as in others,
+and for that reason the current flowed swiftly past. Not too swiftly,
+however, if one took certain precautions. Happy Jack measured mentally
+the strength of the current and the proper amount of caution which it
+would be expedient to use, and began his preparations; for the sun was
+sliding down hill toward the western skyline, and he wished very much
+to reach the wagons in time for supper, if he could.
+
+Standing in the shade of the coulee wall, he undressed deliberately,
+folding each garment methodically as he took it off. When the pile was
+complete to socks and boots, he rolled it into a compact bundle and
+tied it firmly upon his saddle. Stranger, his horse, was a good
+swimmer, and always swam high out of water. He hoped the things would
+not get very wet; still, the current was strong, and his
+characteristic pessimism suggested that they would be soaked to the
+last thread. So, naked as our first ancestor, he urged his horse into
+the stream, and when it was too deep for kicking--Stranger was ever
+uncertain and not to be trusted too far--he caught him firmly by the
+tail and felt the current grip them both. The feel of the water was
+glorious after so long a ride in the hot sun, and Happy Jack reveled
+in the cool swash of it up his shoulders to the back of his neck, as
+Stranger swam out and across to the sloping, green bank on the home
+side. When his feet struck bottom, Happy Jack should have waded
+also--but the water was so deliciously cool, slapping high up on his
+shoulders like that; he still floated luxuriously, towed by
+Stranger--until Stranger, his footing secure, glanced back at Happy
+sliding behind like a big, red fish, snorted and plunged up and on to
+dry land.
+
+Happy Jack struck his feet down to bottom, stumbled and let go his
+hold of the tail, and Stranger, feeling the weight loosen suddenly,
+gave another plunge and went careering up the bank, snorting back at
+Happy Jack. Happy swore, waded out and made threats, but Stranger,
+seeing himself pursued by a strange figure whose only resemblance to
+his master lay in voice and profanity, fled in terror before him.
+
+Happy Jack, crippling painfully on the stones, fled fruitlessly after,
+still shouting threats. Then, as Stranger, galloping wildly,
+disappeared over a ridge, he stood and stared stupidly at the place
+where the horse had last been seen. For the moment his mind refused to
+grasp all the horror of his position; he stepped gingerly over the hot
+sand and rocks, sought the shelter of a bit of overhanging bank, and
+sat dazedly down upon a rock too warm for comfort. He shifted uneasily
+to the sand beside, found that still hotter, and returned to the rock.
+
+He needed to think; to grasp this disaster that had come so suddenly
+upon him. He looked moodily across to the southern bank, his chin
+sunken between moist palms, the while the water dried upon his person.
+To be set afoot, down here in the Badlands, away from the habitations
+of men and fifteen miles from the probable location of the Flying U
+camp, was not nice. To be set afoot _naked_--it was horrible, and
+unbelievable. He thought of tramping, barefooted and bare-legged,
+through fifteen miles of sage-covered Badlands to camp, with the sun
+beating down on his unprotected back, and groaned in anticipation. Not
+even his pessimism had ever pictured a thing so terrible.
+
+He gazed at the gray-blue river which had caused this trouble that he
+must face, and forgetting the luxury of its coolness, cursed it
+venomously. Little waves washed up on the pebbly bank, and glinted in
+the sun while they whispered mocking things to him. Happy Jack gave
+over swearing at the river, and turned his wrath upon Stranger--Stranger,
+hurtling along somewhere through the breaks, with all Happy's clothes
+tied firmly to the saddle. Happy Jack sighed lugubriously when he
+remembered how firmly. A fleeting hope that, if he followed the trail
+of Stranger, he might glean a garment or two that had slipped loose,
+died almost before it lived. Happy Jack knew too well the kind of
+knots he always tied. His favorite boast that nothing ever worked
+loose on his saddle, came back now to mock him with its absolute
+truth.
+
+The sun, dropping a bit lower, robbed him inch by inch of the shade to
+which he clung foolishly. He hunched himself into as small a space as
+his big frame would permit, and hung his hat upon his knees where they
+stuck out into the sunlight. It was very hot, and his position was
+cramped, but he would not go yet; he was still thinking--and the brain
+of Happy Jack worked ever slowly. In such an unheard-of predicament he
+felt dimly that he had need of much thought.
+
+When not even his hat could shield him from the sun glare, he got up
+and went nipping awkwardly over the hot beach. He was going into the
+next river-bottom--wherever that was--on the chance of finding a
+cow-camp, or some cabin where he could, by some means, clothe himself.
+He did not like the idea of facing the Happy Family in his present
+condition; he knew the Happy Family. Perhaps he might find someone
+living down here next the river. He hoped so--for Happy Jack, when
+things were so bad they could not well be worse, was forced to give
+over the prediction of further evil, and pursue blindly the faintest
+whisper of hope. He got up on the bank, where the grass was kinder to
+his unaccustomed feet than were the hot stones below, and hurried away
+with his back to the sun, that scorched him cruelly.
+
+In the next bottom--and he was long getting to it--the sage brush grew
+dishearteningly thick. Happy began to be afraid of snakes. He went
+slowly, stepping painfully where the ground seemed smoothest; he never
+could walk fifteen miles in his bare feet, he owned dismally to
+himself. His only hope lay in getting clothes.
+
+Halfway down the bottom, he joyfully came upon a camp, but it had long
+been deserted; from the low, tumble-down corrals, and the unmistakable
+atmosphere of the place, Happy Jack knew it for a sheep camp. But
+nothing save the musty odor and the bare cabin walls seemed to have
+been left behind. He searched gloomily, thankful for the brief shade
+the cabin offered. Then, tossed up on the rafters and forgotten, he
+discovered a couple of dried sheep pelts, untanned and stiff, almost,
+as shingles. Still, they were better than nothing, and he grinned in
+sickly fashion at the find.
+
+Realizing, in much pain, that some protection for his feet was an
+absolute necessity, he tore a pelt in two for sandals. Much search
+resulted in the discovery of a bit of rotted rope, which he unraveled
+and thereby bound a piece of sheepskin upon each bruised foot. They
+were not pretty, but they answered the purpose. The other pelt he
+disposed of easily by tying the two front legs together around his
+neck and letting the pelt hang down his back as far as it would reach.
+There being nothing more that he could do in the way of
+self-adornment, Happy Jack went out again into the hot afternoon. At
+his best, Happy Jack could never truthfully be called handsome; just
+now, clothed inadequately in gray Stetson hat and two meager
+sheepskins, he looked scarce human.
+
+Cheered a bit, he set out sturdily over the hills toward the mouth of
+Suction Creek. The Happy Family would make all kinds of fools of
+themselves, he supposed, if he showed up like this; but he might not
+be obliged to appear before them in his present state of undress; he
+might strike some other camp, first. Happy Jack was still forced to be
+hopeful. He quite counted on striking another camp before reaching the
+wagons of the Flying U.
+
+The sun slid farther and farther toward the western rim of tumbled
+ridges as Happy Jack, in his strange raiment, plodded laboriously to
+the north. The mantle he was forced to shift constantly into a new
+position as the sun's rays burned deep a new place, or the stiff hide
+galled his blistered shoulders. The sandals did better, except that
+the rotten strands of rope were continually wearing through on the
+bottom, so that he must stop and tie fresh knots, or replace the bit
+from the scant surplus which he had prudently brought along.
+
+Till sundown he climbed toilfully up the steep hills and then
+scrambled as toilfully into the coulees, taking the straightest course
+he knew for the mouth of Suction Creek; that, as a last resort, while
+he watched keenly for the white flake against green which would tell
+of a tent pitched there in the wilderness. He was hungry--when he
+forgot other discomforts long enough to think of it. Worst, perhaps,
+was the way in which the gaunt sage brush scratched his unclothed legs
+when he was compelled to cross a patch on some coulee bottom. Happy
+Jack swore a great deal, in those long, heat-laden hours, and never
+did he so completely belie the name men had in sarcasm given him.
+
+Just when he was given over to the most gloomy forebodings, a white
+square stood out for a moment sharply against a background of pines,
+far below him in a coulee where the sun was peering fleetingly before
+it dove out of sight over a hill. Happy Jack--of a truth, the most
+unhappy Jack one could find, though he searched far and long--stood
+still and eyed the white patch critically. There was only the one; but
+another might be hidden in the trees. Still, there was no herd grazing
+anywhere in the coulee, and no jingle of cavvy bells came to his ears,
+though he listened long. He was sure that it was not the camp of the
+Flying U, where he would be ministered unto faithfully, to be sure,
+yet where the ministrations would be mingled with much wit-sharpened
+raillery harder even to bear than was his present condition of
+sun-blisters and scratches. He thanked the Lord in sincere if
+unorthodox terms, and went down the hill in long, ungraceful strides.
+
+It was far down that hill, and it was farther across the coulee. Each
+step grew more wearisome to Happy Jack, unaccustomed as he was to
+using his own feet as a mode of travel. But away in the edge of the
+pine grove were food and raiment, and a shelter from the night that
+was creeping down on him with the hurried stealth of a mountain lion
+after its quarry. He shifted the sheepskin mantle for the thousandth
+time; this time he untied it from his galled shoulders and festooned
+it modestly if unbecomingly about his middle.
+
+Feeling sure of the unfailing hospitality of the rangeland, be the
+tent-dweller whom he might, Happy Jack walked boldly through the soft,
+spring twilight that lasts long in Montana, and up to the very door of
+the tent. A figure--a female figure--slender and topped by thin face
+and eyes sheltered behind glasses, rose up, gazed upon him in horror,
+shrieked till one could hear her a mile, and fell backward into the
+tent. Another female figure appeared, looked, and shrieked also--and
+even louder than did the first. Happy Jack, with a squawk of dismay,
+turned and flew incontinently afar into the dusk. A man's voice he
+heard, shouting inquiry; another, shouting what, from a distance,
+sounded like threats. Happy Jack did not wait to make sure; he ran
+blindly, until he brought up in a patch of prickly-pear, at which he
+yelled, forgetting for the instant that he was pursued. Somehow he
+floundered out and away from the torture of the stinging spines, and
+took to the hills. A moon, big as the mouth of a barrel, climbed over
+a ridge and betrayed him to the men searching below, and they shouted
+and fired a gun. Happy Jack did not believe they could shoot very
+straight, but he was in no mood to take chances; he sought refuge
+among a jumble of great, gray bowlders; sat himself down in the shadow
+and caressed gingerly the places where the prickly-pear had punctured
+his skin, and gave himself riotously over to blasphemy.
+
+The men below were prowling half-heartedly, it seemed to him--as if
+they were afraid of running upon him too suddenly. It came to him that
+they were afraid of him--and he grinned feebly at the joke. He had not
+before stopped to consider his appearance, being concerned with more
+important matters. Now, however, as he pulled the scant covering of
+the pelt over his shoulders to keep off the chill of the night, he
+could not wonder that the woman at the tent had fainted. Happy Jack
+suspected shrewdly that he could, in that rig, startle almost any one.
+
+He watched the coulee wistfully. They were making fires, down there
+below him; great, revealing bonfires at intervals that would make it
+impossible to pass their line unseen. He could not doubt that some one
+was _cached_ in the shadows with a gun. There were more than two men;
+Happy Jack thought that there must be at least four or five. He would
+have liked to go down, just out of gun range, and shout explanations
+and a request for some clothes--only for the women. Happy was always
+ill at ease in the presence of strange women, and he felt, just now,
+quite unequal to the ordeal of facing those two. He sat huddled in the
+shadow of a rock and wished profanely that women would stay at home
+and not go camping out in the Badlands, where their presence was
+distinctly inappropriate and undesirable. If the men down there were
+alone, he felt sure that he could make them understand. Seeing they
+were not alone, however, he stayed where he was and watched the fires,
+while his teeth chattered with cold and his stomach ached with the
+hunger he could not appease.
+
+Till daylight he sat there unhappily and watched the unwinking
+challenge of the flames below, and miserably wished himself elsewhere;
+even the jibes of the Happy Family would be endurable, so long as he
+had the comfort afforded by the Flying U camp. But that was miles
+away. And when daylight brought warmth and returning courage, he went
+so far as to wish the Flying U camp farther away than it probably was.
+He wanted to get somewhere, and ask help from strangers rather than
+those he knew best.
+
+With that idea fixed in his mind, he got stiffly to his bruised feet,
+readjusted the sheepskin and began wearily to climb higher. When the
+sun tinged all the hilltops golden yellow, he turned and shook his
+fist impotently at the camp far beneath him. Then he went on doggedly.
+
+Standing at last on a high peak, he looked away toward the sunrise and
+made out a white speck on a grassy side-hill; beside it, a gray square
+moved slowly over the green. Sheep, and a sheep camp--and Happy Jack,
+hater of sheep though he was, hailed the sight as a bit of rare good
+luck. His spirits rose immediately, and he started straight for the
+place.
+
+Down in the next coulee--there were always coulees to cross, no matter
+in what direction one would travel--he came near running plump into
+three riders, who were Irish Mallory, and Weary, and Pink. They were
+riding down from the direction of the camp where were the women, and
+they caught sight of him immediately and gave chase. Happy Jack had no
+mind to be rounded up by that trio; he dodged into the bushes, and
+though they dug long, unmerciful scratches in his person, clung to the
+shelter they gave and made off at top speed. He could hear the others
+shouting at one another as they galloped here and there trying to
+locate him, and he skulked where the bushes were deepest, like a
+criminal in fear of lynching.
+
+Luck, for once, was with him, and he got out into another
+brush-fringed coulee without being seen, and felt himself, for the
+present, safe from that portion of the Happy Family. Thereafter he
+avoided religiously the higher ridges, and kept the direction more by
+instinct than by actual knowledge. The sun grew hot again and he
+hurried on, shifting the sheepskin as the need impressed.
+
+When at last he sighted again the sheep, they were very close. Happy
+Jack grew cautious; he crept down upon the unsuspecting herder as
+stealthily as an animal hunting its breakfast. Herders sometimes carry
+guns--and the experience of last night burned hot in his memory.
+
+Slipping warily from rock to rock, he was within a dozen feet, when a
+dog barked and betrayed his presence. The herder did not have a gun.
+He gave a yell of pure terror and started for camp after his weapon.
+Happy Jack, yelling also, with long leaps followed after. Twice the
+herder looked over his shoulder at the weird figure in gray hat and
+flapping sheepskin, and immediately after each glance his pace
+increased perceptibly. Still Happy Jack, desperate beyond measure,
+doggedly pursued, and his long legs lessened at each jump the distance
+between. From a spectacular viewpoint, it must have been a pretty
+race.
+
+The herder, with a gasp, dove into the tent; into the tent Happy Jack
+dove after him--and none too soon. The hand of the herder had almost
+clasped his rifle when the weight of Happy bore him shrieking to the
+earthen floor.
+
+"Aw, yuh locoed old fool, shut up, can't yuh, a minute?" Happy Jack,
+with his fingers pressed against the windpipe of the other, had the
+satisfaction of seeing his request granted at once. The shrieks died
+to mere gurgling. "What I want uh _you_," Happy went on crossly,
+"ain't your lifeblood, yuh dam' Swede idiot. I want some clothes, and
+some grub; and I want to borry that pinto I seen picketed out in the
+hollow, down there. Now, will yuh let up that yelling and act white,
+or must I pound some p'liteness into yuh? Say!"
+
+"By damn, Ay tank yo' vas got soom crazy," apologized the herder
+humbly, sanity growing in his pale blue eyes. "Ay tank--"
+
+"Oh, I don't give a cuss what you _tank_," Happy Jack cut in. "I ain't
+had anything to eat sence yesterday forenoon, and I ain't had any
+clothes on sence yesterday, either. Send them darn dogs back to watch
+your sheep, and get busy with breakfast! I've got a lot to do, t'-day.
+I've got to round up my horse and get my clothes that's tied to the
+saddle, and get t' where I'm going. Get up, darn yuh! I ain't going t'
+eat yuh--not unless you're too slow with that grub."
+
+The herder was submissive and placating, and permitted Happy Jack to
+appropriate the conventional garb of a male human, the while coffee
+and bacon were maddening his hunger with their tantalizing odor. He
+seemed much more at ease, once he saw that Happy Jack, properly
+clothed, was not particularly fearsome to look upon, and talked
+volubly while he got out bread and stewed prunes and boiled beans for
+the thrice-unexpected guest.
+
+Happy Jack, clothed and fed, became himself again and prophesied
+gloomily: "The chances is, that horse uh mine'll be forty miles away
+and still going, by this time; but soon as I can round him up, I'll
+bring your pinto back. Yuh needn't t' worry none; I guess I got all
+the sense I've ever had."
+
+Once more astride a horse--albeit the pinto pony of a
+sheepherder--Happy Jack felt abundantly able to cope with the
+situation. He made a detour that put him far from where the three he
+most dreaded to meet were apt to be, and struck out at the pinto's
+best pace for the river at the point where he had crossed so
+disastrously the day before.
+
+Having a good memory for directions and localities, he easily found
+the place of unhappy memory; and taking up Stranger's trail through
+the sand from there, he got the general direction of his flight and
+followed vengefully after; rode for an hour up a long, grassy coulee,
+and came suddenly upon the fugitive feeding quietly beside a spring.
+The bundle of clothing was still tied firmly to the saddle, and at
+sight of it the face of Happy Jack relaxed somewhat from its gloom.
+
+When Happy rode up and cast a loop over his head Stranger nickered a
+bit, as if he did not much enjoy freedom while he yet bore the
+trappings of servitude. And his submission was so instant and
+voluntary that Happy Jack had not the heart to do as he had threatened
+many times in the last few hours--"to beat the hide off him." Instead,
+he got hastily into his clothes--quite as if he feared they might
+again be whisked away from him--and then rubbed forgivingly the nose
+of Stranger, and solicitously pulled a few strands of his forelock
+from under the brow-band. In the heart of Happy Jack was a great
+peace, marred only by the physical discomforts of much sun-blister and
+many deep scratches. After that he got thankfully into his own saddle
+and rode gladly away, leading the pinto pony behind him. He had got
+out of the scrape, and the Happy Family would never find it out; it
+was not likely that they would chance upon the Swede herder, or if
+they did, that they would exchange with him many words. The Happy
+Family held itself physically, mentally, morally and socially far
+above sheepherders--and in that lay the safety of Happy Jack.
+
+It was nearly noon when he reached again the sheep camp, and the Swede
+hospitably urged him to stay and eat with him; but Happy Jack would
+not tarry, for he was anxious to reach the camp of the Flying U. A
+mile from the herder's camp he saw again on a distant hilltop three
+familiar figures. This time he did not dodge into shelter, but urged
+Stranger to a gallop and rode boldly toward them. They greeted him
+joyfully and at the top of their voices when he came within shouting
+distance.
+
+"How comes it you're riding the pinnacles over here?" Weary wanted to
+know, as soon as he rode alongside.
+
+"Aw, I just came over after more orders; hope they send somebody else
+over there, if they want any more repping done," Happy Jack said, in
+his customary tone of discontent with circumstances.
+
+"Say! Yuh didn't see anything of a wild man, down next the river, did
+yuh?" put in Pink.
+
+"Aw, gwan! what wild man?" Happy Jack eyed them suspiciously.
+
+"Honest, there's a wild man ranging around here in these hills," Pink
+declared. "We've been mooching around all forenoon, hunting him. Got
+sight of him, early this morning, but he got away in the brush."
+
+Happy Jack looked guilty, and even more suspicious. Was it possible
+that they had recognized him?
+
+"The way we come to hear about him," Weary explained, "we happened
+across some campers, over in a little coulee to the west uh here. They
+was all worked up over him. Seems he went into camp last night, and
+like to scared the ladies into fits. He ain't got enough clothes on to
+flag an antelope, according to them, and he's about seven feet high,
+and looks more like a missing link than a plain, ordinary man. The one
+that didn't faint away got the best look at him, and she's ready to
+take oath he ain't more'n half human. They kept fires burning all
+night to scare him out uh the coulee, and they're going to break camp
+to-day and hike for home. They say he give a screech that'd put a
+crimp in the devil himself, and went galloping off, jumping about
+twenty feet at a lick. And--"
+
+"Aw, gwan!" protested Happy Jack, feebly.
+
+"So help me Josephine, it's the truth," abetted Pink, round-eyed and
+unmistakably in earnest. "We wouldn't uh taken much stock in it,
+either, only we saw him ourselves, not more than two hundred yards
+off. He was just over the hill from the coulee where they were camped,
+so it's bound to be the same animal. It's a fact, he didn't have much
+covering--just something hung over his shoulders. And he was sure
+wild, for soon as he seen us he humped himself and got into the brush.
+We could hear him go crashing away like a whole bunch of elephants.
+It's a damn' shame he got away on us," Pink sighed regretfully. "We
+was going to rope him and put him in a cage; we could sure uh made
+money on him, at two bits a look."
+
+Happy Jack continued to eye the three distrustfully. Too often had he
+been the victim of their humor for him now to believe implicitly in
+their ignorance. It was too good to be real, it seemed to him. Still,
+if by any good luck it _were_ real, he hated to think what would
+happen if they ever found out the truth. He eased the clothing
+cautiously away from his smarting back, and stared hard into a coulee.
+
+"It was likely some sheepherder gone clean nutty," mused Irish.
+
+"Well, the most uh them wouldn't have far to go," ventured Happy Jack,
+thinking of the Swede.
+
+"What we ought to do," said Pink, keen for the chase, "is for the
+whole bunch of us to come down here and round him up. Wonder if we
+couldn't talk Chip into laying off for a day or so; there's no herd to
+hold. I sure would like to get a good look at him."
+
+"Somebody ought to take him in," observed Irish longingly. "He ain't
+safe, running around loose like that. There's no telling what he might
+do. The way them campers read his brand, he's plumb dangerous to meet
+up with alone. It's lucky you didn't run onto him, Happy."
+
+"Well, I didn't," growled Happy Jack. "And what's more, I betche there
+ain't any such person."
+
+"Don't call us liars to our faces, Happy," Weary reproved. "We told
+yuh, a dozen times, that we saw him ourselves. Yuh might be polite
+enough to take our word for it."
+
+"Aw, gwan!" Happy Jack grunted, still not quite sure of how much--or
+how little--they knew. While they discussed further the wild man, he
+watched furtively for the surreptitious lowering of lids that would
+betray their insincerity. When they appealed to him for an opinion of
+some phase of the subject, he answered with caution. He tried to turn
+the talk to his experiences on the Shonkin range, and found the wild
+man cropping up with disheartening persistency. He shifted often in
+the saddle, because of the deep sunburns which smarted continually and
+maddeningly. He wondered if the boys had used all of that big box of
+carbolic salve which used to be kept in a corner of the mess-box; and
+was carbolic salve good for sun-blisters? He told himself gloomily
+that if there was any of it left, and if it were good for his ailment,
+there wouldn't be half enough of it, anyway. He estimated unhappily
+that he would need about two quarts.
+
+When they reached camp, the welcome of Happy Jack was overshadowed and
+made insignificant by the strange story of the wild man. Happy Jack,
+mentally and physically miserable, was forced to hear it all told over
+again, and to listen to the excited comments of the others. He was
+sick of the subject. He had heard enough about the wild man, and he
+wished fervently that they would shut up about it. He couldn't see
+that it was anything to make such a fuss about, anyway. And he wished
+he could get his hands on that carbolic salve, without having the
+whole bunch rubbering around and asking questions about something that
+was none of their business. He even wished, in that first bitter hour
+after he had eaten and while they were lying idly in the shady spots,
+that he was back on the Shonkin range with an alien crew.
+
+It was perhaps an hour later that Pink, always of an investigative
+turn of mind, came slipping quietly up through the rose bushes from
+the creek. The Happy Family, lying luxuriously upon the grass, were
+still discussing the latest excitement. Pink watched his chance and
+when none but Weary observed him jerked his head mysteriously toward
+the creek.
+
+Weary got up, yawned ostentatiously, and sauntered away in the wake of
+Pink. "What's the matter, Cadwolloper?" he asked, when he was close
+enough. "Seen a garter snake?" Pink was notoriously afraid of snakes.
+
+"You come with me, and I'll show yuh the wild man," he grinned.
+
+"Mama!" ejaculated Weary, and followed stealthily where Pink led.
+
+Some distance up the creek Pink signalled caution, and they crept like
+Indians on hands and knees through the grass. On the edge of the high
+bank they stopped, and Pink motioned. Weary looked over and came near
+whooping at the sight below. He gazed a minute, drew back and put his
+face close to the face of Pink.
+
+"Cadwolloper, go get the bunch!" he commanded in a whisper, and Pink,
+again signalling needlessly for silence, slipped hastily away from the
+spot.
+
+Happy Jack, secure in the seclusion offered by the high bank of the
+creek, ran his finger regretfully around the inside of the carbolic
+salve box, eyed the result dissatisfiedly, and applied the finger
+carefully to a deep cut on his knee. He had got that cut while going
+up the bluff, just after leaving the tent where had been the shrieking
+females. He wished there was more salve, and he picked up the cover of
+the box and painstakingly wiped out the inside; the result was
+disheartening.
+
+He examined his knee dolefully. It was beginning to look inflamed, and
+it was going to make him limp. He wondered if the boys would notice
+anything queer about his walk. If they did, there was the conventional
+excuse that his horse had fallen down with him--Happy Jack hoped that
+it would be convincing. He took up the box again and looked at the
+shining emptiness of it. It had been half full--not enough, by a long
+way--and maybe some one would wonder what had become of it. Darn a
+bunch that always had to know everything, anyway!
+
+Happy Jack, warned at last by that unnamed instinct which tells of a
+presence unseen, turned around and looked up apprehensively. The Happy
+Family, sitting in a row upon their heels on the bank, looked down at
+him gravely and appreciatively.
+
+"There's a can uh wagon dope, up at camp," Cal Emmett informed him
+sympathetically.
+
+"Aw--" Happy Jack began, and choked upon his humiliation.
+
+"I used to know a piece uh poetry about a fellow like Happy," Weary
+remarked sweetly. "It said
+
+    _'He raised his veil, the maid turned slowly round_
+    _Looked at him, shrieked, and fell upon the ground.'_
+
+Only, in this case," Weary smiled blandly down upon him, "Happy didn't
+have no veil."
+
+"Aw, gwan!" adjured Happy Jack helplessly, and reached for his
+clothes, while the Happy Family chorused a demand for explanations.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+
+
+A TAMER OF WILD ONES.
+
+
+When the days grow crisp at each end and languorous in the middle;
+when a haze ripples the skyline like a waving ribbon of faded blue;
+when the winds and the grasses stop and listen for the first on-rush
+of winter, then it is that the rangeland takes on a certain
+intoxicating unreality, and range-wild blood leaps with desire to do
+something--anything, so it is different and irresponsible and not
+measured by precedent or prudence.
+
+In days like that one grows venturesome and ignores difficulties and
+limitations with a fine disregard for probable consequences, a mental
+snapping of fingers. On a day like that, the Happy Family, riding
+together out of Dry Lake with the latest news in mind and speech,
+urged Andy Green, tamer of wild ones, to enter the rough-riding
+contest exploited as one of the features of the Northern Montana Fair,
+to be held at Great Falls in two weeks. Pink could not enter, because
+a horse had fallen with him and hurt his leg, so that he was picking
+the gentlest in his string for daily riding. Weary would not, because
+he had promised his Little Schoolma'am to take care of himself and not
+take any useless risks; even the temptation of a two-hundred-dollar
+purse could not persuade him that a rough-riding contest is perfectly
+safe and without the ban. But Andy, impelled by the leaping blood of
+him and urged by the loyal Family, consented and said he'd try it a
+whirl, anyway.
+
+They had only ridden four or five miles when the decision was reached,
+and they straightway turned back and raced into Dry Lake again, so
+that Andy might write the letter that clinched matters. Then, whooping
+with the sheer exhilaration of living, and the exultation of being
+able to ride and whoop unhindered, they galloped back to camp and let
+the news spread as it would. In a week all Chouteau County knew that
+Andy Green would ride for the purse, and nearly all Chouteau County
+backed him with all the money it could command; certainly, all of it
+that knew Andy Green and had seen him ride, made haste to find someone
+who did not know him and whose faith in another contestant was strong,
+and to bet all the money it could lay hands upon.
+
+For Andy was one of those mild-mannered men whose genius runs to
+riding horses which object violently to being ridden; one of those
+lucky fellows who never seems to get his neck broken, however much he
+may jeopardize it; and, moreover, he was that rare genius, who can
+make a "pretty" ride where other broncho-fighters resemble nothing so
+much as a scarecrow in a cyclone. Andy not only could ride--he could
+ride gracefully. And the reason for that, not many knew: Andy, in the
+years before he wandered to the range, had danced, in spangled tights,
+upon the broad rump of a big gray horse which galloped around a
+saw-dust ring with the regularity of movement that suggested a
+machine, while a sober-clothed man in the center cracked a whip and
+yelped commands. Andy had jumped through blazing hoops and over
+sagging bunting while he rode--and he was just a trifle ashamed of the
+fact. Also--though it does not particularly matter--he had, later in
+the performance, gone hurtling around the big tent dressed in the garb
+of an ancient Roman and driving four deep-chested bays abreast. As has
+been explained, he never boasted of his circus experience; though his
+days in spangled tights probably had much to do with the inimitable
+grace of him in the saddle. The Happy Family felt to a man that Andy
+would win the purse and add honor to the Flying U in the winning. They
+were enthusiastic over the prospect and willing to bet all they had on
+the outcome.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+The Happy Family, together with the aliens who swelled the crew to
+round-up size, was foregathered at the largest Flying U corral,
+watching a bunch of newly bought horses circle, with much snorting and
+kicking up of dust, inside the fence. It was the interval between
+beef-and calf-roundups, and the witchery of Indian Summer held the
+range-land in thrall.
+
+Andy, sizing up the bunch and the brands, lighted upon a rangy blue
+roan that he knew--or thought he knew, and the eyes of him brightened
+with desire. If he could get that roan in his string, he told himself,
+he could go to sleep in the saddle on night-guard; for an easier horse
+to ride he never had straddled. It was like sitting in grandma's pet
+rocking chair when that roan loosened his muscles for a long, tireless
+gallop over the prairie sod, and as a stayer Andy had never seen his
+equal. It was not his turn to choose, however, and he held his breath
+lest the rope of another should settle over the slatey-black ears
+ahead of him.
+
+Cal Emmett roped a plump little black and led him out, grinning
+satisfaction; from the white saddle-marks back of the withers he knew
+him for a "broke" horse, and he certainly was pretty to look at. Andy
+gave him but a fleeting glance.
+
+Happy Jack spread his loop and climbed down from the fence, almost at
+Andy's elbow. It was his turn to choose. "I betche that there blue
+roan over there is a good one," he remarked. "I'm going to tackle
+him."
+
+Andy took his cigarette from between his lips. "Yuh better hobble your
+stirrups, then," he discouraged artfully. "I know that roan a heap
+better than you do."
+
+"Aw, gwan!" Happy, nevertheless, hesitated. "He's got a kind eye in
+his head; yuh can always go by a horse's eye."
+
+"Can yuh?" Andy smiled indifferently. "Go after him, then. And say,
+Happy: if yuh ride that blue roan for five successive minutes, I'll
+give yuh fifty dollars. I knew that hoss down on the Musselshell; he's
+got a record that'd reach from here to Dry Lake and back." It was a
+bluff, pure and simple, born of his covetousness, but it had the
+desired effect--or nearly so.
+
+Happy fumbled his rope and eyed the roan. "Aw, I betche you're just
+lying," he hazarded; but, like many another, when he did strike the
+truth he failed to recognize it. "I betche--"
+
+"All right, rope him out and climb on, if yuh don't believe me." The
+tone of Andy was tinged with injury. "There's fifty dollars--yes, by
+gracious, I'll give yuh a _hundred_ dollars if yuh ride him for five
+minutes straight."
+
+A conversation of that character, carried on near the top of two
+full-lunged voices, never fails in the range land to bring an audience
+of every male human within hearing. All other conversations and
+interests were immediately suspended, and a dozen men trotted up to
+see what it was all about. Andy remained roosting upon the top rail,
+his rope coiled loosely and dangling from one arm while he smoked
+imperturbably.
+
+"Oh, Happy was going to rope out a sure-enough bad one for his night
+hoss, and out uh the goodness uh my heart, I put him wise to what he
+was going up against," he explained carelessly.
+
+"He acts like he has some thoughts uh doubting my word, so I just
+offered him a hundred dollars to ride him--that blue roan, over there
+next that crooked post. GET_ a reserved seat right in front of the
+grand stand where all the big acts take_ PLACE;" he sung out suddenly,
+in the regulation circus tone. "GET-a-seat-right-in-front-where-Happy-Jack-
+the-WILD-Man-rides-the-BUCKING-BRONCHO--Go on, Happy. Don't keep the
+audience waiting. Aren't yuh going to earn that hundred dollars?"
+
+Happy Jack turned half a shade redder than was natural. "Aw, gwan. I
+never said I was going to do no broncho-busting ack. But I betche yuh
+never seen that roan before he was unloaded in Dry Lake."
+
+"What'll yuh bet I don't know that hoss from a yearling colt?" Andy
+challenged, and Happy Jack walked away without replying, and cast his
+loop sullenly over the first horse he came to--which was _not_ the
+roan.
+
+Chip, coming up to hear the last of it, turned and looked long at the
+horse in question; a mild-mannered horse, standing by a crooked corral
+post and flicking his ears at the flies. "Do you know that roan?" he
+asked Andy, in the tone which brings truthful answer. Andy had one
+good point: he never lied except in an irresponsible mood of pure
+deviltry. For instance, he never had lied seriously, to an employer.
+
+"Sure, I know that hoss," he answered truthfully.
+
+"Did you ever ride him?"
+
+"No," Andy admitted, still truthfully. "I never rode him but once
+myself, but I worked right with a Lazy 6 rep that had him in his
+string, down at the U up-and-down, two years ago. I know the hoss, all
+right; but I did lie when I told Happy I knowed him from a colt. I
+spread it on a little bit thick, there." He smiled engagingly down at
+Chip.
+
+"And he's a bad one, is he?" Chip queried Over his shoulder, just as
+he was about to walk away.
+
+"Well," Andy prevaricated--still clinging to the letter, if not to the
+spirit of truth. "He ain't a hoss I'd like to see Happy Jack go up
+against. I ain't saying, though, that he can't be _rode_. I don't say
+that about _any_ hoss."
+
+"Is he any worse than Glory, when Glory is feeling peevish?" Weary
+asked, when Chip was gone and while the men still lingered. Andy,
+glancing to make sure that Chip was out of hearing, threw away his
+cigarette and yielded to temptation. "Glory?" he snorted with a fine
+contempt. "Why, Glory's--a--_lamb_ beside that blue roan! Why, that
+hoss throwed Buckskin Jimmy clean out of a corral--Did yuh ever see
+Buckskin Jimmy ride? Well, say, yuh missed a pretty sight, then;
+Jimmy's a sure-enough rider. About the only animal he ever failed to
+connect with for keeps, is that same cow-backed hoss yuh see over
+there. Happy says he's got a kind eye in his head--" Andy stopped and
+laughed till they all laughed with him. "By gracious, Happy ought to
+step up _on_ him, once, and see how _kind_ he is!" He laughed again
+until Happy, across the corral saddling the horse he had chosen,
+muttered profanely at the derision he knew was pointed at himself.
+
+"Why, I've seen that hoss--" Andy Green, once fairly started in the
+fascinating path of romance, invented details for the pure joy of
+creation. If he had written some of the tales he told, and had sold
+the writing for many dollars, he would have been famous. Since he did
+not write them for profit, but told them for fun, instead, he earned
+merely the reputation of being a great liar. A significant mark of his
+genius lay in the fact that his inventions never failed to convince;
+not till afterward did his audience doubt.
+
+That is why the blue roan was not chosen in any of the strings, but
+was left always circling in the corral after a loop had settled. That
+is why the Flying U boys looked at him askance as they passed him by.
+That is why, when a certain Mr. Coleman, sent by the board of
+directors to rake northern Montana for bad horses, looked with favor
+upon the blue roan when he came to the Flying U ranch and heard the
+tale of his exploits as interpreted--I should say created--by Andy
+Green.
+
+"We've got to have him," he declared enthusiastically. "If he's as bad
+as all that, he'll be the star performer at the contest, and make that
+two-hundred-dollar plum a hard one to pick. Some of these gay boys
+have entered with the erroneous idea that that same plum is hanging
+loose, and all they've got to do is lean up against the tree and it'll
+drop in their mouths. We've got to have that roan. I'll pay you a good
+price for him, Whitmore, if you won't let him go any other way. We've
+got a reporter up there that can do him up brown in a special article,
+and people will come in bunches to see a horse with that kind of a
+pedigree. Is it Green, here, that knows the horse and what he'll do?
+You're sure of him, are you, Green?"
+
+Andy took time to roll a cigarette. He had not expected any such
+development as this, and he needed to think of the best way out. All
+he had wanted or intended was to discourage the others from claiming
+the blue roan; he wanted him in his own string. Afterwards, when they
+had pestered him about the roan's record, he admitted to himself that
+he had, maybe, overshot the mark and told it a bit too scarey, and too
+convincingly. Under the spell of fancy he had done more than make the
+roan unpopular as a roundup horse; he had made him a celebrity in the
+way of outlaw horses. And they wanted him in the rough-riding contest!
+Andy, perhaps, had never before been placed in just such a position.
+
+"Are you sure of what the horse will do?" Mr. Coleman repeated, seeing
+that Andy was taking a long time to reply.
+
+Andy licked his cigarette, twisted an end and leaned backward while he
+felt in his pocket for a match. From the look of his face you never
+could have told how very uncomfortable he felt "Naw," he drawled. "I
+ain't never sure of what _any_ hoss will do. I've had too much
+dealings with 'em for any uh that brand uh foolishness." He lighted
+the cigarette as if that were the only matter in which he took any
+real interest, though he was thinking fast.
+
+Mr. Coleman looked nonplussed. "But I thought--you said--"
+
+"What I said," Andy retorted evenly, "hit the blue roan two years ago;
+maybe he's reformed since then; I dunno. Nobody's rode him, here." He
+could not resist a sidelong glance at Happy Jack. "There was some talk
+of it, but it never come to a head."
+
+"Yuh offered me a hundred dollars--" Happy Jack began accusingly.
+
+"And yuh never made no move to earn it, that I know of. By gracious,
+yuh all seem to think I ought to _mind_-read that hoss! I ain't seen
+him for two years. Maybe so, he's a real wolf yet; maybe so, he's a
+sheep." He threw out both his hands to point the end of the
+argument--so far as he was concerned--stuck them deep into his
+trousers' pockets and walked away before he could be betrayed into
+deeper deceit. It did seem to him rather hard that, merely because he
+had wanted the roan badly enough to--er--exercise a little diplomacy
+in order to get him, they should keep harping on the subject like
+that. And to have Coleman making medicine to get the roan into that
+contest was, to say the least, sickening. Andy's private belief was
+that a twelve-year-old girl could go round up the milk-cows on that
+horse. He had never known him to make a crooked move, and he had
+ridden beside him all one summer and had seen him in all places and
+under all possible conditions. He was a dandy cow-horse, and dead
+gentle; all this talk made him tired. Andy had forgotten that he
+himself had started the talk.
+
+Coleman went often to the corral when the horses were in, and looked
+at the blue roan. Later he rode on to other ranches where he had heard
+were bad horses, and left the roan for further consideration. When he
+was gone, Andy breathed freer and put his mind to the coming contest
+and the things he meant to do with the purse and with the other
+contestants.
+
+"That Diamond G twister is going t' ride," Happy Jack announced, one
+day when he came from town. "Some uh the boys was in town and they
+said so. He can ride, too. I betche Andy don't have no picnic gitting
+the purse away from _that_ feller. And Coleman's got that sorrel
+outlaw uh the HS. I betche Andy'll have to pull leather on that one."
+This was, of course, treason pure and simple; but Happy Jack's
+prophecies were never taken seriously.
+
+Andy simply grinned at him. "Put your money on the Diamond G twister,"
+he advised calmly. "I know him--he's a good rider, too. His name's
+Billy Roberts. Uh course, I aim to beat him to it, but Happy never
+does like to have a sure-thing. He wants something to hang his jaw
+down over. Put your money on Billy and watch it fade away, Happy."
+
+"Aw, gwan. I betche that there sorrel--"
+
+"I rode that there sorrel once, and combed his forelock with both
+spurs alternate," Andy lied boldly. "He's pickings. Take him back and
+bring me a real hoss."
+
+Happy Jack wavered. "Well, I betche yuh don't pull down that money,"
+he predicted vaguely. "I betche yuh git throwed, or something. It
+don't do to be too blame sure uh nothing."
+
+Whereat Andy laughed derisively and went away whistling. "I wish I was
+as sure uh living till I was a thousand years old, and able to ride
+nine months out of every year of 'em," he called back to Happy. Then
+he took up the tune where he had left off.
+
+For the days were still crisp at both ends and languorous in the
+middle, and wind and grasses hushed and listened for the coming of
+winter. And because of these things, and his youth and his health, the
+heart of Andy Green was light in his chest and trouble stood afar off
+with its face turned from him.
+
+It was but three days to the opening of the fair when Coleman,
+returning that way from his search for bad horses, clattered, with his
+gleanings and three or four men to help drive them, down the grade to
+the Flying U. And in the Flying U coulee, just across the creek from
+the corrals, still rested the roundup tents for a space. For the
+shipping was over early and work was not urgent, and Chip and the Old
+Man, in their enthusiasm for the rough-riding contest and the entry of
+their own man, had decided to take the wagons and crew entire to Great
+Falls and camp throughout the four days of the fair. The boys all
+wanted to go, anyway, as did everybody else, so that nothing could be
+done till it was over. It was a novel idea, and it tickled the humor
+of the Happy Family.
+
+The "rough string," as the bad horses were called, was corralled, and
+the men made merry with the roundup crew. Diamond G men they were,
+loudly proclaiming their faith in Billy Roberts, and offering bets
+already against Andy, who listened undisturbed and had very little to
+say. The Happy Family had faith in him, and that was enough. If
+everybody, he told them, believed that he would win, where would be
+the fun of riding and showing them?
+
+It was after their early supper that Coleman came down to camp at the
+heels of Chip and the Old Man. Straightway he sought out Andy like a
+man who has something on his mind; though Andy did not in the least
+know what it was, he recognized the indefinable symptoms and braced
+himself mentally, half suspecting that it was something about that
+blue roan again. He was getting a little bit tired of the blue
+roan--enough so that, though he had chosen him for his string, he had
+not yet put saddle to his back, but waited until the roundup started
+out once more, when he would ride him in his turn.
+
+It was the blue roan, without doubt. Coleman came to a stop directly
+in front of Andy, and as directly came to the point.
+
+"Look here, Green," he began. "I'm shy on horses for that contest, and
+Whitmore and Bennett say I can have that roan you've got in your
+string. If he's as bad as you claim, I certainly must have him. But
+you seem to have some doubts of what he'll do, and I'd like to see him
+ridden once. Your shingle is out as a broncho-peeler. Will you ride
+him this evening, so I can size him up for that contest?"
+
+Andy glanced up under his eyebrows, and then sidelong at the crowd.
+Every man within hearing was paying strict attention, and was eyeing
+him expectantly; for broncho-fighting is a spectacle that never palls.
+
+"Well, I can ride him, if yuh say so," Andy made cautious answer, "but
+I won't gamble he's a bad hoss _now_--that is, bad enough to take to
+the Falls. Yuh don't want to expect--"
+
+"Oh, I don't expect anything--only I want to see him ridden once. Come
+on, no time like the present. If he's bad, you'll have to ride him at
+the fair, anyhow, and a little practice won't hurt you; and if he
+isn't, I want to know it for sure."
+
+"It's a go with me," Andy said indifferently, though he secretly felt
+much relief. The roan would go off like a pet dog, and he could
+pretend to be somewhat surprised, and declare that he had reformed.
+Bad horses do reform, sometimes, as Andy and every other man in the
+crowd knew. Then there would be no more foolish speculation about the
+cayuse, and Andy could keep him in peace and have a mighty good
+cow-pony, as he had schemed. He smoked a cigarette while Chip was
+having the horses corralled, and then led the way willingly, with
+twenty-five men following expectantly at his heels. Unlike Andy, they
+fully expected an impromptu exhibition of fancy riding. Not all of
+them had seen Andy atop a bad horse, and the Diamond G men, in
+particular, were eager to witness a sample of his skill.
+
+The blue roan submitted to the rope, and there was nothing spectacular
+in the saddling. Andy kept his cigarette between his lips and smiled
+to himself when he saw the saddle bunch hazed out through the gate and
+the big corral left empty of every animal but the blue roan, as was
+customary when a man tackled a horse with the record which he had
+given the poor beast. Also, the sight of twenty-five men roosting
+high, their boot-heels hooked under a corral rail to steady them,
+their faces writ large with expectancy, amused him inwardly. He
+pictured their disappointment when the roan trotted around the corral
+once or twice at his bidding, and smiled again.
+
+"If you can't top him, Green, we'll send for Billy Roberts. _He'll_
+take off the rough edge and gentle him down for yuh," taunted a
+Diamond G man.
+
+"Don't get excited till the show starts," Andy advised, holding the
+cigarette in his fingers while he emptied his lungs of smoke. Just to
+make a pretence of caution, he shook the saddle tentatively by the
+horn, and wished the roan would make a little show of resistance,
+instead of standing there like an old cow, lacking only the cud, as he
+complained to himself, to make the resemblance complete. The roan,
+however, did lay back an ear when Andy, the cigarette again in his
+lips, put his toe in the stirrup.
+
+"Go after it, you weatherbeaten old saw-buck," he yelled, just to make
+the play strong, before he was fairly in the saddle.
+
+Then it was that the Happy Family, heart and soul and pocket all for
+Andy Green and his wonderful skill in the saddle; with many dollars
+backing their belief in him and with voices ever ready to sing his
+praises; with the golden light of early sunset all about them and the
+tang of coming night-frost in the air, received a shock that made them
+turn white under their tan.
+
+"Mama!" breathed Weary, in a horrified half-whisper.
+
+And Slim, goggle-eyed beside him, blurted, "Well, by _golly_!" in a
+voice that carried across the corral.
+
+For Andy Green, tamer of wild ones (forsooth!) broncho-twister with a
+fame that not the boundary of Chouteau County held, nor yet the
+counties beyond; Andy Green, erstwhile "André de Gréno, champion
+bare-back rider of the Western Hemisphere," who had jumped through
+blazing hoops and over sagging bunting while he rode, turned
+handsprings and done other public-drawing feats, was prosaically,
+unequivocally "piled" at the fifth jump!
+
+That he landed lightly on his feet, with the cigarette still between
+his lips, the roosting twenty-five quite overlooked. They saw only the
+first jump, where Andy, riding loose and unguardedly, went up on the
+blue withers. The second, third and fourth jumps were not far enough
+apart to be seen and judged separately; as well may one hope to decide
+whether a whirling wheel had straight or crooked spokes. The fifth
+jump, however, was a masterpiece of rapid-fire contortion, and it was
+important because it left Andy on the ground, gazing, with an
+extremely grieved expression, at the uninterrupted convolutions of the
+"dandy little cow-hoss."
+
+The blue roan never stopped so much as to look back. He was
+busy--exceedingly busy. He was one of those perverted brutes which
+buck and bawl and so keep themselves wrought up to a high
+pitch--literally and figuratively. He set himself seriously to throw
+Andy's saddle over his head, and he was not a horse which easily
+accepts defeat. Andy walked around in the middle of the corral, quite
+aimlessly, and watched the roan contort. He could not understand in
+the least, and his amazement overshadowed, for the moment, the fact
+that he had been thrown and that in public and before men of the
+Diamond G.
+
+Then it was that the men of the Diamond G yelled shrill words of
+ironical sympathy. Then it was that the Happy Family looked at one
+another in shamed silence, and to the taunts of the Diamond Gs made no
+reply. It had never occurred to them that such a thing could happen.
+Had they not seen Andy ride, easily and often? Had they not heard from
+Pink how Andy had performed that difficult feat at the Rocking R--the
+feat of throwing his horse flat in the middle of a jump? They waited
+until the roan, leaving the big corral looking, in the fast deepening
+twilight, like a fresh-ploughed field, stopped dejectedly and stood
+with his nose against the closed gate, and then climbed slowly down
+from the top rail of the corral, still silent with the silence more
+eloquent than speech in any known language.
+
+Over by the gate, Andy was yanking savagely at the latigo; and he,
+also, had never a word to say. He was still wondering how it had
+happened. He looked the roan over critically and shook his head
+against the riddle; for he had known him to be a quiet, dependable,
+all-round good horse, with no bad traits and an easy-going disposition
+that fretted at nothing. A high-strung, nervous beast might, from
+rough usage and abuse, go "bad"; but the blue roan--they had called
+him Pardner--had never showed the slightest symptom of nerves. Andy
+knew horses as he knew himself. That a horse like Pardner should, in
+two years, become an evil-tempered past-master in such devilish
+pitching as that, was past belief.
+
+"I guess he'll do, all right," spoke Coleman at his elbow. "I've seen
+horses pitch, and I will say that he's got some specialties that are
+worth exhibiting." Then, as a polite way of letting Andy down easy, he
+added, "I don't wonder you couldn't connect."
+
+"Connect--_hell_!" It was Andy's first realization of what his failure
+meant to the others. He left off wondering about the roan, and faced
+the fact that he had been thrown, fair and square, and that before an
+audience of twenty-five pairs of eyes which had seen rough riding
+before, and which had expected of him something better than they were
+accustomed to seeing.
+
+"I reckon Billy Roberts will have to work on that cayuse a while,"
+fleered a Diamond G man, coming over to them. "He'll gentle him down
+so that anybody--_even Green_, can ride him!"
+
+Andy faced him hotly, opened his mouth for sharp reply, and closed it.
+He had been "piled." Nothing that he could say might alter that fact,
+nor explanations lighten the disgrace. He turned and went out the
+gate, carrying his saddle and bridle with him.
+
+"Aw--and you was goin' t' ride in that contest!" wailed Happy Jack
+recriminatingly. "And I've got forty dollars up on yuh!"
+
+"Shut up!" snapped Pink in his ear, heart-broken but loyal to the
+last. "Yuh going to blat around and let them Diamond Gs give yuh the
+laugh? Hunt up something you can use for a backbone till they get out
+uh camp, for Heaven's sake! Andy's our man. So help me, Josephine, if
+anybody goes rubbing it in where I can hear, he'll get his face
+punched!"
+
+"Say, I guess we ain't let down on our faces, or anything!" sighed Cal
+Emmett, coming up to them. "I thought Andy could ride! Gee whiz, but
+it was fierce! Why, _Happy_ could make a better ride than that!"
+
+"By golly, I want t' have a talk with that there broncho-tamer," Slim
+growled behind them. "I got money on him. Is he goin t' ride for that
+purse? 'Cause if he is, I ain't going a foot."
+
+These and other remarks of a like nature made up the clamor that
+surged in the ears of Andy as he went, disgraced and alone, up to the
+deserted bunk-house where he need not hear what they were saying. He
+knew, deep in his heart, that he could ride that horse. He had been
+thrown because of his own unpardonable carelessness--a carelessness
+which he could not well explain to the others. He himself had given
+the roan an evil reputation; a reputation that, so far as he knew, was
+libel pure and simple. To explain now that he was thrown simply
+because he never dreamed the horse would pitch, and so was taken
+unaware, would simply be to insult their intelligence. He was not
+supposed, after mounting a horse like that, to be taken unaware. He
+might, of course, say that he had lied all along--but he had no
+intention of making any confession like that. Even if he did, they
+would not believe him. Altogether, it was a very unhappy young man who
+slammed his spurs into a far corner and kicked viciously a box he had
+stumbled over in the dusk.
+
+"Trying to bust the furniture?" it was the voice of the Old Man at the
+door.
+
+"By gracious, it seems I can't bust _bronks_ no more," Andy made
+rueful reply. "I reckon I'll just about have to bust the furniture or
+nothing."
+
+The Old Man chuckled and came inside, sought the box Andy had kicked,
+and sat down upon it. Through the open door came the jumble of many
+voices upraised in fruitless argument, and with it the chill of frost.
+The Old Man fumbled for his pipe, filled it and scratched a match
+sharply on the box. In the flare of it Andy watched his kind old face
+with its fringe of grayish hair and its deep-graven lines of whimsical
+humor.
+
+"Doggone them boys, they ain't got the stayin' qualities I give 'em
+credit for having," he remarked, holding up the match and looking
+across at Andy, humped disconsolately in the shadows. "Them Diamond G
+men has just about got 'em on the run, right now. Yuh couldn't get a
+hundred-t'-one bet, down there."
+
+Andy merely grunted.
+
+"Say," asked the Old Man suddenly. "Didn't yuh kinda mistake that blue
+roan for his twin brother, Pardner? This here cayuse is called Weaver.
+I tried t' get hold of t'other one, but doggone 'em, they wouldn't
+loosen up. Pardner wasn't for sale at no price, but they talked me
+into buying the Weaver; they claimed he's just about as good a horse,
+once he's tamed down some--and I thought, seein' I've got some real
+_tamers_ on my pay-roll, I'd take a chance on him. I thought yuh knew
+the horse--the way yuh read up his pedigree--till I seen yuh mount
+him. Why, doggone it, yuh straddled him like yuh was just climbing a
+fence! Maybe yuh know your own business best--but didn't yuh kinda
+mistake him for Pardner? They're as near alike as two bullets run in
+the same mold--as far as _looks_ go."
+
+Andy got up and went to the door, and stood looking down the
+dusk-muffled hill to the white blotch which was the camp; listened to
+the jumble of voices still upraised in fruitless argument, and turned
+to the Old Man.
+
+"By gracious, that accounts for a whole lot," he said ambiguously.
+
+II
+
+"I don't see," said Cal Emmett crossly, "what's the use uh this whole
+outfit trailing up to that contest. If I was Chip, I'd call the deal
+off and start gathering calves. It ain't as if we had a man to ride
+for that belt and purse. Ain't your leg well enough to tackle it,
+Pink?"
+
+"No," Pink answered shortly, "it ain't."
+
+"Riding the rough bunch they've rounded up for that contest ain't
+going to be any picnic," Weary defended his chum. "Cadwolloper would
+need two good legs to go up against that deal."
+
+"I wish Irish was here," Pink gloomed. "I'd be willing to back him;
+all right. But it's too late now; he couldn't enter if he was here."
+
+A voice behind them spoke challengingly. "I don't believe it would be
+etiquette for one outfit to enter _two_ peelers. One's enough, ain't
+it?"
+
+The Happy Family turned coldly upon the speaker. It was Slim who
+answered for them all. "I dunno as this outfit has got _any_ peeler in
+that contest. By golly, it don't look like it since las' night!"
+
+Weary was gentle, as always, but he was firm. "We kinda thought you'd
+want to withdraw," he added.
+
+Andy Green, tamer of wild ones, turned and eyed Weary curiously. One
+might guess, from telltale eyes and mouth, that his calmness did not
+go very deep. "I don't recollect mentioning that I was busy penning
+any letter uh withdrawal," he said. "I got my sights raised to that
+purse and that belt. I don't recollect saying anything about lowering
+'em."
+
+"Aw, gwan. I guess _I'll_ try for that purse, too! I betche I got as
+good a show as--"
+
+"Sure. Help yourself, it don't cost nothing. I don't doubt but what
+you'd make a real pretty ride, Happy." Andy's tone was deceitfully
+hearty. He did not sound in the least as if he would like to choke
+Happy Jack, though that was his secret longing.
+
+"Aw, gwan. I betche I could make as purty a ride as we've
+saw--lately." Happy Jack did not quite like to make the thing too
+personal, for fear of what might happen after.
+
+"Yuh mean last night, don't yuh?" purred Andy.
+
+"Well, by golly, I wish you'd tell us what yuh done it for!" Slim cut
+in disgustedly. "It was nacherlay supposed you could ride; we got
+_money_ up on yuh! And then, by golly, to go and make a fluke like
+that before them Diamond G men--to go and let that blue roan pile yuh
+up b'fore he'd got rightly started t' pitch--If yuh'd stayed with him
+till he got t' swappin' ends there, it wouldn't uh looked quite so
+bad. But t' go and git throwed down right in the start--By golly!"
+Slim faced Andy accusingly. "B'fore them Diamond G men--and I've got
+money up, by golly!"
+
+"Yuh ain't lost any money yet, have yuh?" Andy inquired patiently.
+What Andy felt like doing was to "wade into the bunch"; reason,
+however, told him that he had it coming from them, and to take his
+medicine, since he could not well explain just how it had happened. He
+could not in reason wonder that the faith of the Happy Family was
+shattered and that they mourned as lost the money they had already
+rashly wagered on the outcome of the contest. The very completeness of
+their faith in him, their very loyalty, seemed to them their undoing,
+for to them the case was plain enough. If Andy could not ride the blue
+roan in their own corral, how was he to ride that same blue roan in
+Great Falls? Or, if he could ride him, how could any sane man hope
+that he could win the purse and the belt under the stringent rules of
+the contest, where "riding on the spurs," "pulling leather" and a
+dozen other things were barred? So Andy, under the sting of their
+innuendoes and blunt reproaches, was so patient as to seem to them
+cowed.
+
+"No, I ain't lost any yet, but by golly, I can see it fixin' to fly,"
+Slim retorted heavily.
+
+Andy looked around at the others, and smiled as sarcastically as was
+possible considering the mood he was in. "It sure does amuse me," he
+observed, "to see growed men cryin' before they're hurt! By gracious,
+I expect t' make a stake out uh that fall! I can get long odds from
+them Diamond Gs, and from anybody they get a chance to talk to. I'm
+kinda planning," he lied boldly, "to winter in an orange grove and
+listen at the birds singing, after I'm through with the deal."
+
+"I reckon yuh can count on hearing the birds sing, all right," Pink
+snapped back. "It'll be _tra-la-la_ for yours, if last night's a fair
+sample uh what yuh expect to do with the blue roan." Pink walked
+abruptly away, looking very much like a sulky cherub.
+
+"I s'pose yuh're aiming to give us the impression that you're going to
+ride, just the same," said Cal Emmett.
+
+"I sure am," came brief reply. Andy was beginning to lose his temper.
+He had expected that the Happy Family would "throw it into him," to a
+certain extent, and he had schooled himself to take their drubbing.
+What he had not expected was their unfriendly attitude, which went
+beyond mere disappointment and made his offence--if it could be called
+that--more serious than the occasion would seem to warrant. Perhaps
+Jack Bates unwittingly made plain the situation when he remarked:
+
+"I hate to turn down one of our bunch; we've kinda got in the habit uh
+hanging together and backing each other's play, regardless. But darn
+it, we ain't millionaires, none of us--and gambling, it is a sin. I've
+got enough up already to keep me broke for six months if I lose, and
+the rest are in about the same fix. I ain't raising no long howl,
+Andy, but you can see yourself where we're kinda bashful about sinking
+any more on yuh than what we have. Maybe you can ride; I've heard yuh
+can, and I've seen yuh make some fair rides, myself. But yuh sure fell
+down hard last night, and my faith in yuh got a jolt that fair broke
+its back. If yuh done it deliberate, for reasons we don't know, for
+Heaven's sake say so, and we'll take your word for it and forget your
+rep for lying. On the dead, Andy, did yuh fall off deliberate?"
+
+Andy bit his lip. His conscience had a theory of its own about
+truth-telling, and permitted him to make strange assertions at times.
+Still, there were limitations. The Happy Family was waiting for his
+answer, and he knew instinctively that they would believe him now. For
+a moment, temptation held him. Then he squared his shoulders and spoke
+truly.
+
+"On the dead, I hit the ground unexpected and inadvertant. I--"
+
+"If that's the case, then the farther yuh keep away from that contest
+the better--if yuh ask _me_." Jack turned on his heel and followed
+Pink.
+
+Andy stared after him moodily, then glanced at the rest. With one
+accord they avoided meeting his gaze. "Damn a bunch uh quitters!" he
+flared hotly, and left them, to hunt up the Old Man and Chip--one or
+both, it did not matter to him.
+
+Pink it was who observed the Old Man writing a check for Andy. He took
+it that Andy had called for his time, and when Andy rolled his bed and
+stowed it away in the bunk-house, saddled a horse and rode up the
+grade toward town, the whole outfit knew for a certainty that Andy had
+quit.
+
+Before many hours had passed they, too, saddled and rode away, with
+the wagons and the cavvy following after--and they were headed for
+Great Falls and the fair there to be held; or, more particularly, the
+rough-riding contest to which they had looked forward eagerly and with
+much enthusiasm, and which they were now approaching gloomily and in
+deep humiliation. Truly, it would be hard to find a situation more
+galling to the pride of the Happy Family.
+
+But Andy Green had not called for his time, and he had no intention of
+quitting; for Andy was also suffering from that uncomfortable malady
+which we call hurt pride, and for it he knew but one remedy--a remedy
+which he was impatient to apply. Because of the unfriendly attitude of
+the Happy Family, Andy had refused to take them into his confidence,
+or to ride with them to the fair. Instead, he had drawn what money was
+still placed to his credit on the pay-roll, had taken a horse and his
+riding outfit and gone away to Dry Lake, where he intended to take the
+train for Great Falls.
+
+In Dry Lake, however, he found that the story of his downfall had
+preceded him, thanks to the exultant men of the Diamond G, and that
+the tale had not shrunk in the telling. Dry Lake jeered him as openly
+as it dared, and part of it--that part which had believed in him--was
+quite as unfriendly as was the Happy Family. To a man they took it for
+granted that he would withdraw from the contest, and they were not
+careful to conceal what they thought. Andy found himself rather left
+alone, and he experienced more than once the unpleasant sensation of
+having conversation suddenly lag when he came near, and of seeing
+groups of men dissolve awkwardly at his approach. Andy, before he had
+been in town an hour, was in a mood to do violence.
+
+For that reason he kept his plans rigidly to himself. When someone
+asked him if he had quit the outfit, he had returned gruffly that the
+Flying U was not the only cow-outfit in the country, and let the
+questioner interpret it as he liked. When the train that had its nose
+pointed to the southwest slid into town, Andy did not step on, as had
+been his intention. He remained idly leaning over the bar in Rusty
+Brown's place, and gave no heed. Later, when the eastbound came
+schreeching through at midnight, it found Andy Green on the platform
+with his saddle, bridle, chaps, quirt and spurs neatly sacked, and
+with a ticket for Havre in his pocket. So the wise ones said that they
+knew Andy would never have the nerve to show up at the fair, after the
+fluke he had made at the Flying U ranch, and those whose pockets were
+not interested considered it a very good joke.
+
+At Havre, Andy bought another ticket and checked the sack which held
+his riding outfit; the ticket had Great Falls printed on it in bold,
+black lettering. So that he was twelve hours late in reaching his
+original destination, and to avoid unwelcome discovery and comment he
+took the sleeper and immediately ordered his berth made up, that he
+might pass through Dry Lake behind the sheltering folds of the berth
+curtains. Not that there was need of this elaborate subterfuge. He was
+simply mad clear through and did not want to see or hear the voice of
+any man he knew. Besides, the days when he had danced in spangled
+tights upon the broad, gray rump of a galloping horse while a
+sober-clothed man in the middle of the ring cracked a whip and yelped
+commands, had bred in him the unconscious love of a spectacular entry
+and a dramatic finish.
+
+That is why he sought out the most obscure rooming house that gave any
+promise of decency and comfort, and stayed off Central Avenue and away
+from its loitering groups of range dwellers who might know him. That
+is why he hired a horse and rode early and alone to the fair grounds
+on the opening day, and avoided, by a roundabout trail a certain
+splotch of gray-white against the brown of the prairie, which he knew
+instinctively to be the camp of the Flying U outfit, which had made
+good time and were located to their liking near the river. Andy felt a
+tightening of the chest when he saw the familiar tents, and kicked his
+hired horse ill-naturedly in the ribs. It was all so different from
+what he had thought it would be.
+
+In those last two weeks, he had pictured himself riding vaingloriously
+through town on his best horse, with a new Navajo saddle-blanket
+making a dab of bright color, and a new Stetson hat dimpled
+picturesquely as to crown and tilted rakishly over one eye, and with
+his silver-mounted spurs catching the light; around him would ride the
+Happy Family, also in gala attire and mounted upon the best horses in
+their several strings. The horses would not approve of the
+street-cars, and would circle and back--and it was quite possible,
+even probable, that there would be some pitching and some pretty
+riding before the gaping populace which did not often get a chance to
+view the real thing. People would stop and gaze while they went
+clattering by, and he, Andy Green, would be pointed out by the knowing
+ones as a fellow that was going to ride in the contest and that stood
+a good chance of winning. For Andy was but human, that he dreamed of
+these things; besides, does not the jumping through blazing hoops and
+over sagging bunting while one rides, whet insiduously one's appetite
+for the plaudits of the crowd?
+
+The reality was different. He was in Great Falls, but he had not
+ridden vaingloriously down Central Avenue surrounded by the Happy
+Family, and watched by the gaping populace. Instead, he had chosen a
+side street and he had ridden alone, and no one had seemed to know or
+care who he might be. His horse had not backed, wild-eyed, before an
+approaching car, and he had not done any pretty riding. Instead, his
+horse had scarce turned an eye toward the jangling bell when he
+crossed the track perilously close to the car, and he had gone
+"side-wheeling" decorously down the street--and Andy hated a pacing
+horse. The Happy Family was in town, but he did not know where. Andy
+kicked his horse into a gallop and swore bitterly that he did not
+care. He did not suppose that they gave him a thought, other than
+those impelled by their jeopardized pockets. And that, he assured
+himself pessimistically, is friendship!
+
+He tied the hired horse to the fence and went away to the stables and
+fraternized with a hump-backed jockey who knew a few things himself
+about riding and was inclined to talk unprofessionally. It was not at
+all as Andy had pictured the opening day, but he got through the time
+somehow until the crowd gathered and the racing began. Then he showed
+himself in the crowd of "peelers" and their friends, as unconcernedly
+as he might; and as unobtrusively. The Happy Family, he observed, was
+not there, though he met Chip face to face and had a short talk with
+him. Chip was the only one, aside from the Old Man, who really
+understood. Billy Roberts was there, and he greeted Andy
+commiseratingly, as one speaks to the sick or to one in mourning; the
+tone made Andy grind his teeth, though he knew in his heart that Billy
+Roberts wished him well--up to the point of losing the contest to him,
+which was beyond human nature. Billy Roberts was a rider and knew--or
+thought he knew--just how "sore" Andy must be feeling. Also, in the
+kindness of his heart he tried blunderingly to hide his knowledge.
+
+"Going up against the rough ones?" he queried with careful
+carelessness, in the hope of concealing that he had heard the tale of
+Andy's disgrace.
+
+"I sure am," Andy returned laconically, with no attempt to conceal
+anything.
+
+Billy Roberts opened his eyes wide, and his mouth a little before he
+recovered from his surprise. "Well, good luck to yuh," he managed to
+say, "only so yuh don't beat me to it. I was kinda hoping yuh was too
+bashful to get out and ride before all the ladies."
+
+Andy, remembering his days in the sawdust ring, smiled queerly; but
+his heart warmed to Billy Roberts amazingly.
+
+They were leaning elbows on the fence below the grand stand, watching
+desultorily the endless preparatory manoeuvres of three men astride
+the hind legs of three pacers in sulkies. "This side-wheeling business
+gives me a pain," Billy remarked, as the pacers ambled by for the
+fourth or fifth time. "I like _caballos_ that don't take all day to
+wind 'em up before they go. I been looking over our bunch. They's
+horses in that corral that are sure going to do things to us twenty
+peelers!"
+
+"By gracious, yes!" Andy was beginning to feel himself again. "That
+blue hoss--uh course yuh heard how he got me, and heard it with
+trimmings--yuh may think he's a man-eater; but while he's a bad hoss,
+all right, he ain't the one that'll get yuh. Yuh want t' watch out,
+Billy, for that HS sorrel. He's plumb wicked. He's got a habit uh
+throwing himself backwards. They're keeping it quiet, maybe--but I've
+seen him do it three times in one summer."
+
+"All right--thanks. I didn't know that. But the blue roan--"
+
+"The blue roan'll pitch and bawl and swap ends on yuh and raise hell
+all around, but he can be rode. That festive bunch up in the reserve
+seats'll think it's awful, and that the HS sorrel is a lady's hoss
+alongside him, but a real rider can wear him out. But that
+sorrel--when yuh think yuh got him beat, Billy, is when yuh want to
+watch out!"
+
+Billy turned his face away from a rolling dustcloud that came down the
+home stretch with the pacers, and looked curiously at Andy. Twice he
+started to speak and did not finish. Then: "A man can be a sure-enough
+rider, and get careless and let a horse pile him off him when he ain't
+looking, just because he knows he can ride that horse," he said with a
+certain diffidence.
+
+"By gracious, yes!" Andy assented emphatically. And that was the
+nearest they came to discussing a delicate matter which was in the
+minds of both.
+
+Andy was growing more at ease and feeling more optimistic every
+minute. Three men still believed in him, which was much. Also, the
+crowd could not flurry him as it did some of the others who were not
+accustomed to so great an audience; rather, it acted as a tonic and
+brought back the poise, the easy self-confidence which had belonged to
+one André de Gréno, champion bareback rider. So that, when the
+rough-riding began, Andy's nerves were placidly asleep.
+
+At the corral in the infield, where the horses and men were
+foregathered, Andy met Slim and Happy Jack; but beyond his curt
+"Hello" and an amazed "Well, by golly!" from Slim, no words passed.
+Across the corral he glimpsed some of the others--Pink and Weary, and
+farther along, Cal Emmett and Jack Bates; but they made no sign if
+they saw him, and he did not go near them. He did not know when his
+turn would come to ride, and he had a horse to saddle at the command
+of the powers that were. Coleman, the man who had collected the
+horses, almost ran over him. He said "Hello, Green," and passed on,
+for his haste was great.
+
+Horse after horse was saddled and led perforce out into the open of
+the infield; man after man mounted, with more or less trouble, and
+rode to triumph or defeat. Billy Roberts was given a white-eyed little
+bay, and did some great riding. The shouts and applause from the grand
+stand rolled out to them in a great wave of sound. Billy mastered the
+brute and rode him back to the corral white-faced and with beads of
+sweat standing thick on his forehead.
+
+"It ain't going to be such damn' easy money--that two hundred," he
+confided pantingly to Andy, who stood near. "The fellow that gets it
+will sure have to earn it."
+
+Andy nodded and moved out where he could get a better view. Then
+Coleman came and informed him hurriedly that he came next, and Andy
+went back to his place. The horse he was to ride he had never seen
+before that day. He was a long-legged brown, with scanty mane and a
+wicked, rolling eye. He looked capable of almost any deviltry, but
+Andy did not give much time to speculating upon what he would try to
+do. He was still all eyes to the infield where his predecessor was
+gyrating. Then a sudden jump loosened him so that he grabbed the
+horn--and it was all over with that particular applicant, so far as
+the purse and the championship belt were concerned. He was out of the
+contest, and presently he was also back at the corral, explaining
+volubly--and uselessly--just how it came about. He appeared to have a
+very good reason for "pulling leather," but Andy was not listening and
+only thought absently that the fellow was a fool to make a talk for
+himself.
+
+Andy was clutching the stirrup and watching a chance to put his toe
+into it, and the tall brown horse was circling backwards with
+occasional little side-jumps. When it was quite clear that the horse
+did not mean to be mounted, Andy reached out his hand, got a rope from
+somebody--he did not know who, though, as a matter of fact, it was
+Pink who gave it--and snared a front foot; presently the brown was
+standing upon three legs instead of four, and the gaping populace
+wondered how it was done, and craned necks to see. After that, though
+the horse still circled backwards, Andy got the stirrup and put his
+toe in it and went up so easily that the ignorant might think anybody
+could do it. He dropped the rope and saw that it was Pink who picked
+it up.
+
+The brown at first did nothing at all. Then he gave a spring straight
+ahead and ran fifty yards or so, stopped and began to pitch. Three
+jumps and he ran again; stopped and reared. It was very pretty to look
+at, but Happy Jack could have ridden him, or Slim, or any other range
+rider. In two minutes the brown was sulking, and it took severe
+spurring to bring him back to the corral. Pitch he would not. The
+crowd applauded, but Andy felt cheated and looked as he felt.
+
+Pink edged toward him, but Andy was not in the mood for reconciliation
+and kept out of his way. Others of the Happy Family came near, at
+divers times and places, as if they would have speech with him, but he
+thought he knew about what they would say, and so was careful not to
+give them a chance. When the excitement was all over for that day he
+got his despised hired horse and went back to town with Billy Roberts,
+because it was good to have a friend and because they wanted to talk
+about the riding. Billy did not tell Andy, either, that he had had
+hard work getting away from his own crowd; for Billy was kind-hearted
+and had heard a good deal, because he had been talking with Happy
+Jack. His sympathy was not with the Happy Family, either.
+
+On the second afternoon, such is effect of rigid winnowing, there were
+but nine men to ride. The fellow who had grabbed the saddle horn,
+together with ten others, stood among the spectators and made caustic
+remarks about the management, the horses, the nine who were left and
+the whole business in general. Andy grinned a little and wondered if
+he would stand among them on the morrow and make remarks. He was not
+worrying about it, though. He said hello to Weary, Pink and Cal
+Emmett, and saddled a kicking, striking brute from up Sweetgrass way.
+
+On this day the horses were wickeder, and one man came near getting
+his neck broken. As it was, his collar-bone snapped and he was carried
+off the infield on a stretcher and hurried to the hospital; which did
+not tend to make the other riders feel more cheerful. Andy noted that
+it was the HS sorrel which did the mischief, and glanced meaningly
+across at Billy Roberts.
+
+Then it was his turn with the striking, kicking gray, and he mounted
+and prepared for what might come. The gray was an artist in his line,
+and pitched "high, wide and crooked" in the most approved fashion. But
+Andy, being also an artist of a sort, rode easily and with a grace
+that brought much hand-clapping from the crowd. Only the initiated
+reserved their praise till further trial; for though the gray was not
+to say gentle, and though it took skill to ride him, there were a
+dozen, probably twice as many, men in the crowd who could have done as
+well.
+
+The Happy Family, drawn together from habit and because they could
+speak their minds more freely, discussed Andy gravely among
+themselves. Betting was growing brisk, and if their faith had not been
+so shaken they could have got long odds on Andy.
+
+"I betche he don't win out," Happy Jack insisted with characteristic
+gloom. "Yuh wait till he goes up agin that blue roan. They're savin'
+that roan till the las' day--and I betche Andy'll git him. If he hangs
+on till the las' day." Happy Jack laughed ironically as he made the
+provision.
+
+"Any you fellows got money yuh want to put up on this deal?" came the
+voice of Andy behind them.
+
+They turned, a bit shamefaced, toward him.
+
+"Aw, I betche--" began Happy.
+
+"That's what I'm here for," cut in Andy. "What I've got goes
+up--saddle, spurs--_all_ I've got. You've done a lot uh mourning, now
+here's a chance to break even on _me_. Speak up."
+
+The Happy Family hesitated.
+
+"I guess I'll stay out," dimpled Pink. "I don't just savvy your play,
+Andy, and if I lose on yuh--why, it won't be the first time I ever
+went broke."
+
+"Well, by golly, _I'll_ take a chance," bellowed Slim, whose voice was
+ever pitched to carry long distances in a high wind. "I'll bet yuh
+fifty dollars yuh don't pull down that belt or purse. By golly,
+there's two or three men here that can _ride_."
+
+"There's only one that'll be the real star," smiled Andy with
+unashamed egotism. "Happy, how rich do _you_ want to get off me?"
+
+Happy said a good deal and "betche" several things would
+happen--things utterly inconsistent with one another. In the end, Andy
+pinned him down to twenty dollars against Andy's silver-mounted
+spurs--which was almost a third more than the spurs were worth; but
+Andy had no sympathy for Happy Jack and stuck to the price doggedly
+until Happy gave in.
+
+Jack Bates advertised his lack of faith in Andy ten dollars worth, and
+Cal Emmett did the same. Irish, coming in on the afternoon train and
+drifting instinctively to the vicinity of the Happy Family, cursed
+them all impartially for a bunch of quitters, slapped Andy on the back
+and with characteristic impetuosity offered a hundred dollars to
+anybody who dared take him up, that Andy would win. And this after he
+had heard the tale of the blue roan and before they told him about the
+two rides already made in the contest.
+
+It is true that Happy Jack endeavored to expostulate, but Irish glared
+at him in a way to make Happy squirm and stammer incoherently.
+
+"I've heard all about it," Irish cut in, "and I don't have to hear any
+more. I know a rider when I see one, and my money's on Andy from start
+to finish. You make me sick. Weary, have _you_ gone against our man?"
+The tone was a challenge in itself.
+
+Weary grinned goodnaturedly. "I haven't pulled down any bets," he
+answered mildly, "and I haven't put up my last cent and don't intend
+to. I'm an engaged young man." He shrugged his shoulders to point the
+moral. "I sure do hope Andy'll win out," he added simply.
+
+"_Hope_? Why, damn it, yuh _know_ he'll win!" stormed Irish.
+
+Men in their vicinity caught the belligerence of the tone and turned
+about, thinking there was trouble, and the Happy Family subsided into
+quieter discussion. In the end Irish, discovering that Andy had for
+the time being forsworn the shelter of the Flying U tents, stuck by
+him loyally and forswore it also, and went with Andy to share the
+doubtful comfort of the obscure lodging house. For Irish was all or
+nothing, and to find the Happy Family publicly opposed--or at most
+neutral--to a Flying U man in a rough-riding contest like this,
+incensed him much.
+
+The Happy Family began to feel less sure of themselves and a bit
+ashamed--though of just what, they were not quite clear, for surely
+they had reason a-plenty for doubting Andy Green.
+
+The last day found the Happy Family divided against itself and growing
+a bit venomous in its remarks. Andy had not as yet done anything
+remarkable, except perhaps keep in the running when the twenty had
+been culled to three: Billy Roberts, Andy and a man from the
+Yellowstone Valley, called Gopher by his acquaintances. Accident and
+untoward circumstances had thrown out the others--good riders all of
+them, or they would not have been there. Happy Jack proclaimed loudly
+in camp that Andy was still in because Andy had not had a real bad
+horse. "I seen Coleman looking over the blue roan and talkin' to them
+guys that runs things; they're goin' t' put Andy on him t-day, I
+betche--and we seen how he can _ride_ him! Piled in a heap--"
+
+"Not exactly," Pink interrupted. "I seem to remember Andy lighting on
+his feet; and he was smoking when he started, and smoking when he
+quit. It didn't strike me at the time, but that's kinda funny, don't
+yuh think?"
+
+So Pink went back to his first faith, and the Happy Family straightway
+became loud and excited over the question of whether Andy did really
+light upon his feet, or jumped up immediately, and whether he kept his
+cigarette or made a new one. The discussion carried them to the fair
+grounds and remained just where it started, so far as any amicable
+decision was concerned.
+
+Now this is a fair and true report of that last day's riding: There
+being but the three riders, and the excitement growing apace, the
+rough-riding was put first on the program and men struggled for the
+best places and the best view of the infield.
+
+In the beginning, Andy drew the HS sorrel and Billy Roberts the blue
+roan. Gopher, the Yellowstone man, got a sulky little buckskin that
+refused to add one whit to the excitement, so that he was put back and
+another one brought. This other proved to be the wicked-eyed brown
+which Andy had ridden the first day. Only this day the brown was in
+different mood and pitched so viciously that Gopher lost control in
+the rapid-fire changes, and rode wild, being all over the horse and
+everywhere but on the ground. He did not pull leather, however though
+he was accused by some of riding on his spurs at the last. At any
+rate, Andy and Billy Roberts felt that the belt lay between
+themselves, and admitted as much privately.
+
+"You've sure got to ride like a wild man if yuh beat me to it,"
+grinned Billy.
+
+"By gracious, I'm after it like a wolf myself," Andy retorted. "Yuh
+know how I'm fixed--I've just got to have it, Bill."
+
+Billy, going out to ride, made no reply except a meaning head-shake.
+And Billy certainly rode, that day; for the blue roan did his worst
+and his best. To describe the performance, however, would be to invent
+many words to supply a dearth in the language. Billy rode the blue
+roan back to the corral, and he had broken none of the stringent rules
+of the contest--which is saying much for Billy.
+
+When Andy went out--shot out, one might say--on the sorrel, the Happy
+Family considered him already beaten because of the remarkable riding
+of Billy. When the sorrel began pitching the gaping populace, grown
+wise overnight in these things, said that he was _e-a-s-y_--which he
+was not. He fought as some men fight; with brain as well as muscle,
+cunningly, malignantly. He would stop and stand perfectly still for a
+few seconds, and then spring viciously whichever way would seem to him
+most unexpected; for he was not bucking from fright as most horses do
+but because he hated men and would do them injury if he could.
+
+When the crowd thought him worn out, so that he stood with head
+drooping all that Andy would permit, then it was that Andy grew most
+wary. It was as he had said. Of a sudden, straight into the air leaped
+the sorrel, reared and went backward in a flash of red. But as he
+went, his rider slipped to one side, and when he struck the ground
+Andy struck also--on his feet. "Get up, darn yuh," he muttered, and
+when the sorrel gathered himself together and jumped up, he was much
+surprised to find Andy in the saddle again.
+
+Then it was that the HS sorrel went mad and pitched as he had never,
+even when building his record, pitched before. Then it was that Andy,
+his own temper a bit roughened by the murderous brute, rode as he had
+not ridden for many a day; down in the saddle, his quirt keeping time
+with the jumps. He was just settling himself to "drag it out of him
+proper," when one of the judges, on horseback in the field, threw up
+his hand.
+
+"Get off!" he shouted, galloping closer. "That horse's got to be rode
+again to-day. You've done enough this time."
+
+So Andy, watching his chance, jumped off when the sorrel stopped for a
+few seconds of breath, and left him unconquered and more murderous
+than ever. A man with a megaphone was announcing that the contest was
+yet undecided, and that Green and Roberts would ride again later in
+the afternoon.
+
+Andy passed the Happy Family head in air, stopped a minute to exchange
+facetious threats with Billy Roberts, and went with Irish to roost
+upon the fence near the judge's stand to watch the races. The Happy
+Family kept sedulously away from the two and tried to grow interested
+in other things until the final test.
+
+It came, when Billy Roberts, again first, mounted the HS sorrel, still
+in murderous mood and but little the worse for his previous battle.
+What he had done with Andy he repeated, and added much venom to the
+repetition. Again he threw himself backward, which Billy expected and
+so got clear and remounted as he scrambled up. After that, the sorrel
+simply pitched so hard and so fast that he loosened Billy a bit; not
+much, but enough to "show daylight" between rider and saddle for two
+or three high, crooked jumps. One stirrup he lost, rode a jump without
+it and by good luck regained it as it flew against his foot. It was
+great riding, and a gratifying roar of applause swept out to him when
+it was over.
+
+Andy, saddling the blue roan, drew a long breath. This one ride would
+tell the tale, and he was human enough to feel a nervous strain such
+as had not before assailed him. It was so close, now! and it might
+soon be so far. A bit of bad luck such as may come to any man, however
+great his skill, and the belt would go to Billy. But not for long
+could doubt or questioning hold Andy Green. He led the Weaver out
+himself, and instinctively he felt that the horse remembered him and
+would try all that was in him. Also, he was somehow convinced that the
+blue roan held much in reserve, and that it would be a great fight
+between them for mastery.
+
+When he gathered up the reins, the roan eyed him wickedly sidelong and
+tightened his muscles, as it were, for the struggle. Andy turned the
+stirrup, put in his toe, and went up in a flash, warned by something
+in the blue roan's watchful eye. Like a flash the blue roan also went
+up--but Andy had been a fraction of a second quicker. There was a
+squeal that carried to the grand stand as the Weaver, wild-eyed and
+with red flaring nostrils, pounded the wind-baked sod with high,
+bone-racking jumps; changed and took to "weaving" till one wondered
+how he kept his footing--more particularly, how Andy contrived to sit
+there, loose-reined, firm-seated, riding easily. The roan, tiring of
+that, began "swapping ends" furiously and so fast one could scarce
+follow his jumps. Andy, with a whoop of pure defiance, yanked off his
+hat and beat the roan over the head with it, yelling taunting words
+and contemptuous; and for every shout the Weaver bucked harder and
+higher, bawling like a new-weaned calf.
+
+Men who knew good riding when they saw it went silly and yelled and
+yelled. Those who did not know anything about it caught the infection
+and roared. The judges galloped about, backing away from the living
+whirlwind and yelling with the rest. Came a lull when the roan stood
+still because he lacked breath to continue, and the judges shouted an
+uneven chorus.
+
+"Get down--the belt's yours"--or words to that effect. It was
+unofficial, that verdict, but it was unanimous and voiced with
+enthusiasm.
+
+Andy turned his head and smiled acknowledgment. "All right--but wait
+till I tame this hoss proper! Him and I've got a point to settle!" He
+dug in his spurs and again the battle raged, and again the crowd, not
+having heard the unofficial decision, howled and yelled approval of
+the spectacle.
+
+Not till the roan gave up completely and owned obedience to rein and
+voiced command, did Andy take further thought of the reward. He
+satisfied himself beyond doubt that he was master and that the Weaver
+recognized him as such. He wheeled and turned, "cutting out" an
+imaginary animal from an imaginary herd; he loped and he walked,
+stopped dead still in two jumps and started in one. He leaned and ran
+his gloved hand forgivingly along the slatey blue neck, reached
+farther and pulled facetiously the roan's ears, and the roan meekly
+permitted the liberties. He half turned in the saddle and slapped the
+plump hips, and the Weaver never moved. "Why, you're an all-right
+little hoss!" praised Andy, slapping again and again.
+
+The decision was being bellowed from the megaphone and Andy, hearing
+it thus officially, trotted over to where a man was holding out the
+belt that proclaimed him champion of the state. Andy reached out a
+hand for the belt, buckled it around his middle and saluted the grand
+stand as he used to do from the circus ring when one André de Grenó
+had performed his most difficult feat.
+
+The Happy Family crowded up, shamefaced and manfully willing to own
+themselves wrong.
+
+"We're down and ready to be walked on by the Champion," Weary
+announced quizzically. "Mama mine! but yuh sure can ride."
+
+Andy looked at them, grinned and did an exceedingly foolish thing,
+just to humiliate Happy Jack, who, he afterwards said, still looked
+unconvinced. He coolly got upon his feet in the saddle, stood so while
+he saluted the Happy Family mockingly, lighted the cigarette he had
+just rolled, then, with another derisive salute, turned a double
+somersault in the air and lighted upon his feet--and the roan did
+nothing more belligerent than to turn his head and eye Andy
+suspiciously.
+
+"By gracious, maybe you fellows'll some day own up yuh don't know it
+all!" he cried, and led the Weaver back into the corral and away from
+the whooping maniacs across the track.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+
+
+ANDY, THE LIAR
+
+
+Andy Green licked a cigarette into shape the while he watched with
+unfriendly eyes the shambling departure of their guest. "I believe the
+darned old reprobate was lyin' to us," he remarked, when the horseman
+disappeared into a coulee.
+
+"You sure ought to be qualified to recognize the symptoms," grunted
+Cal Emmett, kicking his foot out of somebody's carelessly coiled rope
+on the ground. "That your rope, Happy? No wonder you're always on the
+bum for one. If you'd try tying it on your saddle--"
+
+"Aw, g'wan. That there's Andy's rope--"
+
+"If you look at my saddle, you'll find my rope right where it
+belongs," Andy retorted. "I ain't sheepherder enough to leave it
+kicking around under foot. That rope belongs to his nibs that just
+rode off. When he caught up his horse again after dinner, he throwed
+his rope down while he saddled up, and then went off and forgot it. He
+wasn't easy in his mind--that jasper wasn't. I don't go very high on
+that hard-luck tale he told. I know the boy he had wolfing with him
+last winter, and he wasn't the kind to pull out with all the stuff he
+could get his hands on. He was an all-right fellow, and if there's
+been any rusty work done down there in the breaks, this shifty-eyed
+mark done it. He was lying--"
+
+Somebody laughed suddenly, and another chuckle helped to point the
+joke, until the whole outfit was in an uproar; for of all the men who
+had slept under Flying-U tents and eaten beside the mess-wagon, Andy
+Green was conceded to be the greatest, the most shameless and wholly
+incorrigible liar of the lot.
+
+"Aw, yuh don't want to get jealous of an old stiff like that," Pink
+soothed musically. "There ain't one of us but what knows you could lie
+faster and farther and more of it in a minute, with your tongue
+half-hitched around your palate and the deaf-and-dumb language barred,
+than any three men in Chouteau County. Don't let it worry yuh, Andy."
+
+"I ain't letting it worry me," said Andy, getting a bit red with
+trying not to show that the shot hit him. "When my imagination gets to
+soaring, I'm willing to bet all I got that it can fly higher than the
+rest of you, that have got brains about on a par with a sage-hen, can
+follow. When I let my fancy soar, I take notice the rest of yuh like
+to set in the front row, all right--and yuh never, to my knowledge,
+called it a punk show when the curtain rung down; yuh always got the
+worth uh your money, and then some.
+
+"But if yuh'd taken notice of the load that old freak was trying to
+throw into the bunch, you'd suspicion there was something scaley about
+it; there was, all right. I'd gamble on it."
+
+"From the symptoms," spoke Weary mildly, rising to an elbow, "Andy's
+about to erupt one of those wide, hot, rushing streams of melted
+imagination that bursts forth from his think-works ever so often.
+Don't get us all worked up over it, Andy; what's it going to be this
+time? A murder in the Bad-lands?"
+
+Andy clicked his teeth together, thought better of his ill-humor and
+made reply, though he had intended to remain dignifiedly silent.
+
+"Yuh rung the bell, m'son--but it ain't any josh. By gracious, I mean
+it!" He glared at those who gurgled incredulously, and went on: "No,
+sir, you bet it ain't any josh with me _this_ time. That old gazabo
+had something heavy on his conscience--and knowing the fellow he had
+reference to, I sure believe he lied a whole lot when he said Dan
+pulled out with all the stuff they'd got together, and went down
+river. Maybe he went down river, all right--but if he did, it was most
+likely to be face-down. Dan was as honest a boy as there is in the
+country, and he had money on him that he got mining down in the little
+Rockies last summer. I know, because he showed me the stuff last fall
+when I met him in Benton, and he was fixing to winter with this fellow
+that just left.
+
+"Dan was kinda queer about some things, and one of 'em was about
+money. It never made any difference how much or how little he had, he
+always packed it in his clothes; said a bank had busted on him once
+and left him broke in the middle uh winter, and he wasn't going to let
+it happen again. He never gambled none, nor blowed his money any
+farther than a couple uh glasses uh beer once in a while. He was one
+uh these saving cusses--but he was honest; I know that for a fact.
+
+"So he had all this money on him, and went down there with this
+jasper, that he'd got in with somehow and didn't know much about, and
+they wolfed all winter, according to all accounts, and must uh made
+quite a stake, the way the bounty runs up, these days. And here comes
+this darned Siwash, hiking out uh there fast as he can--and if he
+hadn't run slap onto us at this crossing, I'll gamble he'd never uh
+showed up at camp at all, but kept right on going. We didn't ask him
+no questions, did we? But he goes to all the pains uh telling us his
+tale uh woe, about how Dan had robbed him and pulled out down river.
+
+"If that was the case, wouldn't he be apt to hike out after him and
+try and get back his stuff? And wouldn't--"
+
+"How much money did this friend uh yours have?" queried Jack Bates
+innocently.
+
+"Well, when I seen him in Benton, he had somewhere between six and
+seven hundred dollars. He got it all changed into fifty-dollar
+bills--"
+
+"Oh, golly!" Jack Bates rolled over in disgust. "Andy's losing his
+grip. Why, darn yuh, if you was in a normal, lying condition, you'd
+make it ten thousand, at the lowest--and I've seen the time when you'd
+uh said fifty thousand; and you'd uh made us swallow the load, too!
+Buck up and do a good stunt, Andy, or else keep still. Why, Happy Jack
+could tell that big a lie!"
+
+"Aw, gwan!" Happy Jack rose up to avenge the insult. "Yuh needn't
+compare me to Andy Green. I ain't a liar, and I can lick the darned
+son-of-a-gun that calls me one. I ain't, and yuh can't say I am,
+unless yuh lie worse'n Andy."
+
+"Calm down," urged Weary pacifically. "Jack said yuh _could_ lie; he
+didn't say--"
+
+"By gracious, you'd think I was necked up with a whole bunch uh George
+Washingtons!" growled Andy, half-indignantly. "And what gets me is,
+that I tell the truth as often as anybody in the outfit; oftener than
+some I could mention. But that ain't the point. I'm telling the truth
+now, when I say somebody ought to hike down to their camp and see what
+this old skunk has done with Dan. I'd bet money you'd find him sunk in
+the river, or cached under a cut-bank, or something like that. If he'd
+kept his face closed I wouldn't uh give it a second thought, but the
+more I think uh the story he put up, the more I believe there's
+something wrong. He's made way with Dan somehow, and--"
+
+"Yes. Sure thing," drawled Pink wickedly. "Let's organize a searching
+party and go down there and investigate. It's only about a three or
+four days' trip, through the roughest country the Lord ever stood on
+end to cool and then forgot till it crumpled down in spots and got set
+that way, so He just left it go and mixed fresh mud for the job He was
+working on. Andy'd lead us down there, and we'd find--"
+
+"His friend Dan buried in a tomato can, maybe," supplied Jack Bates.
+
+"By golly, I'll bet yuh _could_ put friend Dan into one," Slim burst
+out. "By golly, _I_ never met up with no Dan that packed fifty-dollar
+bills around in his gun-pocket--"
+
+"Andy's telling the truth. He says so," reproved Weary. "And when Andy
+says a thing is the truth, yuh always know--"
+
+"It ain't." Cal Emmett finished the sentence, but Weary paid no
+attention.
+
+"--what to expect. Cadwolloper's right, and we ought to go down there
+and make a hunt for friend Dan and his fifty-dollar bills. How many
+were there, did yuh say?"
+
+"You go to the devil," snapped Andy, getting up determinedly. "Yuh
+bite quick enough when anybody throws a load at yuh that would choke a
+rhinoscerous, but plain truth seems to be too much for the weak heads
+of yuh. I guess I'll have to turn loose and _lie_, so yuh'll listen to
+me. There _is_ something crooked about this deal--"
+
+"We all thought it sounded that way," Weary remarked mildly.
+
+"And if yuh did go down to where them two wintered, you'd find out I'm
+right. But yuh won't, and that old cutthroat will get off with the
+murder--and the money."
+
+"Don't he lie natural?" queried Jack Bates solemnly.
+
+That was too much. Andy glared angrily at the group, picked up the
+wolfer's rope, turned on his heel and walked off to where his horse
+was tied; got on him and rode away without once looking back, though
+he knew quite well that they were watching every move he made. It did
+not help to smooth his temper that the sound of much laughing followed
+him as he swung into the trail taken by the man who had left not long
+before.
+
+Where he went, that afternoon when for some reason sufficient for the
+foreman--who was Chip Bennett--the Flying U roundup crew lay
+luxuriously snoring in the shade instead of riding hurriedly and hotly
+the high divides, no one but Andy himself knew. They talked about him
+after he left, and told one another how great a liar he was, and how
+he couldn't help it because he was born that way, and how you could
+hardly help believing him. They recalled joyously certain of his
+fabrications that had passed into the history of the Flying U, and
+wondered what josh he was trying to spring this time.
+
+"What we ought to do," advised Cal, "is to lead him on and let him lie
+his darndest, and make out we believe him. And then we can give him
+the laugh good and plenty--and maybe cure him."
+
+"Cure nothing!" exclaimed Jack Bates, getting up because the sun had
+discovered him, and going over to the mess-wagon where a bit of shade
+had been left unoccupied. "About the only way to cure Andy of lying,
+is to kill him. He was working his way up to some big josh, and if yuh
+let him alone you'll find out what it is, all right. I wouldn't worry
+none about it, if I was you." To prove that he did not worry, Jack
+immediately went to sleep.
+
+Such being the attitude of the Happy Family, when Andy rode hurriedly
+into camp at sundown, his horse wet to the tips of his ears with
+sweat, they sat up, expectancy writ large upon their faces. No one
+said anything, however, while Andy unsaddled and came over to beg a
+belated supper from the cook; nor yet while he squatted on his heels
+beside the cook-tent and ate hungrily. He seemed somewhat absorbed in
+his thoughts, and they decided mentally that Andy was a sure-enough
+good actor, and that if they were not dead next to him and his
+particular weakness, they would swallow his yarn whole--whatever it
+was. A blood-red glow was in the sky to the west, and it lighted
+Andy's face queerly, like a vivid blush on the face of a girl.
+
+Andy scraped his plate thoughtfully with his knife, looked into his
+coffee-cup, stirred the dregs absently and dipped out half a spoonful
+of undissolved sugar, which he swallowed meditatively. He tossed
+plate, cup and spoon toward the dishpan, sent knife and fork after
+them and got out his smoking material. And the Happy Family, grouped
+rather closely together and watching unobtrusively, stirred to the
+listening point. The liar was about to lie.
+
+"Talk about a guilty conscience giving a man dead away," Andy began,
+quite unconscious of the mental attitude of his fellows, and
+forgetting also his anger of the afternoon, "it sure does work out
+like that, sometimes. I followed that old devil, just out uh
+curiosity, to see if he headed for Dry Lake like he said he was going.
+_We_ didn't have any reason for keeping cases on him, or suspicioning
+anything--but he acted like we was all out on his trail, the fool!
+
+"I kinda had a hunch that if he had been up to any deviltry, it would
+show on him when he left here, and I was plumb right about it. He went
+all straight enough till he got down into Black Coulee; and right
+there it looked like he got kinda panicky and suspicious, for he
+turned square off the trail and headed up the coulee."
+
+"He must uh had 'em," Weary commented, quite as if he believed.
+
+"Yuh wait till I'm through," Andy advised, still wholly unconscious of
+their disbelief. "Yuh was all kinda skeptical when I told yuh he had a
+guilty conscience, but I was right about it, and come mighty near
+laying out on the range to-night with my toes pointing straight up,
+just because you fellows wouldn't--"
+
+"Sun-stroke?" asked Pink, coming closer, his eyes showing purple in
+the softened light.
+
+"No--yuh wait, now, till I tell yuh." Whereupon Andy smoked
+relishfully and in silence, and from the tail of his eye watched his
+audience squirm with impatience. "A man gets along a whole lot better
+without any conscience," he began at last, irrelevantly, "'specially
+if he wants to be mean. I trailed this jasper up the coulee and out on
+the bench, across that level strip between Black Coulee and Dry Spring
+Gulch, and down the gulch a mile or so. He was fogging right along,
+and seemed as if he looked back every ten rods--I know he spotted me
+just as I struck the level at the head uh Black Coulee, because he
+acted different then.
+
+"I could see he was making across country for the trail to Chinook,
+but I wanted to overhaul him and have a little casual talk about Dan.
+I don't suppose yuh noticed I took his rope along; I wanted some
+excuse for hazing after him like that, yuh see."
+
+"Uh course, such accommodating cusses as you wouldn't be none strange
+to him," fleered Cal.
+
+"Well, he never found out what I was after," sighed Andy. "It wasn't
+my fault I didn't come up with him, and my intentions were peaceful
+and innocent. But do yuh know what happened? He got out uh sight down
+Dry Spring Gulch--yuh know where that elephant-head rock sticks out,
+and the trail makes a short turn around it--that's where I lost sight
+of him. But he wasn't very far in the lead, and I was dead anxious to
+give him his rope, so I loped on down--"
+
+"You were taking long chances, old-timer; that's mighty rough going,
+along there," hinted Chip, gravely.
+
+"Sure, I was," Andy agreed easily. "But yuh recollect, I was in a
+hurry. So I'd just rounded the elephant's head, when _bing!_ something
+spats the rock, just over my right shoulder, and my horse squatted
+down on his rump and said he'd gone far enough. I kinda felt the same
+way about it, so when he wheeled and humped himself back up the trail,
+I didn't argue none with him."
+
+There was silence so deep one could hear the saddle-bunch cropping the
+thick grasses along the creek. If this were true--this tale that Andy
+was telling--The Happy Family, half tempted to believe, glanced
+furtively at one another.
+
+"Aw, gwan!" It was the familiar, protesting croak of Happy Jack. "What
+did yuh turn tail for? Why didn't yuh have it out with him?" The Happy
+Family drew a long breath, and the temptation to believe was pushed
+aside.
+
+"Because my gun was rolled up in my bed," Andy replied simply. "I
+ain't as brave as you are, Happy. I ain't got the nerve to ride right
+up on a man that's scared plumb silly and pumping lead my way fast as
+he can work the lever on his rifle, and lick him with my fists till he
+howls, and then throw him and walk up and down his person and flap my
+wings and crow. It's awful to have to confess it, but I'm willing to
+run from any man that's shooting at me when I can't shoot back. I'd
+give a lot to be as brave as you are, Happy."
+
+Happy Jack growled and subsided.
+
+"Well, by golly, there's times when _we'd_ be justified in shooting
+yuh, but I don't see what _he'd_ want to do it for," objected Slim.
+
+"Guilty conscience, I told yuh," retorted Andy. "He seen I was chasing
+him up, and I guess he thought it was somebody that had got next to
+what happened--Lord, I wish I knew what did happen, down there in the
+breaks! Boys," Andy got up and stood looking earnestly down at them in
+the twilight, "you can't make me believe that there hasn't been a
+murder done! That fellow has been up to something, or he wouldn't be
+acting so damn' queer. And if it was just plain stealing, Dan would
+sure be hot on his trail--because Dan thought more of his money than
+most men do of their wives. It was about all he lived for, and he
+wasn't any coward. That old man never would get it off him without a
+big ruction, and if he did, Dan would be right after him bigger'n a
+wolf. There's something wrong, you take my word."
+
+"What do yuh want us to do about it?" It was Chip who asked the
+question, and his tone was quite calm and impersonal.
+
+Andy looked at him reproachfully. "Do? What is there to do, except go
+down there and see? If we can find that out, we can put the sheriff
+wise and let him do the rest. It sure does seem kinda tough, if a man
+can do a murder and robbery and get off with it, just because nobody
+cares enough about it to head him off."
+
+The Happy Family stirred uneasily. Of course, it was all just a josh
+of Andy's--but he was such a convincing liar! Almost they felt guilty
+of criminal negligence that they did not at once saddle up and give
+chase to the murderer, who had tried to kill Andy for following him,
+and who was headed for Chinook after unnecessarily proclaiming himself
+bound for Dry Lake.
+
+"Do you want the whole outfit to turn out?" asked Chip calmly at last.
+
+"No-o--"
+
+"Say, is it anywheres near that prehistoric castle you found once?"
+Ping asked maliciously, unbelief getting strong hold of him again.
+
+Andy turned toward him, scowling. "No, Angel-child, it ain't," he
+snapped. "And you fellows can back up and snort all yuh darn please,
+and make idiots of yourselves. But yuh can't do any business making me
+out a hot-air peddler on _this_ deal. I stand pat, just where I stood
+at first, and it'll take a lot uh cackling to make me back down. That
+old devil _did_ lie about Dan, and he did take a shot at me--"
+
+"He took yuh for a horse-thief, most likely," explained Jack Bates.
+
+"He didn't need no field glass to see you was a suspicious character,
+by golly," chortled Slim.
+
+"He thought yuh was after what little your friend Dan had overlooked,
+chances is," added Cal Emmett.
+
+"Did the fog roll down and hide the horrible sight?" asked Jack Bates.
+
+That, and much more, brought about a distinct coldness between the
+Happy Family and one Andy Green, so that the sun went down upon Andy's
+wrath, and rose to find it still bubbling hotly in the outraged heart
+of him.
+
+It was Jack Bates who precipitated an open war by singing an adapted
+version of "Massa's In the Cold, Cold Ground," just when they were
+eating breakfast. As an alleged musical effort it was bad enough, but
+as a personal insult it was worse. One hesitates to repeat the
+doggerel, even in an effort to be exact. However, the chorus, bellowed
+shamelessly by Jack, was this:
+
+    "Down in the Bad-lands, hear that awful sound.
+    Andy Green is there a-weeping--"
+
+Jack Bates got no further than that, for Andy first threw his plate at
+Jack and then landed upon him with much force and venom, so that Jack
+went backwards and waved long legs convulsively in the air, and the
+Happy Family stood around and howled their appreciation of the
+spectacle.
+
+When it dawned upon them that Andy was very much in earnest, and that
+his fist was landing with unpleasant frequency just where it was most
+painful to receive it, they separated the two by main strength and
+argued loudly for peace. But Andy was thoroughly roused and would have
+none of it, and hurled at them profanity and insulting epithets, so
+that more than Jack Bates looked upon him with unfriendly eyes and
+said things which were not calculated to smooth roughened tempers.
+
+"That's a-plenty, now," quelled Chip, laying detaining hand upon the
+nearest, who happened to be Andy himself. "You sound like a bunch of
+old women. What do you want to do the worst and quickest, Andy?--and I
+don't mean killing off any of these alleged joshers, either."
+
+Andy clicked his teeth together, swallowed hard and slowly unclenched
+his hands and grinned; but the grin was not altogether a pleasant one,
+and the light of battle still shone in the big, gray eyes of him.
+
+"You're the boss," he said, "but if yuh don't like my plans you'll
+just have one less to pay wages to. What I'm going to do is throw my
+saddle on my private horse and ride down into the Bad-lands and see
+for myself how the cards lay. Maybe it's awful funny to the rest of
+yuh, but I'm takin' it kinda serious, myself, and I'm going to find
+out how about it before I'm through. I can't seem to think it's a josh
+when some old mark makes a play like that fellow did, and tries to put
+a bullet into my carcass for riding the same trail he took. It's me
+for the Bad-lands--and you can think what yuh damn' please about it."
+
+Chip stood quite still till he was through, and eyed him sharply. "You
+better take old Buck to pack your blankets and grub," he told him, in
+a matter-of-fact tone. "We'll be swinging down that way in two or
+three days; by next Saturday you'll find us camped at the mouth of
+Jump-off Coulee, if nothing happens. That'll give you four days to
+prowl around. Come on, boys--we've got a big circle ahead of us this
+morning, and it's going to be hot enough to singe the tails off our
+cayuses by noon."
+
+That, of course, settled the disturbance and set the official seal of
+approval upon Andy's going; for Chip was too wise to permit the affair
+to grow serious, and perhaps lose a man as good as Andy; family
+quarrels had not been entirely unknown among the boys of the Flying U,
+and with tact they never had been more than a passing unpleasantness.
+So that, although Jack Bates swore vengeance and nursed sundry bruised
+spots on his face, and though Andy saddled, packed old Buck with his
+blankets and meager camp outfit and rode off sullenly with no word to
+anyone and only a scowling glance or two for farewell, Chip mounted
+and rode cheerfully away at the head of his Happy Family, worrying not
+at all over the outcome.
+
+"I've got half a notion that Andy was telling the truth, after all,"
+he remarked to Weary when they were well away from camp. "It's worth
+taking a chance on, anyhow--and when he comes back things will be
+smooth again."
+
+When Saturday came and brought no Andy to camp, the Happy Family began
+to speculate upon his absence. When Sunday's circle took them within
+twelve or fifteen miles of the camp in the Bad-lands, Pink suddenly
+proposed that they ride down there and see what was going on. "He
+won't be looking for us," he explained, to hide a secret uneasiness.
+"And if he's there we can find out what the josh is. If he ain't,
+we'll have it on him good and strong."
+
+"I betche Andy just wanted a lay-off, and took that way uh getting
+it," declared Happy Jack pessimistically. "I betche he's in town right
+now, tearing things wide open and tickled to think he don't have to
+ride in this hot sun. Yuh can't never tell what Andy's got cached up
+his sleeve."
+
+"Chip thinks he was talking on the level," Weary mused. "Maybe he was;
+as Happy says, yuh can't tell."
+
+As always before, this brought the Happy Family to argument which
+lasted till they neared the deep, lonely coulee where, according to
+Andy, "friend Dan" had wintered with the shifty-eyed old man.
+
+"Now, how the mischief do we get down?" questioned Jack Bates
+complainingly. "This is bound to be the right place--there's the cabin
+over there against the cottonwoods."
+
+"Aw, come on back," urged Happy Jack, viewing the steep bluff with
+disfavor. "Chances is, Andy's in town right now. He ain't down--"
+
+"There's old Buck, over there by the creek," Pink announced. "I'd know
+him far as I could see him. Let's ride around that way. There's sure
+to be a trail down." He started off, and they followed him
+dispiritedly, for the heat was something to remember afterwards with a
+shudder.
+
+"Here's the place," Pink called back to them, after some minutes of
+riding. "Andy's horse is down there, too, but I don't see Andy--"
+
+"Chances is--" began Happy Jack, but found no one listening.
+
+It would be impossible to ride down, so they dismounted and prepared
+for the scramble. They could see Buck, packed as if for the homeward
+trail, and they could see Andy's horse, saddled and feeding with reins
+dragging. He looked up at them and whinnied, and the sound but
+accentuated the loneliness of the place. Buck, too, saw them and came
+toward them, whinnying wistfully; but, though they strained eyes in
+every direction, they could see nothing of the man they sought.
+
+It was significant of their apprehension that not even Happy Jack made
+open comment upon the strangeness of it. Instead, they dug bootheels
+deep where the slope was loose gravel, and watched that their horses
+did not slide down upon them; climbed over rocks where the way was
+barred, and prayed that horse and man might not break a leg. They had
+been over rough spots, and had climbed in and out of deep coulees, but
+never had they travelled a rougher trail than that.
+
+"My God! boys, look down there!" Pink cried, when yet fifty
+perpendicular feet lay between them and the level below.
+
+They looked, and drew breath sharply. Huddled at the very foot of the
+last and worst slope lay Andy, and they needed no words to explain
+what had happened. It was evident that he had started to climb the
+bluff and had slipped and fallen to the bottom, And from the way he
+was lying--The Happy Family shut out the horror of the thought and
+hurried recklessly to the place.
+
+It was Pink who, with a last slide and a stumbling recovery at the
+bottom, reached him first. It was Jack Bates who came a close second
+and helped to turn him--for he had fallen partly on his face. From the
+way one arm was crumpled back under him, they knew it to be broken.
+Further than that they could only guess and hope. While they were
+feeling for heart-beats, the others came down and crowded close. Pink
+looked up at them strainedly.
+
+"Oh, for God's sake, some of yuh get water," he cried sharply. "What
+good do yuh think you're doing, just standing around?"
+
+"We ought to be hung for letting him come down here alone," Weary
+repented. "It ain't safe for one man in this cursed country. Where's
+he hurt, Cadwolloper?"
+
+"How in hell do _I_ know?" Anxiety ever sharpened the tongue of Pink.
+"If somebody'd bring some water--"
+
+"Happy's gone. And there ain't a drop uh whisky in the crowd! Can't we
+get him into the shade? This damned sun is enough to--"
+
+"Look out how yuh lift him, man! You ain't wrassling a calf, remember!
+You take his shoulder, Jack--_easy_, yuh damned, awkward--"
+
+"Here comes Happy, with his hat full. Don't slosh it all on at once! A
+little at a time's better. Get some on his head."
+
+So with much incoherence and with everybody giving orders and each
+acting independently, they bore him tenderly into the shade of a rock
+and worked over him feverishly, their faces paler than his. When he
+opened his eyes and stared at them dully, they could have shouted for
+very relief. When he closed them again they bent over him solicitously
+and dripped more water from the hat of Happy Jack. And not one of them
+but remembered remorsefully the things they had said of him, not an
+hour before; the things they had said even when he was lying there
+alone and hurt--hurt unto death, for all they knew.
+
+When he was roused enough to groan when they moved him, however
+gently, they began to consider the problem of getting him to camp, and
+they cursed the long, hot miles that lay between. They tried to
+question him, but if he understood what they were saying he could not
+reply except by moaning, which was not good to hear. All that they
+could gather was that when they moved his body in a certain way the
+pain of it was unbearable. Also, he would faint when his head was
+lowered, or even lifted above the level. They must guard against that
+if they meant to get him to camp alive.
+
+"We'll have to carry him up this cussed hill, and then--If he could
+ride at all, we might make it."
+
+"The chances is he'll die on the road," croaked Happy Jack tactlessly,
+and they scowled at him for voicing the fear they were trying to
+ignore. They had been trying not to think that he might die on the
+road, and they had been careful not to mention the possibility. As it
+was, no one answered.
+
+How they ever got him to the top of that heartbreaking slope, not one
+of them ever knew. Twice he fainted outright. And Happy Jack,
+carefully bearing his hat full of water for just that emergency,
+slipped and spilled the whole of it just when they needed it most. At
+the last, it was as if they carried a dead man between them--Jack
+Bates and Cal Emmett it was who bore him up the last steep climb--and
+Pink and Weary, coming behind with all the horses, glanced fearfully
+into each other's eyes and dared not question.
+
+At the top they laid him down in the grass and swore at Happy Jack,
+because they must do something, and because they dared not face what
+might be before them. They avoided looking at one another while they
+stood helplessly beside the still figure of the man they had maligned.
+If he died, they would always have that bitter spot in their
+memory--and even with the fear of his dying they stood remorseful.
+
+Of a sudden Andy opened his eyes and looked at them with the light of
+recognition, and they bent eagerly toward him. "If--yuh could--on--my
+horse--I--I--could ride--maybe." Much pain it cost him, they knew by
+the look on his face. But he was game to the last--just as they knew
+he would be.
+
+"Yuh couldn't ride Twister, yuh know yuh couldn't," Pink objected
+gently. "But--if yuh could ride Jack's horse--he's dead gentle, and
+we'd help hold yuh on. Do you think yuh could?"
+
+Andy moved his head uneasily. "I--I've got to," he retorted weakly,
+and even essayed a smile to reassure them. "I--ain't all--in yet," he
+added with an evident effort, and the Happy Family gulped
+sympathetically, and wondered secretly if they would have such nerve
+under like conditions.
+
+"It's going to be one hell of a trip for yuh," Weary murmured
+commiseratingly, when they were lifting him into the saddle. Of a
+truth, it did seem absolutely foolhardy to attempt it, but there was
+nothing else to do, unless they left him there. For no wagon could
+possibly be driven within miles of the place.
+
+Andy leaned limply over the saddle-horn, his face working with the
+agony he suffered. Somehow they had got him upon the horse of Jack
+Bates, but they had felt like torturers while they did it, and the
+perspiration on their faces was not all caused by heat.
+
+"My God, I'd rather be hung than go through this again," muttered Cal,
+white under the tan. "I--"
+
+"I'll tackle--it now," gasped Andy, with a pitiful attempt to sit
+straight in the saddle. "Get on--boys--"
+
+Reluctantly they started to obey, when the horse of Jack Bates gave a
+sudden leap ahead. Many hands reached out to grasp him by the bridle,
+but they were a shade too late, and he started to run, with Andy
+swaying in the saddle. While they gazed horrified, he straightened
+convulsively, turned his face toward them and raised a hand; caught
+his hat by the brim and swung it high above his head.
+
+"Much obliged, boys," he yelled derisively. "I sure do appreciate
+being packed up that hill; it was too blamed hot to walk. Say! if
+you'd gone around that bend, you'd uh found a good trail down. Yuh
+struck about the worst place there is. So-long--I ain't all in yet!"
+He galloped away, while the Happy Family stared after him with bulging
+eyes.
+
+"The son-of-a-gun!" gasped Weary weakly, and started for his horse.
+
+"Darn yuh, you'll _be_ all in when we get hold of yuh!" screamed Jack
+Bates, and gave chase.
+
+It was when they were tearing headlong after him down the coulee's rim
+and into a shallow gully which seamed unexpectedly the level, that
+they saw his horse swerve suddenly and go bounding along the edge of
+the slope with Andy "sawing" energetically upon the bit.
+
+"What trick's he up to now?" cried Cal Emmett resentfully, feeling
+that, in the light of what had gone before, Andy could not possibly
+make a single motion in good faith.
+
+Andy brought his horse under control and turned back to meet them, and
+the Happy Family watched him guardedly until they reached the gulley
+and their own horses took fright at a dark, shambling object that
+scuttled away down toward the coulee-head. Andy was almost upon them
+before they could give him any attention.
+
+"Did you see it?" he called excitedly. "It was a bear, and he was
+digging at something under that shelving rock. Come on and let's take
+a look."
+
+"Aw, gwan!" Happy Jack adjured crossly. He was thinking of all the
+water he had carried painstakingly in his hat, for the relief of this
+conscienceless young reprobate, and he was patently suspicious of some
+new trick.
+
+"Well, by gracious!" Andy rode quite close--dangerously close,
+considering the mood they were in--and eyed them queerly. "I sure must
+have a horrible rep, when yuh won't believe your own eyes just because
+I happen to remark that a bear is a bear. I'll call it a pinto hog, if
+it'll make yuh feel any better. And I'll say it wasn't doing any
+digging; only, I'm going down there and take a look. There's an
+odor--"
+
+There was, and they could not deny it, even though Andy did make the
+assertion. And though they had threatened much that was exceedingly
+unpleasant, and what they would surely do to Andy if they ever got him
+within reach, they followed him quite peaceably.
+
+They saw him get off his horse and stand looking down at
+something--and there was that in his attitude which made them jab
+spurs against their horses' flanks. A moment later they, too, were
+looking down at something, and they were not saying a word.
+
+"It's Dan, all right," said Andy at last, and his tone was hushed. "I
+hunted the coulee over--every foot of it--and looked up some of the
+little draws, and went along the river; but I couldn't find any trace
+of him. I never thought about coming up here.
+
+"Look there. His head was smashed in with a rock or something--ugh!
+Here, let me away, boys. This thing--" He walked uncertainly away and
+sat down upon a rock with his face in his hands, and what they could
+see of his face was as white as the tan would permit. Somehow, not a
+man of them doubted him then. And not a man of them but felt much the
+same. They backed away and stood close to where Andy was sitting.
+
+"You wouldn't believe me when I told yuh," he reproached, when the
+sickness had passed and he could lift his head and look at them. "You
+thought I was lying, and yuh made yourselves pretty blamed obnoxious
+to me--but I got even for _that_." There was much satisfaction in his
+tone, and the Happy Family squirmed. "Yuh see, I was telling the
+truth, all right--and now I'm going to get even some more. I'm going
+to take--er--Pink along for a witness, and notify the outfit that yuh
+won't be back for a day or two, and send word to the sheriff. And you
+jaspers can have the pleasure uh standing guard over--_that_." He
+shivered a little and turned his glance quickly away. "And I hope," he
+added maliciously, as he mounted his own horse, "you'll make Jack
+Bates stand an all-night guard by his high lonesome. He's sure got it
+coming to him!"
+
+With Pink following close at his heels he rode away up the ridge.
+
+"Say, there's grub enough on old Buck to do yuh to-night," he called
+down to them, "in case Chip don't send yuh any till to-morrow." He
+waved a subdued farewell and turned his face again up the ridge, and
+before they had quite decided what to do about it, he was gone.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+
+
+"WOLF! WOLF!"
+
+
+Andy Green, of the Flying U, loped over the grassy level and hummed a
+tune as he rode. The sun shone just warm enough to make a man feel
+that the world was good enough for him, and the wind was just a lazy,
+whispering element to keep the air from growing absolutely still and
+stagnant. There was blue sky with white, fluffy bits of cloud like
+torn cotton drifting as lazily as the wind, and there were
+meadow-larks singing and swaying, and slow-moving range cattle with
+their calves midway to weaning time. Not often may one ride leisurely
+afar on so perfect a day, and while Andy was a sunny-natured fellow at
+all times, on such a day he owned not a care.
+
+A mile farther, and he rode over a low shoulder of the butte he was
+passing, ambled down the long slope on the far side, crossed another
+rounded hill, followed down a dry creek-bed at the foot of it, sought
+with his eye for a practicable crossing and went headlong down a
+steep, twenty-foot bank; rattled the loose rocks in the dry, narrow
+channel and went forging up a bank steeper than the first, with
+creaking saddle-leather and grunting horse, and struck again easy
+going.
+
+"She slipped on me," he murmured easily, meaning the saddle. "I'm
+riding on your tail, just about; but I guess we can stand it the rest
+uh the why, all right." If he had not been so lazy and self-satisfied
+he would have stopped right there and reset the saddle. But if he had,
+he might have missed something which he liked to live over o' nights.
+
+He went up a gentle rise, riding slowly because of the saddle, passed
+over the ridge and went down another short slope. At the foot of the
+slope, cuddled against another hill, stood a low, sod-roofed cabin
+with rusty stove-pipe rising aslant from one corner. This was the spot
+he had been aiming for, and he neared it slowly.
+
+It was like a dozen other log cabins tucked away here and there among
+the foothills of the Bear Paws. It had an air of rakish hominess, as
+if it would be a fine, snuggy place in winter, when the snow and the
+wind swept the barren land around. In the summer, it stood open-doored
+and open-windowed, with all the litter of bachelor belongings
+scattered about or hanging from pegs on the wall outside. There was a
+faint trail of smoke from the rusty pipe, and it brought a grunt of
+satisfaction from Andy.
+
+"He's home, all right. And if he don't throw together some uh them
+sour-dough biscuits uh his, there'll be something happen! Hope the
+bean-pot's full. G'wan, yuh lazy old skate." He slapped the rein-ends
+lightly down the flanks of his horse and went at a trot around the end
+of the cabin. And there he was so utterly taken by surprise that he
+almost pulled his mount into a sitting posture.
+
+A young woman was stooping before the open door, and she was pouring
+something from a white earthen bowl into a battered tin pan. Two
+waggle-tailed lambs--a black one and a white--were standing on their
+knees in their absorption, and were noisily drinking of the stuff as
+fast as it came within reach.
+
+Andy had half a minute in which to gaze before the young woman looked
+up, said "Oh!" in a breathless sort of way and retreated to the
+doorstep, where she stood regarding him inquiringly.
+
+Andy, feeling his face go unreasonably red, lifted his hat. He knew
+that she was waiting for him to speak, but he could not well say any
+of the things he thought, and blurted out an utterly idiotic question.
+
+"What are yuh feeding 'em?"
+
+The girl looked down at the bowl in her hands and laughed a little.
+
+"Rolled oats," she answered, "boiled very thin and with condensed
+cream added to taste. Good morning." She seemed about to disappear,
+and that brought Andy to his senses. He was not, as a rule, a bashful
+young man.
+
+"Good morning. Is--er--Mr. Johnson at home?" He came near saying
+"Take-Notice," but caught himself in time. Take-Notice Johnson was
+what men called the man whom Andy had ridden over to see upon a more
+or less trivial matter.
+
+"He isn't, but he will be back--if you care to wait." She spoke with a
+certain preciseness which might be natural or artificial, and she
+stood in the doorway with no symptoms of immediate disappearance.
+
+Andy slid over a bit in the saddle, readjusted his hat so that its
+brim would shield his eyes from the sunlight, and prepared to be
+friendly. "Oh, I'll wait," he said easily. "I've got all the time
+there is. Would you mind if I smoked a cigarette?"
+
+"Indeed, I was wishing you would," she told him, with surprising
+frankness. "I've so longed to see a dashing young cowboy roll a
+cigarette with deft, white fingers."
+
+Andy, glancing at her startled, spilled much tobacco down the front of
+him, stopped to brush it away and let the lazy breeze snatch the tiny
+oblong of paper from between his unwatchful fingers. Of course, she
+was joshing him, he thought uneasily, as he separated the leaves of
+his cigarette book by blowing gently upon them, and singled out
+another paper. "Are yuh so new to the country that it's anything of a
+treat?" he asked guardedly.
+
+"Yes, I'm new. I'm what you people call a pilgrim. Don't you do it
+with one hand? I thought--oh, yes! You hold the reins between your
+firm, white teeth while you roll--"
+
+"Lady, I never travelled with no show," Andy protested mildly and
+untruthfully. _Was_ she just joshing? Or didn't she know any better?
+She looked sober as anything, but somehow her eyes kind of--
+
+"You see, I know some things about you. Those are chaps" (Heavens! She
+called them the way they are spelled, without the soft sound of s!)
+"That you're wearing for--trousers" (Andy blushed modestly. He was not
+wearing them "for trousers".), "and you've got jingling rowels at your
+heels, and those are taps--"
+
+"You're going to be shy a yard or two of calico if that black
+lamb-critter has his say-so," Andy cut in remorselessly, and hastily
+made and lighted his cigarette while she was rescuing her blue calico
+skirt from the jaws of the black lamb and puckering her eyebrows over
+the chewed place. When her attention was once more given to him, he
+was smoking as unobtrusively as possible, and he was gazing at her
+with a good deal of speculative admiration. He looked hastily down at
+the lambs. "Mary had _two_ little lambs," he murmured inanely.
+
+"They're not mine," she informed him, taking him seriously--or seeming
+to do so. Andy had some trouble deciding just how much of her was
+sincere. "They were here when I came, and I can't take them back with
+me, so there's no use in claiming them. They'd be such a nuisance on
+the train--"
+
+"I reckon they would," Andy agreed, "if yuh had far to go."
+
+"Well, you can't call San Jose _close_," she observed, meditatively.
+"It takes four days to come."
+
+"You're a long way from home. Does it--are yuh homesick, ever?" Andy
+was playing for information without asking directly how long she
+intended to stay--a question which had suddenly seemed quite
+important. Also, why was she stopping here with Take-Notice Johnson,
+away off from everybody?
+
+"Seeing I've only been here four days, the novelty hasn't worn off
+yet," she replied. "But it does seem more like four weeks; and how
+I'll ever stand two months of it, not ever seeing a soul but father--"
+
+Andy looked reproachful, and also glad. Didn't she consider him a
+soul? And Take-Notice was her dad! To be sure, Take-Notice had never
+mentioned having a daughter, but then, in the range-land, men don't go
+around yawping their personal affairs.
+
+Before Take-Notice returned, Andy felt that he had accomplished much.
+He had learned that the young woman's name really was Mary, and that
+she was a stenographer in a real-estate office in San Jose, where her
+mother lived; that the confinement of office-work had threatened her
+with pulmonary tuberculosis (Andy failed, at the moment, to recognize
+the disease which had once threatened him also, and wondered vaguely)
+and that the doctor had advised her coming to Montana for a couple of
+months; that she had written to her father (it seemed queer to have
+anyone speak of old Take-Notice as "father") and that he had told her
+to "come a-running."
+
+She told Andy that she had not seen her father for five years (Andy
+knew that Take-Notice had disappeared for a whole winter, about that
+long ago, and that no one had discovered where he went) because he and
+her mother were "not congenial."
+
+He had dismounted, at her invitation, and had gone clanking to the
+doorstep and sat down--giving a furtive kick now and then at the black
+lamb, which developed a fondness for the leathern fringe on his
+chaps--and had eaten an orange which she had brought in her trunk all
+the way from San Jose, and which she had picked from a tree which
+stood by her mother's front gate. He had nibbled a ripe olive--eating
+it with what Andy himself would term "long teeth"--and had tried hard
+not to show how vile he found it. He had inspected two star-fishes
+which she had found last Fourth-of-July at Monterey and had dried; and
+had crumpled a withered leaf of bay in his hands and had smelled and
+nearly sneezed his head off; and had cracked and eaten four
+walnuts--also gathered from her mother's yard--and three almonds from
+the same source, and had stared admiringly at a note-book filled with
+funny marks which she called shorthand.
+
+Between-whiles Andy had told her his name and the name of the outfit
+he worked for; had explained what he meant by "outfit," and had drawn
+a large U in the dirt to show her what a Flying U was, and had wanted
+to murder the black lamb which kept getting in his way and trying to
+eat the stick Andy used for a pencil; had confessed that he did
+sometimes play cards for money, as do the cowboys in Western stories,
+but assured her that he had never killed off any of his friends during
+any little disagreement. He had owned to drinking a glass of whisky
+now and then, but declared that it was only for snake bite and did not
+happen oftener than once in six months or so. Yes, he had often had
+rattlers in his bed, but not to hurt. This is where he began to
+inspect the star-fishes, and so turned the conversation safely back to
+California and himself away from the temptation to revel in fiction.
+
+All of which took time, so that Take-Notice came before they quite
+felt a longing for his presence; and though the sun shone straight in
+the cabin door and so proved that it was full noon, there was no fire
+left in the stove and nothing in sight that was eatable save another
+ripe olive--which Andy had politely declined--and two more almonds and
+an orange.
+
+A stenographer, with a fluffy pompadour that dipped distractingly at
+one side, and a gold watch suspended around the neck like a locket,
+and with sleeves that came no farther than the elbow and heels higher
+than any riding boot Andy ever owned in his life, and with teeth that
+were very white and showed a glint of gold here and there, and eyes
+that looked at one with insincere gravity, and fingers with nails that
+shone--fingers that pinched red lips together meditatively--a
+stenographer who has all these entrancing attributes, Andy discovered,
+may yet lack those housewifely accomplishments that make a man dream
+of a little home for two. So far as Andy could see, her knowledge of
+cookery extended no farther than rolled oat porridge for the two
+lambs.
+
+Take-Notice it was who whittled shavings and started the fire without
+any comment upon the hour or his appetite; who went to the spring and
+brought water, half-filled the enameled teakettle which had large,
+bare patches where the enamel had been chipped off in the stress of
+baching, and sliced the bacon and mixed the "sour-dough" biscuits. To
+be sure, he had done those things for years and thought nothing of it;
+Andy, also, had done those things, many's the time, and had thought
+nothing of it, either. But to do them while a young woman sits calmly
+by and makes no offer of help, but talks of many things, unconscious
+even of her world-old, feminine duties and privileges, that struck
+Andy with a cold breath of disillusionment.
+
+He watched her unobtrusively while she talked. She never once seemed
+to feel that cooking belonged to woman, and as far as he could see
+Take-Notice did not feel so either. So Andy mentally adjusted himself
+to the novelty and joyed in her presence.
+
+To show how successful was his mental adjustment, it is necessary
+merely to state one fact: Where he had intended to stop an hour or so,
+he stayed the afternoon; ate supper there and rode home at sundown,
+his mind a jumble of sunny Californian days where one may gather
+star-fishes and oranges, bay leaves and ripe olives at will, and of
+black and white lambs which always obtrude themselves at the wrong
+moment and break off little, intimate confidences about life in a
+real-estate office, perhaps; and of polished finger-nails that never
+dip themselves in dishwater--Andy had come to believe that it would be
+neither right or just to expect them to do so common a thing.
+
+The season was what the range calls "between roundups," so that Andy
+went straight to the ranch and found the Happy Family in or around the
+bunk-house, peacefully enjoying their before-bedtime smoke. Andy,
+among other positive faults and virtues, did not lack a certain degree
+of guile. Men there were at the Flying U who would ride in haste if
+they guessed that a pompadoured young woman from California was at the
+end of the trail, and Andy, knowing well the reputation he bore among
+them, set that reputation at work to keep the trail empty of all
+riders save himself. When someone asked him idly what had kept him so
+long, he gazed around at them with his big, innocent gray eyes.
+
+"Why, I was just getting acquainted with the new girl," he answered
+simply and truthfully.
+
+Truth being something which the Happy Family was unaccustomed to from
+the lips of Andy Green, they sniffed scornfully.
+
+"What girl?" demanded Irish bluntly.
+
+"Why, Take-Notice's girl. His young lady daughter that is visiting
+him. She's mighty nice, and she's got style about her, and she was
+feeding two lambs. Her name," he added softly, "is Mary."
+
+Since no one had ever heard that Take-Notice had a daughter, the Happy
+Family could not be blamed for doubting Andy. They did doubt,
+profanely and volubly.
+
+"Say, did any of you fellows ever eat a ripe olive?" Andy broke in,
+when he could make himself heard. "Well," he explained mildly, when
+came another rift of silence in the storm-cloud of words, "When yuh
+ride over there, she'll likely give yuh one to try; but yuh take my
+advice and pass it up. I went up against one, and I ain't got the
+taste out uh my mouth yet. It's sure fierce."
+
+More words, from which Andy gathered that they did not believe
+anything he said; that he was wasting time and breath, and that his
+imagination was weak and his lies idiotic. He'd better not let
+Take-Notice hear how he was taking his name in vain and giving him a
+daughter--and so on.
+
+"Say, did yuh ever see a star-fish? Funniest thing yuh ever saw, all
+pimply, and pink, and with five points to 'em. She's got two. When yuh
+go over, you ask her to let yuh see 'em." Andy was in bed, then, and
+he spoke through the dusk toward the voices. What those voices had
+just then been saying seemed to have absolutely no effect upon him.
+
+"Oh, dry up!" Irish commanded impatiently. "Nobody's thinking uh
+riding over there, yuh chump. What kind of easy marks do yuh think we
+are?"
+
+Andy laughed audibly in his corner next the window. "Say, you fellows
+do amuse me a lot. By gracious, I'll bet five dollars some of yuh take
+the trail over there, soon or late. I--I'll bet five dollars to _one_
+that yuh do! The bet to hold good for--well, say six weeks. But yuh
+better not take me up, boys--especially Irish, that ain't got a girl
+at present. Yes, or _any_ of yuh, by gracious! It'll be a case for
+breach-uh-promise for any one uh yuh. Say, she's a bird! Got goldy
+hair, and a dimple in her chin and eyes that'd make a man--"
+
+With much reviling they accepted the wager, and after that Andy went
+peacefully to sleep, quite satisfied for the time with the effect
+produced by his absolute truthfulness; it did not matter much, he told
+himself complacently, what a man's reputation might be, so long as he
+recognized its possibilities and shaped his actions properly.
+
+It is true that when he returned from Dry Lake, not many days after,
+with a package containing four new ties and a large, lustrous silk
+handkerchief of the proper, creamy tint, the Happy Family seemed to
+waver a bit. When he took to shaving every other day, and became
+extremely fastidious about his finger-nails and his boots and the knot
+in his tie, and when he polished the rowels of his spurs with Patsy's
+scouring brick (which Patsy never used) and was careful to dent his
+hat-crown into four mathematically correct dimples before ever he
+would ride away from the ranch, the Happy Family looked thoughtful and
+discussed him privately in low tones.
+
+But when Andy smilingly assured them that he was going over to call on
+Take-Notice's girl, and asked them if they wouldn't like to come along
+and be introduced, and taste a ripe olive, and look at the
+star-fishes, and smell a crumpled leaf of bay, they backed
+figuratively from the wiles of him and asserted more or less
+emphatically he couldn't work _them_. Then Andy would grin and ride
+gaily away, and Flying U Coulee would see him no more for several
+hours. It was mere good fortune--from Andy's viewpoint--that duty did
+not immediately call the Happy Family, singly or as a whole, to ride
+across the hills toward the cabin of Take-Notice Johnson. Without a
+legitimate excuse, he felt sure of their absence from the place, and
+he also counted optimistically upon their refusing to ask any one whom
+they might meet, if Take-Notice Johnson had a daughter visiting him.
+
+Four weeks do not take much space in a calendar, nor much time to
+live; yet in the four that came just after Andy's discovery, he
+accomplished much, even in his own modest reckoning. He had taught the
+girl to watch for his coming and to stand pensively in the door with
+many good-bye messages when he said he must hit the trail. He had
+formed definite plans for the future and had promised her quite
+seriously that he would cut out gambling, and never touch liquor in
+any form--unless the snake was a _very_ big one and sunk his fangs in
+a vital spot, in which dire contingency Mary absolved him from his
+vow. He had learned the funny marks that meant his name and hers in
+shorthand and had watched with inner satisfaction her efforts to learn
+how to fry canned corn in bacon grease, and to mix sour-dough biscuits
+that were neither yellow with too much soda nor distressfully "soggy"
+with too little, and had sat a whole, blissful afternoon in his
+shirtsleeves, while Mary bent her blond pompadour domestically over
+his coat, sewing in the sleeve-linings that are prone to come loose
+and torment a man. To go back to the first statement, which includes
+all these things and much more, Andy had, in those four weeks,
+accomplished much.
+
+But a girl may not live forever in that lonely land with only Andy
+Green to discover her presence, and the rumors which at first buzzed
+unheeded in the ears of the Happy Family, stung them at last to the
+point of investigation; so that on a Sunday--the last Sunday before
+the Flying U wagons took again to the trailless range-land, Irish and
+Jack Bates rode surreptitiously up the coulee half an hour after Andy,
+blithe in his fancied security, had galloped that way to spend a long
+half-day with Mary. If he discovered them they would lose a dollar
+each--but if they discovered a girl such as Andy had pictured, they
+felt that it would be a dollar well lost.
+
+In the range-land many strange things may happen. Irish and Jack
+pulled up short when, off to their right, in a particularly, lonely
+part of that country, broken into seamed coulees and deep-scarred
+hills, they heard a faint halloo. With spurs pricking deep and
+frequent they hurried to the spot; looked down a grassy swale and saw
+Andy lying full length upon the ground in rather a peculiar pose,
+while his horse fed calmly a rein-length away.
+
+They stopped and looked at him, and at each other; rode cautiously to
+within easy rifle shot and stopped again.
+
+"Ain't yuh getting tired feelings kinda unseasonable in the day?" Jack
+Bates called out guardedly.
+
+"I--I'm hurt, boys," Andy lifted his head to say, strainedly. "My hoss
+stepped in a hole, and I wasn't looking for it. I guess--my leg's
+broke."
+
+Jack snorted. "That so? Sure it ain't your neck, now? Seems to me your
+head sets kinda crooked. Better feel it and find out, while we go on
+where we're going." He half turned his horse up the hill again,
+resenting the impulse which had betrayed him a hand's breadth from the
+trail.
+
+Andy waited a moment. Then: "On the dead, boys, my leg's broke--like
+you'd bust a dry stick. Come and see--for yourselves."
+
+"Maybe--" Irish began, uncertainly, in an undertone. Andy's voice had
+in it a note of pain that was rather convincing.
+
+"Aw, he's just trying to head us off. Didn't I help pack him up that
+ungodly bluff, last spring, thinking he was going to die before we got
+him to the top--and him riding off and giving us the horse-laugh to
+pay for it? You can bite, if yuh want to; I'm going on. I sure savvy
+Andy Green."
+
+"Come and look," Andy begged from below. "If I'm joshing--"
+
+"You can josh and be darned," finished Jack for him. "I don't pack you
+up hill more than once, old-timer. We're going to call on your
+Mary-girl. When yuh get good and refreshed up, you can come and look
+on at me and Irish acting pretty and getting a stand-in. So-long!"
+
+Irish, looking back over his shoulder, saw Andy raise his head and
+gaze after them; saw it drop upon his arms just before they went quite
+over the hill. The sight stuck persistently and unpleasantly in his
+memory.
+
+"Yuh know, he _might_ be hurt," he began tentatively when they had
+ridden slowly a hundred yards or so.
+
+"He might. But he ain't. He's up to some game again, and he wouldn't
+like anything better than to have us ride down there and feel his
+bones. If you'd been along, that day in the Bad-lands, you'd know the
+kind of bluff he can put up. Why, we all thought sure he was going to
+die. He acted that natural we felt like we was packing a corpse at a
+funeral--and him tickled to death all the while at the load he was
+throwing! No sir, yuh don't see me swallowing no such dope as _that_,
+any more. When he gets tired uh laying there, he'll recover rapid and
+come on. Don't yuh worry none about Andy Green; why, man, do yuh
+reckon any horse-critter could break _his_ leg--a rider like him? He
+knows more ways uh falling off a horse without losing the ashes off
+his cigarette than most men know how to--how to punish grub! Andy
+Green _couldn't_ get hurt with a horse! If he could, he'd uh been dead
+and playing his little harp long ago."
+
+Such an argument was more convincing than the note of pain in the
+voice of Andy, so that Irish shook off his uneasiness and laughed at
+the narrow escape he'd had from being made a fool. And speedily they
+forgot the incident.
+
+It was Take-Notice who made them remember, when they had been an hour
+or so basking themselves, so to speak, in the smiles of Mary. They had
+fancied all along that she had a curiously expectant air, and that she
+went very often to the door to see what the lambs were up to--and
+always lifted her eyes to the prairie slope down which they had ridden
+and gazed as long as she dared. They were not dull; they understood
+quite well what "lamb" it was that held half the mind of her, and they
+were piqued because of their understanding, and not disposed to
+further the cause of the absent. Therefore, when Take-Notice asked
+casually what had become of Andy, Jack Bates moved his feet
+impatiently, shot a sidelong glance at the girl (who was at that
+moment standing where she could look out of the window) and laughed
+unpleasantly.
+
+"Oh, Andy's been took again with an attack uh bluff," he answered
+lightly. "He gets that way, ever so often, you know. We left him
+laying in a sunny spot, a few miles back, trying to make somebody
+think he was hurt, so they'd pack him home and he'd have the laugh on
+them for all summer."
+
+"Wasn't he hurt?" The girl turned suddenly and her voice told how much
+it meant to her. But Jack was not sympathetic.
+
+"No, he wasn't hurt. He was just playing off. He got us once, that
+way, and he's never given up the notion that he could do it again. We
+may be easy, but--"
+
+"I don't understand," the girl broke in sharply. "Do you mean that he
+would deliberately try to deceive you into believing he was hurt, when
+he wasn't?"
+
+"Miss Johnson," Jack replied sorrowfully, "he would. He would lose
+valuable sleep for a month, studying up the smoothest way to deceive.
+I guess," he added artfully, and as if the subject was nearly
+exhausted, "yuh don't know Mr. Green very well."
+
+"I remember hearing about that job he put up on yuh," Take-Notice
+remarked, not noticing that the girl's lips were opened for speech,
+"Yuh made a stretcher, didn't yuh, and--"
+
+"No--he told it that way, but he's such a liar he couldn't tell the
+truth if he wanted to. We found him lying at the bottom of a steep
+bluff, and he appeared to be about dead. It looked as if he'd slipped
+and fallen down part way. So we packed water and sloshed in his face,
+and he kinda come to, and then we packed him up the bluff--and yuh
+know what the Bad-lands is like, Take-Notice. It was unmerciful hot,
+too, and we like to died getting him up. At the top we laid him down
+and worked over him till we got him to open his eyes, and he could
+talk a little and said maybe he could ride if we could get him on a
+horse. The--he made us _lift_ him into the saddle--and considering the
+size of him, it was something of a contract--and then he made as if he
+couldn't stay on, even. But first we knew he digs in the spurs, yanks
+off his hat and lets a yell out of him you could hear a mile, and
+says: 'Much obliged, boys, it was too blamed hot to walk up that
+hill,' and off he goes."
+
+Take-Notice stretched his legs out before him, pushed his hands deep
+down in his trousers' pockets, and laughed and laughed. "That was sure
+one on you," he chuckled. "Andy's a hard case, all right."
+
+But the girl stood before him, a little pale and with her chin high.
+"Father, how can you think it's funny?" she cried impatiently. "It
+seems to me--er--I think it's perfectly horrid for a man to act like
+that. And you say, Mr. Bates, that he's out there _now_"--she swept a
+very pretty hand and arm toward the window--"acting the same silly
+sort of falsehood?"
+
+"I don't know where he is _now_," Jack answered judicially. "That's
+what he was doing when we came past."
+
+She went to the door and stood looking vaguely out at nothing in
+particular, and Irish took the opportunity to kick Jack on the
+ankle-bone and viciously whisper, "Yuh damned chump!" But Jack smiled
+serenely. Irish, he reflected, had not been with them that day in the
+Bad-lands, and so had not the same cause for vengeance. He remembered
+that Irish had laughed, just as Take-Notice was laughing, when they
+told him about it; but Jack had never been able to see the joke, and
+his conscience did not trouble him now.
+
+More they said about Andy Green--he and Take-Notice, with Irish mostly
+silent and with the girl extremely indignant at times and at others
+slightly incredulous, but always eager to hear more. More they said,
+not with malice, perhaps, for they liked Andy Green, but with the
+spirit of reminiscence strong upon them. Many things that he had said
+and done they recalled and laughed over--but the girl did not laugh.
+At sundown, when they rode away, she scribbled a hasty note, put it in
+an envelope and entrusted it to Irish for immediate delivery to the
+absent and erring one. Then they rode home, promising each other that
+they would sure devil Andy to death when they saw him, and wishing
+that they had ridden long ago to the cabin of Take-Notice. It was not
+pleasant to know that Andy Green had again fooled them completely.
+
+None at the ranch had seen Andy, and they speculated much upon the
+nature of the game he was playing. Happy Jack wanted to bet that Andy
+really had broken his leg--but that was because he had a present
+grievance against Irish and hated to agree with anything he said. But
+when they went to bed, the Happy Family had settled unanimously upon
+the theory that Andy had ridden to Dry Lake, and would come loping
+serenely down the trail next day.
+
+Irish did not know what time it was when he found himself sitting up
+in bed listening, but he discovered Pink getting quietly into his
+clothes. Irish hesitated a moment, and then felt under his pillow for
+his own garments--long habit had made him put them there--and began to
+dress. "I guess I'll go along with yuh," he whispered.
+
+"Yuh can if yuh want to," Pink answered ungraciously. "But yuh needn't
+raise the long howl if--"
+
+"Hold on, boys; my ante's on the table," came guardedly from Weary's
+bunk, and there was a soft, shuffling sound as of moving blankets; the
+subdued scrape of boots pulled from under bunks, and the quiet
+searching for hats and gloves. There was a clank of spur-chains, the
+faint squeal of a hinge gone rusty, a creak of a loose board, and then
+the three stood together outside under the star-sprinkle and avoided
+looking at one another. Without a word they went down the deep-worn
+path to the big gate, swung it open and headed for the corral where
+slept their horses.
+
+"If them bone-heads don't wake up, nobody'll be any the wiser--and
+it's a lovely night for a ramble," murmured Weary, consoling himself.
+
+"Well, I couldn't sleep," Irish confessed, half defiantly. "I expect
+it's just a big josh, but--it won't do any hurt to make sure."
+
+"Yuh all think Andy Green lives to tell lies," snapped Pink, throwing
+the saddle on his horse with a grunt at the weight of it. The horse
+flinched away from its impact, and Pink swore at it viciously. "Yuh
+might uh gone down and made sure, anyhow," he criticised.
+
+"Well, I was going to; but Jack said--" Irish stooped to pick up the
+latigo and did not finish. "But I can't get over the way his head
+dropped down on his arms, when we were riding out uh sight. As if--oh,
+hell! If it was a josh, I'll just about beat the head off him for
+spoiling my sleep this way. Get your foot off that rein, yuh damned,
+clumsy bench!" This last to his horse.
+
+They rode slowly away from the ranch and made the greater haste when
+the sound of their galloping could not reach the dulled ears of those
+who slept. They did not talk much, and when they did it was to tell
+one another what great fools they were--but even in the telling they
+urged their horses to greater speed.
+
+"Well," Pink summed up at last, "if he's hurt, out here, we're doing
+the right thing; and if he ain't, he won't be there to have the laugh
+on us; so it's all right either way."
+
+There was black shadow in the grassy swale where they found him. His
+horse had wandered off and it was only the sure instinct of Irish that
+led them to the spot where he lay, a blacker shadow in the darkness
+that a passing cloud had made. Just at first they thought him dead,
+but when they lifted him he groaned and then spoke.
+
+"It's one on me, this time," he said, and the throat of Irish pinched
+achingly together at the sound of his voice, which had in it the note
+of pain he had been trying to forget.
+
+After that he said nothing at all, because he was a senseless weight
+in their arms.
+
+At daylight Irish was pounding vehemently the door of the White House
+and calling for the Little Doctor. Andy lay stretched unconscious upon
+the porch beside him, and down in the bunk-house the Happy Family was
+rubbing eyes and exclaiming profanely at the story Pink was telling.
+
+"And here," finished Irish a couple of hours later, when he was
+talking the thing over with the Little Doctor, "here's a note
+Take-Notice's girl gave me for him. I don't reckon there's any good
+news in it, so maybe yuh better hold it out on him till he's got over
+the fever. I guess we queered Andy a lot--but I'll ride over, soon as
+I can, and fix it up with her and tell her he broke his leg, all
+right. Maybe," he finished optimistically, "she'll come over to see
+him."
+
+Irish kept his word, though he delayed until the next day; and the
+next day it was too late. For the cabin of Take-Notice was closed and
+empty, and the black lamb and the white were nosing unhappily their
+over-turned pan of mush, and bleating lonesomely. Irish waited a while
+and started home again; rode into the trail and met Bert Rogers, who
+explained:
+
+"Take-Notice was hauling his girl, trunk and all, to the depot," he
+told Irish. "I met 'em just this side the lane. They aimed to catch
+the afternoon train, I reckon. She was going home, Take-Notice told
+me."
+
+So Irish rode thoughtfully back to the ranch and went straight to the
+White House where Andy lay, meaning to break the news as carefully as
+he knew how.
+
+Andy was lying in bed looking big-eyed at the ceiling, and in his hand
+was the note. He turned his head and glanced indifferently at Irish.
+
+"Yuh sure made a good job of it, didn't yuh?" he began calmly, though
+it was not the calm which meant peace. "I was just about engaged to
+that girl. If it'll do yuh any good to know how nice and thorough yuh
+busted everything up for me, read that." He held out the paper, and
+Irish turned a guilty red when he took it.
+
+  "Mr. Green: I have just been greatly entertained with the history
+  of your very peculiar deeds and adventures, and I wish to say that
+  I have discovered myself wholly lacking the sense of humor which
+  is necessary to appreciate you.
+
+  "As I am going home to-morrow, this is my only opportunity of
+  letting you know how thoroughly I detest falsehood in _any_ form.
+  Yours truly,
+
+  "MARY EDITH JOHNSON."
+
+"Ain't yuh proud?" Andy inquired in a peculiar, tired voice. "Maybe
+I'm a horrible liar, all right--but I never done anybody a dirty trick
+like that."
+
+Irish might have said it was Jack Bates who did the mischief, but he
+did not. "We never knew it was anything serious," he explained
+contritely. "On the dead, I'm sorry--"
+
+"And that does a damned lot uh good--if she's gone!" Andy cut in,
+miserably.
+
+"Oh, she's gone, all right. She went to-day," murmured Irish, and went
+out and shut the door softly behind him.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+
+
+FOOL'S GOLD.
+
+
+Andy Green, unshaven as to face and haggard as to eyes, leaned upon
+his stout, willow stick and looked gloomily away to the west. He was a
+good deal given to looking to the west, these days when a leg
+new-healed kept him at the ranch, though habit and inclination would
+have sent him riding fast and far over prairies untamed. Inaction
+comes hard when a man has lived his life mostly in the open, doing
+those things which keep brain and muscle keyed alike to alertness and
+leave no time for brooding.
+
+If Andy had not broken his leg but had gone with the others on
+roundup, he would never have spent the days glooming unavailingly
+because a girl with a blond pompadour and teasing eyes had gone away
+and taken with her a false impression of his morals, and left behind
+her the sting of a harsh judgment against which there seemed no
+appeal. As it was, he spent the time going carefully over his past in
+self-justification, and in remembering every moment that he had spent
+with Mary Johnson in those four weeks when she stayed with her father
+and petted the black lamb and the white.
+
+In his prejudiced view, he had never done anything to make a girl hate
+him. He had not always told the truth--he would admit that with
+candid, gray eyes looking straight into your own--but he had never
+lied to harm a man, which, it seemed to him, makes all the difference
+in the world.
+
+If he could once have told her how he felt about it, and showed her
+how the wide West breeds wider morals--he did not quite know how you
+would put these things, but he felt them very keenly. He wanted to
+make her feel the difference; to see that little things do not count
+in a man's life, after all, except when they affect him as a man when
+big things are wanted of him. A little cowardice would count, for
+instance, because it would show that the man would fail at the test;
+but a little lie? just a harmless sort of lie that was only a "josh"
+and was taken as such by one's fellows? Andy was not analytic by
+nature, and he would have stumbled vaguely among words to explain his
+views, but he felt very strongly the injustice of the girl's
+condemnation, and he would scarcely speak to Jack Bates and Irish when
+they came around making overtures for peace and goodwill.
+
+"If she hadn't gone home so sudden, I could uh squared it all right,"
+he told the Little Doctor, whenever her sympathetic attitude won him
+to speech upon the subject.
+
+"Yes, I believe you could," she would agree cheeringly. "If she's the
+right sort, and cared, you could."
+
+"She's the right sort--I know that," Andy would assert with much
+decision, though modesty forbade his telling the Little Doctor that he
+was also sure she cared. She did care, if a girl's actions count for
+anything, or her looks and smiles. Of course she cared! Else why did
+she rush off home like that, a good month before she had intended to
+go? They had planned that Andy would get a "lay-off" and go with her
+as far as Butte, because she would have to wait there several hours,
+and Andy wanted to take her out to the Columbia Gardens and see if she
+didn't think they were almost as nice as anything California could
+show. Then she had gone off without any warning because Jack Bates and
+Irish had told her a lot of stuff about him, Andy; if that didn't
+prove she cared, argued Andy to himself, what the dickens would you
+want for proof?
+
+It was from thinking these things over and over while he lay in bed,
+that Andy formed the habit of looking often towards the west when his
+hurt permitted him to hobble around the house. And when a man looks
+often enough in any direction, his feet will, unless hindered by fate
+itself, surely follow his gaze if you give them time enough.
+
+It was the excursion rates advertised in a Great Falls paper that
+first put the idea consciously into the brain of Andy. They seemed
+very cheap, and the time-limit was generous, and--San Jose was not
+very far from San Francisco, the place named in the advertisement; and
+if he could only see the girl and explain--It would be another month
+before he would be able to work, anyway, and--A man might as well get
+rid of a hundred or so travelling, as to sit in a poker game and watch
+it fade away, and he would really get more out of it. Anyhow, nobody
+need know where he had gone. They could think he was just going to
+Butte. And he didn't give a darn if they did find it out!
+
+He limped back into the house and began inspecting, with much
+dissatisfaction, his wardrobe. He would have to stake himself to new
+clothes--but he needed clothes, anyway, that fall. He could get what
+he wanted in Butte, while he waited for the train to Ogden. Now that
+Andy had made up his mind to go, he was in a great hurry and grudged
+the days, even the hours, that must pass before he could see Mary
+Edith Johnson.
+
+Not even the Little Doctor knew the truth, when Andy appeared next
+morning dressed for his journey, ate a hasty and unsatisfactory
+breakfast and took the Old Man to one side with elaborate carelessness
+and asked for a sum that made the Old Man blink. But no man might have
+charge of the Happy Family for long without attaining that state of
+mental insulation which renders a shock scientifically impossible. The
+Old Man wrote a check, twisted his mouth into a whimsical knot and
+inquired mildly: "What's the brand of devilment this time, and how
+long's it going to take yuh?" With a perceptible emphasis on the word
+_this_.
+
+For probably the first time in his life Andy blushed and stammered
+over a lie, and before he had got out more than two words, the Old Man
+seemed to understand the situation quite thoroughly. He said "Oh, I
+see. Well, git a round-trip ticket and be dead sure yuh don't out-stay
+the limit." He took out his pipe and filled it meditatively.
+
+Andy blushed again--six weeks indoors had lightened the tan on his
+face so that his blushes showed very plainly--and made desperate
+denial. "I'm only going up to Butte. But a fellow can't have any kind
+of a time there without a fair-sized roll, and--I'll be back in two or
+three weeks--soon as my leg's mended thorough. I--"
+
+"Get along with yuh!" growled the Old Man, though his eyes twinkled.
+"Doggone it, don't yuh lie to _me_. Think I was shipped in on the last
+train? A man don't git red in the face when he's just merely headed
+for Butte. Why, doggone yuh--"
+
+The last words had to serve for a farewell, because Andy was limping
+away as fast as he could, and did not come back to the house again. He
+did not even tell the Little Doctor good-by, though it was fifteen
+minutes before John Wedum, the ranchhand, had the team ready to drive
+Andy to town, and he was one of the Little Doctor's most loyal
+subjects.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Andy walked haltingly down a palm-shaded street in San Jose and
+wondered just what would be the best and quickest way in which to find
+Mary Edith Johnson. Three ways were open to him: He could hunt up all
+the Johnsons in town--there were three full pages of them in the
+directory, as he remembered with a sigh--and find out which one was
+the right one; but San Jose, as he had already discovered, was not a
+village, and he doubted if he could stand the walking. He could visit
+all the real estate offices in town--and he was just beginning to
+realize that there were almost as many real estate offices as there
+were Johnsons. And he could promenade the streets in the hope of
+meeting her. But always there was the important fact to face--the fact
+that San Jose is not a village.
+
+He came upon a particularly shady spot and a bench placed invitingly.
+Andy sat down, eased the new-healed leg out before him and rolled a
+cigarette. "This is going to be some different from hunting a stray on
+the range," he told himself, with an air of deliberate cheerfulness.
+"If I could get out and scurrup around on a hoss, and round her up
+that way--but this footing it all over town is what grinds me." He
+drew a match along the under side of the bench and held the blaze
+absently to the cigarette. "There was one thing--she told about an
+orange tree right beside her mother's front gate, Maybe--" He looked
+around him hopefully. Just across the street was a front gate, and
+beside it an orange tree; he knew because there were ripe oranges
+hanging upon it. He started to rise, his blood jumping queerly, sat
+down again and swore. "Every darned gate in town, just about, has got
+an orange tree stuck somewhere handy by. I remember 'em now, damn
+'em!"
+
+Three cigarettes he smoked while he sat there. When he started on
+again his face was grimly set toward the nearest business street. At
+the first real-estate sign he stopped, pulled together his courage,
+and went in. A girl sat in a corner of the room before a typewriter.
+Andy saw at a glance that her hair was too dark; murmured something
+and backed out. At the next place, a man was crumpled into a big
+chair, reading a paper. Behind a high desk a typewriter clicked, but
+Andy could not see the operator without going behind the railing, and
+he hesitated.
+
+"Looking for a snap?" asked the man briskly, coming up from his
+crumpled state like a spring.
+
+"Well, I was looking--"
+
+"Now, here. It may not be what you want, but I'm just going to show
+you this proposition and see what you think of it. It ain't going to
+last--somebody's goin' to snap it up before you know it. Now, here--"
+
+It was half an hour before Andy got away from that office, and he had
+not seen who was running the machine behind the desk, even then. He
+had, however, spoken rather loudly and had informed the man that he
+was from Montana, with no effect whatever upon the clicking. He had
+listened patiently to the glowing description of several "good buys,"
+and had escaped with difficulty within ten minutes after hearing the
+unseen typist addressed as "Fern."
+
+At the third place he merely looked in at the door and retreated
+hastily when the agent, like a spider on the watch, started forward.
+
+When he limped into the office of his hotel at six o'clock, Andy was
+ready to swear that every foot of land in California was for sale, and
+that every man in San Jose was trying his best to sell it and looked
+upon him, Andy Green, as a weak-minded millionaire who might be
+induced to purchase. He had not visited all the places where they kept
+bulletin-boards covered with yellowed placards abounding in large type
+and many fat exclamation points and the word ONLY with a dollar mark
+immediately after. All? He had not visited half of them, or a third!
+
+That night he dreamed feverishly of "five-room, modern cottages with
+bath," and of "ONLY $500.00 down and balance payable monthly," and of
+ten-acre "ranches" and five-acre "ranches"--he who had been used to
+numbering acres by the thousand and to whom the word "ranch" meant
+miles of wire fencing and beyond that miles of open!
+
+It took all the longing he felt for Mary Johnson to drive him out the
+next morning and to turn his face toward those placarded places which
+infested every street, but he went. He went with eyes that glared
+hostility at every man who said "buy," and with chin set to stubborn
+purpose. He meant to find Mary Edith Johnson, and he meant to find her
+without all California knowing that he was looking for her. Not once
+had he mentioned her name, or showed that he cared whether there was a
+typewriter in the office or whether it was a girl, man or Chinaman who
+clicked the keys; and yet he knew exactly how every girl typist had
+her hair dressed, and what was the color of her eyes.
+
+At two o'clock, Andy stopped suddenly and stared down at a crack in
+the pavement, and his lips moved in muttered speech. "She's worked
+three years in one of them places--and she 'thoroughly detests
+falsehood in _any_ form'! Hell!" Is exactly what he was saying out
+loud, on one of the busiest streets in San Jose.
+
+A policeman glanced at him, looked again and came slowly toward him.
+Andy took the hint and moved on decorously to the next bulletin-board,
+but the revelation that had come to him there in the street dulled
+somewhat his alertness, so that he came near committing himself to the
+purchase of one of those ubiquitous "five-room, modern cottages with
+bath" before he realized what he was doing and fled to the street
+again, on the pretense that he had to catch the car which was just
+slowing down for that crossing.
+
+He boarded the car, though he had no idea of where it was going, and
+fished in his pocket for a nickel. And just when he was reaching up
+from the step where he stood clinging--reaching over the flower-piled
+hat of a girl, to place the nickel in the outstretched palm of the
+conductor, he heard for the first time in many weeks the name of Mary
+Johnson. A girl at his elbow was asking the other: "What'n the world's
+become of Mary Johnson? She wasn't to the dance last night, and it's
+the first one--"
+
+Andy held his breath.
+
+"Oh, Mame quit her place with Kelly and Gray, two weeks ago. She's
+gone to Santa Cruz and got a place for the summer. Her and Lola
+Parsons went together, and--"
+
+Andy took advantage of another crossing, and dropped off. He wanted to
+find out when the next train left for Santa Cruz. It never occurred to
+him that there might be two Mary Johnsons in the world, which was
+fortunate, perhaps; he wasted no time in hesitation, and so, within
+twenty minutes, he was hearing the wheels of a fast train go
+_clickety-click, clickety-click_ over the switches in the suburbs of
+San Jose, and he was asking the conductor what time the train would
+reach Santa Cruz, and was getting snubbed for his anxiety.
+
+Santa Cruz, when he did reach it, seemed, on a superficial
+examination, to be almost as large as San Jose, and the real-estate
+offices closer together and even more plentifully supplied with modern
+cottages and bath--and the heart of him sank prophetically. For the
+first time since he dropped off the street-car in San Jose, it seemed
+to him that Mary Johnson was quite as far off, quite as unattainable
+as she had ever been.
+
+He walked slowly up Pacific Avenue and watched the hurrying crowds,
+and wondered if chance would be kind to him; if he should meet her on
+the street, perhaps. He did not want to canvass all the real-estate
+offices in town. "It would take me till snow flies," he murmured
+dispiritedly, forgetting that here was a place where snow never flew,
+and sought a hotel where they were not "full to the eaves" as two
+complacent clerks had already told him.
+
+At supper, he made friends with a genial-voiced insurance agent--the
+kind who does not insist upon insuring your life whether you want it
+insured or not. The agent told Andy to call him Jack and use him good
+and plenty--perhaps because something wistful and lonely in the gray
+eyes of Andy appealed to him--and Andy took him at his word and was
+grateful. He discovered what day of the week it was: Saturday, and
+that on the next day Santa Cruz would be "wide-open" because of an
+excursion from Sacramento. Jack offered to help him lose himself in
+the crowd, and again Andy was grateful. For the first time since
+leaving the Flying U he went to bed feeling not utterly alone and
+friendless, and awoke pleasantly expectant. Friend Jack was to pilot
+him down to the Casino at eleven, and he had incidentally made one
+prediction which stuck closely to Andy, even in his sleep. Jack had
+assured him that the whole town would be at the beach; and if the
+whole town were at the beach, why then, Mary would surely be somewhere
+in the crowd. And if she were in the crowd--"If she's there, I'll sure
+get a line on her before night," Andy told himself, with much
+assurance. "A fellow that's been in the habit of cutting any certain
+brand of critter out of a big herd ought to be able to spot his girl
+in a crowd"--and he hummed softly while he dressed.
+
+The excursion train was already in town, and the esplanade was,
+looking down from Beach Hill, a slow-moving river of hats, with
+splotches of bright colors and with an outer fringe of men and women.
+"That's a good-sized trail-herd uh humans," Andy remarked, and the
+insurance agent laughed appreciatively.
+
+"You wait till you see them milling around on the board walk," he
+advised impressively. "If you happen to be looking for anybody, you'll
+realize that there's some people scattered around in your vicinity. I
+had a date with a girl, down here one Sunday during the season, and we
+hunted each other from ten in the morning till ten at night and never
+got sight of each other."
+
+Andy gave him a sidelong, suspicious glance, but friend Jack was
+evidently as innocent as he looked, and so Andy limped silently down
+the hill to the Casino and wondered if fate were going to cheat him at
+the last moment.
+
+Once in the crowd, it was as Jack had told him it would be. He could
+not regard the moving mass of humanity as individuals, though long
+living where men are few had fixed upon him the habit. Now, although
+he observed far more than did Jack, he felt somewhat at a loss; the
+realization that Mary Johnson might pass him unrecognized troubled him
+greatly. It did not once occur to him that he, with his gray Stetson
+hat and his brown face and keen eyes and tall, straight-backed figure,
+looked not at all like the thousands of men all around him, so that
+many eyes turned to give him another glance when he passed. Mary
+Johnson must be unobserving in the extreme if she failed to know him,
+once she glimpsed him in the crowd.
+
+Somewhere near one o'clock he lost Jack completely, and drifted
+aimlessly alone. Jack had been hailed by a friend, had stopped for a
+minute to talk, and several hundred men, women and children had come
+between him and Andy, pushing and crowding and surging, because a band
+had started playing somewhere. Andy got down the steps and out upon
+the sand, and Jack was thereafter but a memory. He found the loose
+sand hard walking with his lame leg, and almost as crowded as the
+promenade, and as he stood for a minute looking up at the board walk
+above him, it occurred to him that if he could get somewhere and stay
+there long enough, every human being at the Casino would eventually
+pass by him. He went up the steps again and worked his way along the
+edge of the walk until he found a vacant spot on the railing and sat
+grimly down upon it to wait.
+
+Many cigarettes he smoked while he roosted there, watching until the
+eyes of him ached with the eternal panorama of faces that were
+strange. Many times he started eagerly because he glimpsed a fluffy,
+blond pompadour with blue eyes beneath, and fancied for an instant
+that it was Mary.
+
+Then, when he was speculating upon the advisability of following the
+stream of people that flowed out upon the pleasure pier, Mary passed
+by so close that her skirt brushed his toes; passed him by, and he sat
+there like a paralytic and let her go. And in the heart of him was a
+queer, heavy throb that he did not in the least understand.
+
+She was dressed in blue linen with heavy, white lace in patches here
+and there, and she had a big, white hat tilted back from her face and
+a long white plume drooping to one shoulder. Another girl was with
+her, and a man--a man with dented panama hat and pink cheeks and a
+white waistcoat and tan shoes; a man whom Andy suddenly hated most
+unreasonably.
+
+When they were all but lost in the crowd, Andy got down, gripped his
+cane vindictively and followed. After all, the man was walking beside
+the other girl, and not beside Mary--and the reflection brought much
+solace. With the nodding, white feather to guide him, he followed them
+down the walk, lost them for a second, saw them turn in at the
+wide-open doors of the natatorium, saw them pause there, just inside.
+Then a huge woman pushed before him, stood there and narrowed his
+range of vision down to her own generous hat with its huge roses, and
+when he had edged past her the three were gone.
+
+Andy waited, comforted by the knowledge that they had not come out,
+until the minutes passed his patience and he went in, searched the
+gallery unavailingly, came out again and wandered on dispiritedly to
+the pleasure pier. There, leaning over the rail, he saw her again
+almost beneath him in the sand, scantily clad in a bathing suit. The
+man, still more scantily clad, was trying to coax her into the water
+and she was hanging back and laughing a good deal, with an occasional
+squeal.
+
+Andy leaned rather heavily upon the railing and watched her
+gloweringly, incredulously. Custom has much to do with a man's (or a
+woman's) idea of propriety, and one Andrew Green had for long been
+unaccustomed to the sight of nice young women disporting themselves
+thus in so public a place. He could not reconcile it with the girl as
+he had known her in her father's cabin, and he was not at all sure
+that he wanted to do so.
+
+He was just turning gloomily away when she glanced up, saw him and
+waved her hand. "Hello, Andy," she called gaily. "Come on down and
+take a swim, why don't you?"
+
+Andy, looking reproachfully into her upturned face, shook his head. "I
+can't," he told her. "I'm lame yet." It was not at all what he had
+meant to say, any more than this was the meeting he had dreamed about.
+He resented both with inner rage.
+
+"Oh. When did you come?" she asked casually, and was whisked away by
+the man before Andy could tell her. The other girl was there also, and
+the three ran gleefully down to meet a roller larger than the others
+had been; met it, were washed, with much screaming and laughter, back
+to shore and stood there dripping. Andy glared down upon them and
+longed for the privilege of drowning the fellow.
+
+"We're going up into the plunge," called Mary. "Come on. I'll see you,
+when I come out." They scampered away, and he, calling himself many
+kinds of fool, followed.
+
+In the plunge, Andy was still more at a disadvantage, for since he was
+a spectator, a huge sign informed him that he must go up stairs. He
+went up with much difficulty into the gallery, found himself a seat
+next the rail and searched long for Mary among the bathers below. He
+would never have believed that he would fail to know her at sight, but
+with fifty women, more or less, dressed exactly alike and with ugly
+rubber caps pulled down to eyebrows and ears, recognition must
+necessarily be slow.
+
+While he leaned and stared, an avalanche of squeals came precipitately
+down the great slide; struck the water and was transformed to gurgling
+screams, and then heads came bobbing to the surface--three heads, and
+one of them was Mary's. She swept the water from her eyes, looked up
+and saw him, waved her hand and scrambled rather ungracefully over the
+rail in her wet, clinging suit. The others followed, the man trotting
+at her heels and calling something after her.
+
+Andy, his brows pulled down over unhappy eyes, glared fixedly up at
+the top of the slide. In a minute they appeared, held gesticulating
+counsel, wavered and came down together, upon their stomachs. The
+strange girl was in the lead, with Mary next holding to the girl's
+feet. Behind her slid the man, gripping tightly the ankles of Mary.
+Andy's teeth set savagely together, though he saw that others were
+doing exactly the same; old women, young women, girls, men and boys
+came hurtling down the big slide, singly, in couples, in three and
+fours.
+
+The spectacle began to fascinate him, so that for a minute or two he
+could forget Mary and the man. There was a roar of voices, the barking
+as of seals, screams, laughter and much splashing. Men and women dove
+from the sides like startled frogs into a pond; they swam, floated and
+stood panting along the walls; swung from the trapeze (Andy,
+remembering his career with the circus, when he was "André de Gréno,"
+Champion Bareback Rider of the Western Hemisphere, wished that his leg
+was well so that he could show them a few things about that trapeze
+business) and troubled the waters with much splashing. He could not
+keep Mary always in view, but when he did get sight of her she seemed
+to be having a very good time, and not to be worrying in the least
+about him and his sins.
+
+Twice Andy Green half rose from his seat, meaning to leave the plunge,
+the Casino and the whole merry-making crowd; but each time he settled
+back, telling himself that he hated a quitter, and that he guessed
+he'd buy a few more chips and stay in the game.
+
+It seemed a long time before Mary finally emerged in the blue linen
+and the white hat, but Andy was waiting doggedly at the entrance and
+took his place beside her, forcing the man to walk beside the girl
+whom Mary introduced as Lola Parsons. The man's name was Roberts, but
+the girls called him Freddie, and he seemed composed mostly of a
+self-satisfied smile and the latest fad in male attire. Andy set
+himself to the task of "cutting Mary out of the main herd" so that he
+might talk with her. Thus it happened that, failing a secluded spot in
+the immediate neighborhood of the Casino, which buzzed like a
+disturbed hive of gigantic bees, Mary presently found herself on a car
+that was clanging its signal of departure, and there was no sign of
+Freddie and Lola Parsons.
+
+"We lost 'em, back there," Andy told her calmly when she inquired.
+"And as to where we're going, I don't know; as far as this
+lightning-wagon will take us."
+
+"This car goes clear out to the Cliffs," Mary said discouragingly.
+
+"All right. We're going out to the cliffs, then," Andy smiled blandly
+down upon the nodding, white feather in her hat.
+
+"But I promised Lola and Freddie--"
+
+"Oh, that's all right. I'll take the blame. Were yuh surprised to see
+me here?"
+
+"Why should I be? Everybody comes to Santa Cruz, sooner or later."
+
+"I came sooner," said Andy, trying to meet her eye. He wanted to bring
+the conversation to themselves, so that he might explain and justify
+himself, and win forgiveness for his sins.
+
+While they walked along the cliffs he tried, and going home he had not
+given up the attempt. But afterward, when he could sit down quietly
+and think, he was forced to admit that he had not succeeded very well.
+It seemed to him that, while Mary still liked him and was quite ready
+to be friends, she had forgotten just why she had so suddenly left
+Montana. She was sorry he had broken his leg, but in the same breath,
+almost, she told him of such a narrow escape that Freddie had last
+week, when an auto nearly ran him down. Andy regretted keenly that it
+had not.
+
+He had mentioned Irish and Jack Bates, meaning to refute the tales
+they had told of him, and she had asked about the black lamb and the
+white, and then had told him that he must go out to the whistling buoy
+and see the real whale they had anchored out there, and related with
+much detail how Freddie had taken her and Lola out, and how the water
+was so rough she got seasick, and a wave splashed over and ruined
+Freddie's new summer suit, that spotted dreadfully; it wasn't, she
+remarked, a durable color. She hoped Andy would stay a month or two,
+though the "season" was about over. She knew he would just love the
+plunge and the surf-bathing, and there was going to be a boomers'
+barbacue up at the Big Trees in two weeks--and it would seem like home
+to him, seeing a cow roasted whole! She did love Montana, and she
+hoped he brought his chaps and spurs along, for she had told Lola so
+much about him, and she wanted Lola to see him in his Wild West
+clothes.
+
+All this should have pleased Andy very much. She had not grown cold,
+and her eyes were quite as teasing and her smiles as luring as before.
+She did not even lay personal claim to Freddie, that he should be
+jealous. When she spoke of Freddie, his name was linked with Lola
+Parsons, and Andy could not glean that she had ever gone anywhere
+alone with him. She had seemed anxious that he should enjoy his
+vacation to the limit, and had mentioned three or four places that he
+must surely see, and informed him three times that she was "off" at
+five every evening, and could show him around.
+
+They had dined together at a café, and had gone back to the Casino for
+the band concert, and they had not been interrupted by meeting Lola
+Parsons and Freddie, and she had given him a very cordial good-night
+when they parted on the steps of her boarding house at eleven.
+
+So there was absolutely no reason for the mood Andy was in when he
+accepted his key from the hotel clerk and went up to his room. For a
+man who has traveled more than a thousand miles in search of the girl
+he had dreamed of o'nights, and who had found her and had been
+properly welcomed, he was distinctly gloomy. He sat down by the open
+window and smoked four cigarettes, said "Damn Freddy!" three times and
+with added emphasis each time, though he knew very well that Freddie
+had nothing to do with it, and then went to bed.
+
+In the morning he felt better, and went out by himself to the cliffs
+where they had been before, and sat down on a hummock covered with
+short grass, and watched the great unrest of the ocean, and wondered
+where the Flying U wagons would be camping, that night. Somehow, the
+wide reach of water reminded him of the prairie; the rolling billows
+were like many, many cattle milling restlessly in a vast herd and
+tossing white heads and horns upward. Below him, the pounding surf was
+to him the bellowing of a thirsty herd corralled.
+
+"This is sure all right," he approved, rousing a little. "It's almost
+as good as sitting up on a pinnacle and looking out over the range. If
+I had a good hoss, and my riding outfit, and could get out there and
+go to work cutting-out them white-caps and hazing 'em up here on a
+run, it wouldn't be so poor. By gracious, this is worth the trip, all
+right." It never occurred to Andy that there was anything strange in
+the remark, or that he sat there because it dulled the heavy ache that
+had been his since yesterday--the ache of finding what he had sought,
+and finding with it disillusionment.
+
+Till hunger drove him away he stayed, and his dreams were of the wide
+land he had left. When he again walked down Pacific Avenue the hall
+clock struck four, and after he had eaten he looked up at it and saw
+that it lacked but fifteen minutes of five.
+
+"I'm supposed to meet her when she quits work," he remembered, "and
+Lola and Freddie will go to the plunge with us." He stopped and stared
+in at the window of a curio store. "Say, that's a dandy Navajo
+blanket," he murmured. "It would be out-uh-sight for a saddle
+blanket." He started on, hesitated and went back. "I've got time
+enough to get it," he explained to himself. He went in, bought the
+blanket and two Mexican _serapes_ that caught his fancy, tucked the
+bundle under his arm and started down the street toward the office
+where Mary worked. It was just two minutes _to five_.
+
+He got almost to the door--so near that his toe struck against a
+corner of the belabelled bulletin board--when a sudden revulsion swept
+his desires back like a huge wave. He stood a second irresolutely and
+then turned back. "Aw--hell! What's the use?" he muttered.
+
+The clock was just on the last stroke of five when he went up to the
+clerk in his hotel. "Say, when does the next train pull out?--I don't
+give a darn in what direction," he wanted to know. When the clerk told
+him seven-thirty, he grinned and became undignifiedly loquacious.
+
+"I want to show yuh a couple of dandy _serapes_ I just glommed, down
+street," he said, and rolled the bundle open upon the desk. "Ain't
+they a couple uh beauts? I got 'em for two uh my friends; they done me
+a big favor, a month or two ago, and I wanted to kinda square the
+deal. That's why I got 'em just alike. Yes, you bet they're peaches;
+yuh can't get 'em like this in Montana. The boys'll sure appreciate
+'em." He retied the bundle, took his room-key from the hand of the
+smiling clerk and started up the stairway, humming a tune under his
+breath as he went.
+
+At the first turn he stopped and looked back. "Send the bell-hop up to
+wake me at seven," he called down to the clerk. "I'm going to take a
+much-needed nap--and it'll be all your life's worth to let me miss
+that train!"
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+
+
+LORDS OF THE POTS AND PANS
+
+
+The camp of the Flying U, snuggled just within the wide-flung arms of
+an unnamed coulee with a pebbly-bottomed creek running across its
+front, looked picturesque and peaceful--from a distance.
+Disenchantment lay in wait for him who strayed close enough to hear
+the wrangling in the cook-tent, however, or who followed Slim to where
+he slumped bulkily down into the shade of a willow fifty yards or so
+from camp--a willow where Pink, Weary, Andy Green and Irish were lying
+sprawled and smoking comfortably.
+
+Slim grunted and moved away from a grass-hidden rock that was gouging
+him in the back. "By golly, things is getting pretty raw around this
+camp," he growled, by way of lifting the safety-valve of his anger.
+"I'd like to know when that darned grub-spoiler bought into the
+outfit, anyhow. He's been trying to run it to suit himself all
+spring--and if he keeps on, by golly, he'll be firing the wagon-boss
+and giving all the orders himself!"
+
+It would seem that sympathy should be offered him; as if the pause he
+made plainly hinted that it was expected. Andy Green rolled over and
+sent him a friendly glance just to hearten him a bit.
+
+"We were listening to the noise of battle," he observed, "and we were
+going over, in a minute, to carry off the dead. You had a kinda
+animated discussion over something, didn't yuh?" Andy was on his good
+behavior, as he had been for a month. His treatment of his fellows
+lately was little short of angelic. His tone soothed Slim to the point
+where he could voice his woe.
+
+"Well, by golly, I guess he knows what I think of him, or pretty near.
+I've stood a lot from Patsy, off and on, and I've took just about all
+I'm going to. It's got so yuh can't get nothing to eat, hardly, when
+yuh ride in late, unless yuh fight for it. Why, by golly, I caught him
+just as he was going to empty out the coffee-boiler--and he knew
+blamed well I hadn't eat. He'd left everything go cold, and he was
+packing away the grub like he was late breaking camp and had a forty
+mile drive before dinner, by golly! I just did save myself some
+coffee, and that was all--but it was cold as that creek, and--" Habit
+impelled him to stop there long enough to run his tongue along the
+edge of a half-rolled cigarette, and accident caused his eyes to catch
+the amused quirk on the lips of Pink and Irish, and the laughing
+glance they exchanged. Possibly if he could have looked in all
+directions at the same time he would have been able to detect signs of
+mirth on the faces of the others as well; for Slim's grievances never
+seemed to be taken seriously by his companions--which is the price
+which one must pay for having a body shaped like Santa Claus and a
+face copied after our old friend in the moon.
+
+"Well, by golly, maybe it's funny--but I took notice yuh done some
+yowling, both uh yuh, the other day when yuh didn't get no pie," he
+snorted, lighting his cigarette with unsteady fingers.
+
+"We wasn't laughing at that," lied Pink pacifically.
+
+"And then, by golly, the old devil lied to me and said there wasn't no
+pie left," went on Slim complainingly, his memory stirred by the taunt
+he had himself given. "But I wouldn't take his word for a thing if I
+knew it was so; I went on a still-hunt around that tent on my own
+hook, and I found a pie--a _whole pie_, by golly!--cached away under
+an empty flour-sack behind the stove! That," he added, staring,
+round-eyed, at the group, "that there was right where me and Patsy
+mixed. The lying old devil said he never knew a thing about it being
+there at all."
+
+Pink turned his head cautiously so that his eyes met the eyes of Andy
+Green. The two had been at some pains to place that pie in a safe
+place so that they might be sure of something appetizing when they
+came in from standing guard that night, but neither seemed to think it
+necessary to proclaim the fact and clear Patsy.
+
+"I'll bet yuh didn't do a thing to the pie when yuh did find it?" Pink
+half questioned, more anxious than he would have owned.
+
+"By golly, I eat the whole thing and I cussed Patsy between every
+mouthful!" boasted Slim, almost in a good-humor again. "I sure got the
+old boy stirred up; I left him swearin' Dutch cuss-words that sounded
+like he was peevish. But I'll betche he won't throw out the coffee
+till I've had what I want after this, by golly!"
+
+"Happy Jack is out yet," Weary observed after a sympathetic silence.
+"You oughtn't to have put Patsy on the fight till everybody was filled
+up, Slim. Happy's liable to go to bed with an empty tummy, if yuh
+don't ride out and warn him to approach easy. Listen over there!"
+
+From where they lay, so still was the air and so incensed was Patsy,
+they could hear plainly the rumbling of his wrath while he talked to
+himself over the dishwashing. When he appeared at the corner of the
+tent or plodded out toward the front of the wagon, his heavy tread and
+stiff neck proclaimed eloquently the mood he was in. They watched and
+listened and were secretly rather glad they were fed and so need not
+face the storm which Slim had raised; for Patsy thoroughly roused was
+very much like an angry bull: till his rage cooled he would charge
+whoever approached him, absolutely blind to consequences.
+
+"Well, I ain't going to put nobody next," Slim asserted. "Happy's got
+to take chances, same as I did. And while we're on the subject, Patsy
+was on the prod before I struck camp, or he wouldn't uh acted the way
+he done. Somebody else riled him up, by golly--I never."
+
+"Well, you sure did put the finishing touches to him," contended
+Irish, guiltily aware that he himself was originally responsible; for
+Patsy never had liked Irish very well because of certain incidents
+connected with his introduction to Weary's double. Patsy never could
+quite forget, though he might forgive, and resentment lay always close
+to the surface of his mood when Irish was near.
+
+Happy Jack, hungry and quite unconscious that he was riding straight
+into the trail of trouble, galloped around a ragged point of
+service-berry bushes, stopped with a lurch at the prostrate corral and
+unsaddled hastily. Those in the shade of the willow watched him, their
+very silence proclaiming loudly their interest. They might have warned
+him by a word, but they did not; for Happy Jack was never eager to
+heed warnings or to take advice, preferring always to abide by the
+rule of opposites. Stiff-legged from long riding, the knees of his
+old, leather chaps bulging out in transient simulation of bowed limbs,
+he came clanking down upon the cook-tent with no thought but to ease
+his hunger.
+
+Those who watched saw him stoop and thrust his head into the tent,
+heard a bellow and saw him back out hastily. They chuckled unfeelingly
+and strained ears to miss no word of what would follow.
+
+"Aw, gwan!" Happy Jack expostulated, not yet angry. "I got here quick
+as I could--and _I_ ain't heard nothing about no new laws uh getting
+here when the whistle blows. Gimme what there is, anyhow."
+
+Some sentences followed which, because of guttural tones and German
+accent emphasized by excitement, were not quite coherent to the
+listeners. However, they did not feel at all mystified as to his
+meaning--knowing Patsy as they did.
+
+"Aw, come off! Somebody must uh slipped yuh a two-gallon jug uh
+something. I've rode the range about as long as you've cooked on it,
+and I never knowed a man to go without his supper yet, just because he
+come in late. I betche yuh dassent stand and say that before Chip, yuh
+blamed old Dutch--" Just there, Happy Jack dodged and escaped getting
+more than a third of the basin of water which came splashing out of
+the tent.
+
+The group under the willows could no longer lie at ease while they
+listened; they jumped up and moved closer, just as a crowd always does
+surge nearer and nearer to an exciting centre. They did not, however,
+interfere by word or deed.
+
+"If yuh wasn't just about ready t' die of old age and general
+cussedness," stormed Happy Jack, "I'd just about kill yuh for that."
+This, however, is a revised version and not intended to be exact. "I
+want my supper, and I want it blame quick, too, or there'll be a dead
+Dutchman in camp. No, yuh don't! You git out uh that tent and lemme
+git in, or--" Happy Jack had the axe in his hand by then, and he swung
+it fearsomely and permitted the gesture to round out his sentence.
+
+Perhaps there would have been something more than words between them,
+for even a Happy Jack may be goaded too far when he is hungry; but
+Chip, who had been washing out some handkerchiefs down by the creek,
+heard the row and came up, squeezing a ball of wet muslin on the way.
+He did not say much when he arrived, and he did not do anything more
+threatening than hang the handkerchiefs over the guy-ropes to dry,
+tying the corners to keep the wind from whipping them away up the
+coulee, but the result was satisfying--to Happy Jack, at least. He ate
+and was filled, and Patsy retired from the fray, sullenly owning
+defeat for that time at least. He went up the creek out of sight from
+camp, and he stayed there until the dusk was so thick that his big,
+white-aproned form was barely distinguishable in the gloom when he
+returned.
+
+At daylight he was his old self, except that he was perhaps a trifle
+gruff when he spoke and a good deal inclined to silence, and harmony
+came and abode for a season with the Flying U.
+
+Patsy had for years cooked for Jim Whitmore and his "outfit"; so many
+years it was that memory of the number was never exact, and even the
+Old Man would have been compelled to preface the number with a few
+minutes of meditation and a "Lemme see, now; Patsy's been cooking for
+me--eighty-six was that hard winter, and he come the spring--no, the
+fall before that. I know because he like to froze before we got the
+mess-house chinked up good--I'll be doggoned if Patsy ain't gitting
+_old_!" That was it, perhaps: Patsy was getting old. And old age does
+not often sweeten one's temper, if you notice. Those angelic old men
+and old ladies have nearly all been immortalized in stories and songs,
+and the unsung remainder have nerves and notions and rheumatism and
+tongues sharpened by all the disappointments and sorrows of their long
+lives.
+
+Patsy never had been angelic; he had always been the victim of more or
+less ill-timed humor on the part of the Happy Family, and the victim
+of hunger-sharpened tempers as well. He had always grumbled and
+rumbled Dutch profanity when they goaded him too hard, and his
+amiability had ever expressed itself in juicy pies and puddings rather
+than in words. On this roundup, however, he was not often amiable and
+he was nearly always rumbling to himself. More than that, he was
+becoming resentful of extra work and bother and he sometimes permitted
+his resentment to carry him farther than was wise.
+
+To quarrel with Patsy was rapidly becoming the fashion, and to gossip
+about him and his faults was already a habit; a habit indulged in too
+freely, perhaps, for the good of the camp. Isolation from the world
+brings small things into greater prominence than is normally their
+due, and large troubles are born of very small irritations.
+
+For two days there was peace of a sort, and then Big Medicine, having
+eaten no dinner because of a headache, rode into camp about three
+o'clock and headed straight for the mess-wagon, quite as if he had a
+right that must not be questioned. Custom did indeed warrant him in
+lunching without the ceremony of asking leave of the cook, for Patsy
+even in his most unpleasant moods had never until lately tried to stop
+anyone from eating when he was hungry.
+
+On this day, however, Big Medicine unthinkingly cut into a fresh-baked
+pie set out to cool. There were other pies, and in cutting one Big
+Medicine was supported by precedent; but Patsy chose to consider it an
+affront and snatched the pie from under Big Medicine's very nose.
+
+"You fellers vot iss always gobbling yet, you iss quit it alreatty!"
+rumbled Patsy, bearing the pie into the tent with Big Medicine's knife
+still lying buried in the lately released juice. "I vork und vork mine
+head off keeping you fellers filled oop tree times a day alreatty; I
+not vork und vork to feed you effery hour, py cosh. You go mitout till
+supper iss reaty for you yet."
+
+Big Medicine, his frog-like eyes standing out from his sun-reddened
+face, stared agape. "Well, by cripes!" He hesitated, looking about
+him; but whether his search was for more pie or for moral support he
+did not say. Truth to tell, there was plenty of both. He reached for
+another pie and another knife, and he grinned his wide grin at Irish,
+who had just come up. "Dutchy's trying to run a whizzer," he remarked,
+cutting a defiant gash clean across the second pie. "What do yuh know
+about that?"
+
+"He's often took that way," said Irish soothingly. "You don't want all
+that pie--give me about half of it."
+
+Big Medicine, his mouth too full for coherent utterance, waved his
+hand and his knife toward the shelf at the back of the mess-wagon
+where three more pies sat steaming in the shade. "Help yourself," he
+invited juicily when he could speak.
+
+Those familiar with camp life in the summer have perhaps observed the
+miraculous manner in which a million or so "yellow-jackets" will come
+swarming around when one opens a can of fruit or uncovers the sugar
+jar. It was like that. Irish helped himself without any hesitation
+whatever, and he had not taken a mouthful before Happy Jack, Weary and
+Pink were buzzing around for all the world like the "yellow-jackets"
+mentioned before. Patsy buzzed also, but no one paid the slightest
+attention until the last mouthful of the last pie was placed in
+retirement where it would be most appreciated. Then Weary became aware
+of Patsy and his wrath, and turned to him pacifically.
+
+"Oh, yuh don't want to worry none about the pie," he smiled winningly
+at him. "Mamma! How do you expect to keep pies around this camp when
+yuh go right on making such good ones? Yuh hadn't ought to be such a
+crackajack of a cook, Patsy, if you don't want folks to eat themselves
+sick."
+
+If any man among them could have soothed Patsy, Weary would certainly
+have been the man; for next to Chip he was Patsy's favorite. To say
+that he failed is only one way of making plain how great was Patsy's
+indignation.
+
+"Aw, yuh made 'em to be eat, didn't yuh?" argued Happy Jack. "What
+difference does it make whether we eat 'em now or two hours from now?"
+
+Patsy tried to tell them the difference. He called his hands and his
+head to help his rage-tangled tongue and he managed to make himself
+very well understood. They did not argue the fine point of gastronomic
+ethics which he raised, though they felt that his position was not
+unassailable and his ultimate victory not assured.
+
+Instead, they peered into boxes and cans which were covered, gleaned a
+whole box of seeded raisins and some shredded cocoanut just to tease
+him and retired to wrangle ostentatiously over their treasure trove in
+the shade of the bed-tent, leaving Patsy to his anger and his empty
+tins.
+
+Other men straggled in, drifted with the tide of their appetites to
+the cook-tent, hovered there briefly and retired vanquished and still
+hungry. They invariably came over to the little group which was
+munching raisins and cocoanut and asked accusing questions. What was
+the matter with Patsy? Who had put him on the fight like that? and
+other inquiries upon the same subject.
+
+Just because they were all lying around camp with nothing to do but
+eat, Patsy was late with his supper that night. It would seem that he
+dallied purposely and revengefully, and though the Happy Family flung
+at him taunts and hurry-up orders, it is significant that they shouted
+from a distance and avoided coming to close quarters.
+
+Just how and when they began their foolish little game of imitation
+broncho-fighting does not matter. When work did not press and red
+blood bubbled they frequently indulged in "rough-riding" one another
+to the tune of much taunting and many a "Bet yuh can't pitch _me_
+off!" Before supper was called they were hard at it and they quite
+forgot Patsy.
+
+"I'll give any man a dollar that can ride me straight up, by cripes!"
+bellowed Big Medicine, going down upon all fours by way of invitation.
+
+"Easy money, and mine from the start!" retorted Irish and immediately
+straddled Big Medicine's back. Horses and riders pantingly gave over
+their own exertions and got out of the way, for Big Medicine played
+bronk as he did everything else: with all his heart and soul and
+muscles, and since he was strong as a bull, riding him promised much
+in the way of excitement.
+
+"Yuh can hold on by my collar, but if yuh choke me down I'll murder
+yuh in cold blood," he warned Irish before he started. "And don't yuh
+dig your heels in my ribs neither, or I'm liable to bust every bone
+yuh got to your name. I'm ticklish, by cripes!"
+
+"I'll ride yuh with my arms folded if yuh say so," Irish offered
+generously. "Move, you snail!" He struck Big Medicine spectacularly
+with his hat, yelled at the top of his voice and the riding began
+immediately and tumultuously.
+
+It is very difficult to describe accurately and effectively the
+evolutions of a horse when he "pitches" his worst and hardest. It is
+still more difficult to set down in words the gyrations of a man when
+he is playing that he is a broncho and is trying to dislodge the
+fellow upon his back. Big Medicine reared and kicked and bellowed and
+snorted. He came down upon a small "pin-cushion" cactus and was
+obliged to call a recess while he extracted three cactus spines from
+his knee with his smallest knife-blade and some profanity.
+
+He rolled down his trousers' leg, closed his knife and tossed it to
+Pink for fear he might lose it, examined critically a patch of grass
+to make sure there were no more cacti hidden there and bawled: "Come
+on, now, I'll sure give yuh a run for your money _this_ time, by
+cripes!" and began all over again.
+
+How human muscles can bear the strain he put upon his own must be
+always something of a mystery. He described curves in the air which
+would sound incredible; he "swapped ends" with all the ease of a real
+fighting broncho and came near sending Irish off more than once.
+Insensibly he neared the cook-tent, where Patsy so far forgot himself
+as to stand just without the lifted flap and watch the fun with sour
+interest.
+
+"Ah-h _want_ yuh!" yelled Big Medicine, quite purple but far from
+surrender, and gave a leap.
+
+"Go _get_ me!" shouted Irish, whipping down the sides of his mount
+with his hat.
+
+Big Medicine answered the taunt by a queer, twisted plunge which he
+had saved for the last. It brought Irish spread-eagling over his head,
+and it landed him fairly in the middle of Patsy's great pan of soft
+bread "sponge"--and landed him upon his head into the bargain. Irish
+wriggled there a moment and came up absolutely unrecognizable and a
+good deal dazed. Big Medicine rolled helplessly in the grass, laughing
+his big, bellowing laugh.
+
+It was straight into that laugh and the great mouth from where it
+issued, that Patsy, beside himself with rage at the accident,
+deposited all the soft dough which was not clinging to the head and
+face of Irish. He was not content with that. While the Happy Family
+roared appreciation of the spectacle, Patsy returned with a kettle of
+meat and tried to land that neatly upon the dough.
+
+"Py cosh, if dat iss der vay you wants your grub, py cosh, dat iss der
+vay you gets it alreatty!" he brought the coffee-boiler and threw that
+also at the two, and followed it with a big basin of stewed corn.
+
+Irish, all dough as he was, went for him blindly and grappled with
+him, and it was upon this turbulent scene which Chip looked first when
+he rode up. The Happy Family crowded around him gasping and tried to
+explain.
+
+"They were doing some rough-riding--"
+
+"By golly, Patsy no business to set his bread dough on the ground!"
+
+"He's throwed away all the supper there is, and I betche--"
+
+"Mamma! Yuh sure missed it, Chip. You ought--"
+
+"By cripes, if that Dutch--"
+
+"Break away there, Irish!" shouted Chip, dismounting hurriedly. "Has
+it got so you must fight an old man like that?"
+
+"Py cosh, _I'll_ fight mit him alreatty! I'll fight mit any mans vat
+shpoils mine bread. Maybe I'm old yet but I ain't dead yet und I could
+fight--" The words came disjointedly, mere punctuation points to his
+wild sparring.
+
+It was plain that Irish, furious though he was, was trying not to hurt
+Patsy very much; but it took four men to separate them for all that.
+When they had dragged Irish perforce down to the creek by which they
+had camped, and had yelled to Big Medicine to come on and feed the
+fish, quiet should have been restored--but it was not.
+
+Patsy was, in American parlance, running amuck. He was jumbling three
+languages together into an indistinguishable tumult of sound and he
+was emptying the cook-tent of everything which his stout, German
+muscles could fling from it. Not a thing did he leave that was eatable
+and the dishes within his reach he scattered recklessly to all the
+winds of heaven. When one venturesome soul after another approached to
+calm him, he found it expedient to duck and run to cover. Patsy's aim
+was terribly exact.
+
+The Happy Family, under cover or at a safe distance from the hurtling
+pans, cans and stove wood, caressed sundry bumps and waited meekly.
+Irish and Big Medicine, once more disclosing the features God had
+given them, returned by a circuitous route and joined their fellows.
+
+"Look at 'em over there--he's emptying every grain uh rolled oats on
+the ground!" Happy Jack was a "mush-fiend." "Somebody better go over
+and stop 'im--"
+
+"You ain't tied down," suggested Cal Emmett rather pointedly, and
+Happy Jack said no more.
+
+Chip, usually so incisively clear as to his intentions and his duties,
+waited irresolutely and dodged missiles along with the rest of them.
+When Patsy subsided for the very good reason that there was nothing
+else which he could throw out, Chip took the matter up with him and
+told him quite plainly some of the duties of a cook, a few of his
+privileges and all of his limitations. The result, however, was not
+quite what he expected. Patsy would not even listen.
+
+"Py cosh, I not stand for dose poys no more," he declared, wagging his
+head with its shiny crown and the fringe of grizzled hair around the
+back. "I not cook grub for dat Irish und dat Big Medicine und Happy
+Jack und all dose vat cooms und eats mine pies und shpoils mine pread
+und makes deirselves fools all der time. If dose fellers shtay on dis
+camp I quits him alreatty." To make the bluff convincing he untied his
+apron, threw it spitefully upon the ground and stamped upon it
+clumsily, like a maddened elephant.
+
+"Well, quit then!" Chip was fast losing his own temper, what with the
+heat and his hunger and a general distaste for camp troubles. "This
+jangling has got to stop right here. We've had about enough of it in
+the last month. If you can't cook for the outfit peaceably--" He did
+not finish the sentence, or if he did the distance muffled the words,
+for he was leading his horse back to the vicinity of the rope corral
+that he might unsaddle and turn him loose.
+
+He heard several voices muttering angrily, but his wrath was ever of
+the stiff-necked variety so that he would not look around to see what
+was the matter. The tumult grew, however, until when he did turn he
+saw Patsy stalking off across the prairie with his hat on and his coat
+folded neatly over his arm, and Irish and Big Medicine fighting
+wickedly in the open space between the two tents. He finished
+unsaddling and then went stalking over to quell this latest
+development.
+
+"They're trying to find out who was to blame," Weary informed him when
+he was quite close. "Bud hasn't got much tact: he called Irish a
+dough-head. Irish didn't think it was true humor, and he hit Bud on
+the nose. He claims that Bud pitched him into that dishpan uh dough
+with malice aforethought. Better let 'em argue the point to a finish,
+now they're started. It's black eyes for the peacemaker--you believe
+_me_."
+
+While the dusk folded them close and the nighthawks swooped from afar,
+the Happy Family gathered round and watched them fight. Chip and Weary
+thoughtfully went into the bed-tent and got the guns which were stowed
+away in the beds of the combatants, so that when their anger reached
+the killing point they must let it bubble harmlessly until the fires
+which fed it went cold. Which was exceeding wise of the two, for Big
+Medicine and Irish did get to that very point and raged all over the
+camp because they could not shoot each other.
+
+The hottest battle must perforce end sometime, and so the camp of the
+Flying U did at last settle into some semblance of calm. Irish rolled
+his bed, saddled a horse and rode off toward town, quite as if he were
+going for good and all. Big Medicine went down to the creek for the
+second time that evening to wash away the marks of strife, and when he
+returned he went straight to bed without a word to anyone. Patsy was
+gone, no man knew whither, and the cook-tent was as nearly wrecked as
+might be.
+
+"Makes me think uh that time we had the ringtailed tiger in camp,"
+sighed Andy Green, shaking sand out of the teakettle so that it could
+be refilled.
+
+"By golly, I'd ruther have a whole band uh tagers than this fighting
+bunch," Slim affirmed earnestly. Slim was laboring sootily with the
+stove-pipe which Patsy had struck askew with a stick of wood.
+
+Outside, Happy Jack was protesting in what he believed to be an
+undertone against being installed in Patsy's place. "Aw, that's always
+the way! Anything comes up, it's 'Happy, you git in and rustle some
+chuck.' _I_ ain't no cook--or if I be they might pay me cook's wages.
+I betche there ain't another man in camp would stand for it.
+Somebody's got to take that bacon down to the creek and wash it off,
+if yuh want any meat for supper. There ain't no time to boil beef. If
+I'd a been boss uh this outfit, I betche no blame cook on earth would
+uh made rough-house like Patsy done." But no one paid the slightest
+attention to Happy Jack, having plenty to think of and to do before
+they slept.
+
+Not even the sun, when it shone again, could warm their hearts to a
+joy in living. Happy Jack cooked the breakfast, but his coffee was
+weak and his biscuits "soggy," and Patsy had managed to make the
+butter absolutely uneatable with sand; also they were late and Chip
+was surly over the double loss of cook and cowboy. Happy Jack packed
+food and dishes in much the same spirit which Patsy had shown the
+night before, climbed sullenly to the high seat, gathered up the reins
+of the four restive horses, released the brake and let out a yell
+surcharged with all the bitterness bottled within his soul. _He_ had
+not done anything to precipitate the trouble. Beyond eating half a pie
+he had been an innocent spectator, not even taking part in the
+rough-riding. Yet here he was, condemned to the mess-wagon quite as if
+he were to blame for Patsy's leaving. The eyes of Happy Jack gazed
+gloomily upon the world, and his driving seemed a reckless invitation
+to disaster. "I betche I'll make 'em good and sick uh _my_ cooking!"
+he plotted while he went rattling and bumping over the untrailed
+prairie.
+
+He succeeded so well that two days later Chip gave a curt order or two
+and headed his wagons, horses and his lean-stomached bunch of riders
+for Dry Lake, passing by even the Flying U coulee in his haste. Just
+outside the town, upon the creek which saves the inhabitants from
+dying of thirst or _delirium tremens_, he left the wagons with Happy
+Jack, Slim and one alien to set up camp and rode dust-dogged to the
+little, red depot.
+
+The telegram which went speeding to Great Falls and to a friend there
+was brief, but it was eloquent and not quite flattering to Happy Jack.
+It read like this:
+
+  "JOHN G. SCOTT,
+
+  "The Palace, Great Falls.
+
+  "For God's sake send me a cook by return train; must deliver goods
+  or die hard.
+
+  "BENNETT, Flying U."
+
+Whether the cook must die hard, or whether he meant the friend, Chip
+did not trouble to make plain. Telegrams are bound by such rigid
+limitations, and he had gone over the ten-word rate as it was. But he
+told Weary to receive the cook, be he white or black, have him restock
+the mess-wagon to his liking and then bring the outfit to the ranch,
+when Chip would again take it in hand. He said that he was going home
+to get a square meal, and he mentioned Happy Jack along with several
+profane words. "Johnny Scott will send a cook, and a good one,"; he
+added hopefully. "Johnny never threw down a friend in his life and he
+never will. And say, Weary, if he wires, you collect the message and
+act accordingly. I'm going to have a decent supper, to-night!" He was
+riding a good horse and there was no reason why he should be late in
+arriving, especially if he kept the gait at which he left town.
+
+In two hours Weary, Pink and Andy Green were touching hat-brims over a
+telegram from Johnny Scott--a telegram which was brief as Chip's, and
+more illuminating:
+
+    "CHIP BENNETT,
+
+    "Dry Lake.
+
+    "Kidnaped Park hotel chef best cook in town will be on next train.
+    J.G. SCOTT."
+
+"Sounds good," mused Andy, reading it for the fourth time. "But
+there's thirteen words in that telegram, if yuh notice."
+
+"I wish yuh wouldn't try to butt in on Happy Jack's specialty," Weary
+remonstrated, folding the message and slipping it inside the yellow
+envelope. "If this is the same jasper that cooked there a month ago,
+we're going to eat ourselves plumb to death; a better meal I never
+laid away inside me than the one I got at the Park Hotel when I was up
+there last time. Come on over to the hotel and eat; their chuck isn't
+the best in the world, but it could be a lot worse and still beat
+Happy Jack to a jelly."
+
+
+PART TWO
+
+
+The whole Happy Family--barring Happy Jack, who was sulking in camp
+because of certain things which had been said of his cooking and which
+he had overheard--clanked spurs impatiently upon the platform and
+waited for the arrival of the train from the West. When at last it
+snorted into town and nosed its way up to the platform they bunched
+instinctively and gazed eagerly at the steps which led down from the
+smoker.
+
+A slim little man in blue serge, a man with the complexion of a strip
+of rawhide and the mustache of a third-rate orchestra leader, felt his
+way gingerly down by the light of the brakeman's lantern, hesitated
+and then came questioningly toward them, carrying with some difficulty
+a bulky suitcase.
+
+"It's him, all right," muttered Pink while they waited.
+
+The little man stopped apologetically before the group, indistinct in
+the faint light from the office window. Already the train was sliding
+away into the dark. "Pardon," he apologized. "I am looking for the U
+fich flies."
+
+"This is it," Weary assured him gravely. "We'll take yuh right on out
+to camp. Pretty dark, isn't it? Let me take your grip--I know the way
+better than you do." Weary was not in the habit of making himself a
+porter for any man's accommodation, but the way back to where they had
+left the horses was dark, and the new cook was very small and slight.
+They filed silently back to Rusty Brown's place, invited the cook in
+for a drink and were refused with soft-voiced regret and the gracious
+assurance that he would wait outside for them.
+
+Weary it was, and Pink to bear him company, who piloted the stranger
+out to camp and showed him where he might sleep in Patsy's bed. Patsy
+had left town, the Happy Family had been informed, with the
+declaration often repeated that he was "neffer cooming back alreatty."
+He had even left behind him his bed and his clothes rather than meet
+again any member of the Flying U outfit.
+
+"We'd like breakfast somewhere near sunrise," Weary told the cook at
+parting. "Soon as the store opens in the morning, we'll drive in and
+you can stock up the wagon; we're pretty near down to cases, judging
+from the meals we have been getting lately. Hope yuh make out all
+right."
+
+"I will do very nicely, I thank you," smiled the new cook in the light
+of the lantern which stood upon the fireless cook-stove. "I wish you
+good-night, gentlemen, and sweet dreams of loved ones."
+
+"Say, he's a polite son-of-a-gun," Pink commented when they were
+riding back to town. "'The U fich flies'--that's a good one! What is
+he, do you thing? French?"
+
+"He's liable to be most anything, and I'll gamble he can build a good
+dinner for a hungry man. That's the main point," said Weary.
+
+At daybreak Weary woke and heard him humming a little tune while he
+moved softly about the cook-tent and the mess-wagon, evidently
+searching mostly for the things which were not there, to judge from
+stray remarks which interrupted the love song. "Rolled oat--I do not
+find him," he heard once. And again: "Where the clean towels they are,
+that I do not discover." Weary smiled sleepily and took another nap.
+
+The cook's manner of announcing breakfast was such that it awoke even
+Jack Bates, notoriously a sleepy-head, and Cal Emmett who was almost
+as bad. Instead of pounding upon a pan and lustily roaring
+"_Grub-pi-i-ile!_" in the time-honored manner of roundup cooks, he
+came softly up to the bed-tent, lifted a flap deprecatingly and
+announced in a velvet voice:
+
+"Breakfast is served, gentlemen."
+
+Andy Green, whose experiences had been varied, sat up and blinked at
+the gently swaying flap where the cook had been standing. "Say, what
+we got in camp?" he asked curiously. "A butler?"
+
+"By golly, that's the way a cook _oughta_ be!" vowed Slim, and reached
+for his hat.
+
+They dressed hastily and trooped down to the creek for their morning
+ablutions, and hurried back to the breakfast which waited. The new
+cook was smiling and apologetic and anxious to please. The Happy
+Family felt almost as if there were a woman in camp and became very
+polite without in the least realizing that they were not behaving in
+the usual manner, or dreaming that they were unconsciously trying to
+live up to their chef.
+
+"The breakfast, it is of a lacking in many things fich I shall
+endeavor to remedy," he assured them, pouring coffee as if he were
+serving royalty. He was dressed immaculately in white cap and apron,
+and his mustache was waxed to a degree which made it resemble a cat's
+whiskers. The Happy Family tasted the coffee and glanced eloquently at
+one another. It was better than Patsy's coffee, even; and as for Happy
+Jack--
+
+There were biscuits, the like of which they never had tasted before.
+The bacon was crisp and delicately brown and delicious, the potatoes
+cooked in a new and enticing way. The Happy Family showed its
+appreciation as seemed to them most convincing: They left not a scrap
+of anything and they drank two cups of coffee apiece when that was not
+their habit.
+
+Later, they hitched the four horses to the mess-wagon, learned that
+the new cook, though he deeply regretted his inefficiency, did not
+drive anything. "The small burro," he explained, "I ride him, yes, and
+also the automobile drive I when the way is smooth. But the horses I
+make not acquainted with him. I could ride upon the elevated seat,
+yes, but to drive the quartet I would not presume."
+
+"Happy, you'll have to drive," said Weary, his tone a command.
+
+"Aw, gwan!" Happy Jack objected, "He rode out here all right last
+night--unless somebody took him up in front on the saddle, which I
+hain't heard about nobody doing. A cook's supposed to do his own
+driving. I betche--"
+
+Weary went close and pointed a finger impressively. "Happy, you
+_drive_," he said, and Happy Jack turned without a word and climbed
+glumly up to the seat of the mess-wagon.
+
+"Well, are yuh coming or ain't yuh?" he inquired of the cook in a tone
+surcharged with disgust.
+
+"If you will so kindly permit, it give me great pleasure to ride with
+you and to make better friendship. It now occurs to me that I have not
+yet introduce. Gentlemen, Jacques I have the honor to be name. I am
+delighted to meet you and I hope for pleasant association." The bow he
+gave the group was of the old school.
+
+Big Medicine grinned suddenly and came forward. "Honest to grandma,
+I'm happy to know yuh!" he bellowed, and caught the cook's hand in a
+grip that sent him squirming upon his toes. "These here are my
+friends: Happy Jack up there on the wagon, and Slim and Weary and Pink
+and Cal and Jack Bates and Andy Green--and there's more scattered
+around here, that don't reely count except when it comes to eating. We
+like you, by cripes, and we like your cookin' fine! Now, you amble
+along to town and load up with the best there is--huh?" It occurred to
+him that his final remarks might be construed as giving orders, and he
+glanced at Weary and winked to show that he meant nothing serious. "So
+long, Jakie," he added over his shoulder and went to where his horse
+waited.
+
+Jacques--ever afterward he was known as "Jakie" to the Flying
+U--clambered up the front wheel and perched ingratiatingly beside
+Happy Jack, and they started off behind the riders for the short mile
+to Dry Lake. Immediately he proceeded to win Happy from his glum
+aloofness.
+
+"I would say, Mr. Happy, that I should like exceeding well to be
+friends together," he began purringly. "So superior a gentleman must
+win the admiration of the onlooker and so I could presume to question
+for advisement. I am experience much dexterity for cooking, yes, but I
+am yet so ignorant concerning the duties pertaining to camp. If the
+driving of these several horses transpire to pertain, I will so gladly
+receive the necessary instruction and endeavor to fulfil the
+accomplishment. Yes?"
+
+Happy Jack, more in stupefaction at the cook's vocabulary than
+anything else, turned his head and took a good look at him. And the
+trustful smile of Jakie went straight to the big, soft heart of him
+and won him completely. "Aw, gwan," he adjured gruffly to hide his
+surrender. "I don't mind driving for yuh. It ain't that I was kicking
+about."
+
+"I thank you for the so gracious assurement. If I transgress not too
+greatly, I should like for inquire what is the chuck for which I am
+told to fill the wagon. I do not," he added humbly, "understand yet
+all the language of your so glorious country, for fich I have so
+diligently study the books. Words I have not yet assimilated
+completely, and the word chuck have yet escape my knowledge."
+
+"Chuck," grinned Happy Jack, "is grub."
+
+"Chuck, it is grub," repeated Jakie thoughtfully. "And grub, that
+is--Yes?"
+
+Happy Jack struggled mentally with the problem. "Well, grub is grub;
+all the stuff yuh eat is grub. Meat and flour and coffee and--"
+
+"Ah, the light it dawns!" exclaimed Jakie joyously. "Grub it is the
+supply of provision fich I must obtain for camping, yes? I thank you
+so graciously for the information; because," he added a bit wistfully,
+"that little word chuck she annoy me exceeding and make me for not
+sleep that I must grasp the meaning fich elude. I am now happy that I
+do not make the extensive blunder for one small word fich I apprehend
+must be a food fich I must buy and perhaps not to understand the
+preparation of it. Yes? It is the excellent jest at the expense of
+me."
+
+"There ain't much chuck in camp," Happy observed helpfully, "so yuh
+might as well start in and get anything yuh want to cook. The outfit
+is good about one thing They don't never kick on the stuff yuh eat.
+The cook always loads up to suit himself, and nobody don't ask
+questions or make a holler--so long as there's plenty and it's good."
+
+Jakie listened attentively, twisting his mustache ends absently. "It
+is simply that I purchase the supplies fich I shall choose for my
+judgment," he observed, to make quite sure that he understood. "I am
+to have _carte blanche_, yes?"
+
+"Sure, if yuh want it," said Happy Jack. "Only they might not keep it
+here. Yuh can't get _everything_ in a little place like this." It is
+only fair to Happy Jack to state that he would have understood the
+term if he had seen it in print. It was the pronunciation which made
+the words strange to him.
+
+Jakie looked puzzled, but being the soul of politeness he made no
+comment--perhaps because Happy Jack was at that moment bringing his
+four horses to a reluctant stand at the wide side-door of the store.
+
+"The horses, they are of the vivacious temperament, yes?" Jakie had
+scrambled from the seat to within the door and was standing there
+smiling appreciatively at the team.
+
+"Aw, they're all right. You go on in--I guess Weary's there. If he
+ain't, you go ahead and get what yuh want. I'll be back after awhile."
+Thirst was calling Happy Jack; he heeded the summons and disappeared,
+leaving the new cook to his own devices.
+
+So, it would seem, did every other member of the Flying U. Weary had
+been told that Miss Satterly was in town, and he forgot all about
+Jakie in his haste to find her. No one else seemed to feel any
+responsibility in the matter, and the store clerks did not care what
+the Flying U outfit had to eat. For that reason the chuck-wagon
+contained in an hour many articles which were strange to it, and
+lacked a few things which might justly be called necessities.
+
+"Say, you fellows are sure going to live swell," one of the clerks
+remarked, when Happy Jack finally returned. "Where did yuh pick his
+nibs? Ain't he a little bit new and shiny?"
+
+"Aw, he's all right," Happy Jack defended jealously. "He's a real
+_chaff_, and he can build the swellest meals yuh ever eat. Patsy can't
+cook within a mile uh him. And _clean_--I betche _he_ don't keep his
+bread-dough setting around on the ground for folks to tromp on." Which
+proves how completely Jakie had subjugated Happy Jack.
+
+That night--nobody but the horse-wrangler and Happy Jack had shown up
+at dinner-time--the boys of the Flying U dined luxuriously at their
+new-made camp upon the creek-bank at the home ranch, and ate things
+which they could not name but which pleased wonderfully their palates.
+There was a salad to tempt an epicure, and there was a pudding the
+like of which they had never tasted. It had a French name which left
+them no wiser than before asking for it, and it looked, as Pink
+remarked, like a snowbank with the sun shining on it, and it tasted
+like going to heaven.
+
+"It makes me plumb sore when I think of all the years I've stood for
+Patsy's slops," sighed Cal Emmett, rolling over upon his back because
+he was too full for any other position--putting it plainly.
+
+"By golly, I never knowed there was such cookin' in the world," echoed
+Slim. "Why, even Mis' Bixby can't cook that good."
+
+"The Countess had ought to come down and take a few lessons," declared
+Jack Bates emphatically. "I'm going to take up some uh that pudding
+and ask her what she thinks of it."
+
+"Yuh can't," mourned Happy Jack. "There ain't any left--and I never
+got more'n a taste. Next time, I'm going to tell Jakie to make it in a
+wash tub, and make it full; with some uh you gobblers in camp--"
+
+He looked up and discovered the Little Doctor approaching with Chip.
+She was smiling a friendly welcome, and she was curious about the new
+cook. By the time she had greeted them all and had asked all the
+questions she could think of and had gone over to meet Jakie and to
+taste, at the urgent behest of the Happy Family, a tiny morsel of
+salad which had been overlooked, it would seem that the triumph of the
+new cook was complete and that no one could possibly give a thought to
+old Patsy.
+
+The Little Doctor, however, seemed to regret his loss--and that in the
+face of the delectable salad and the smile of Jakie. "I do think it's
+a shame that Patsy left the way he did," she remarked to the Happy
+Family in general, being especially careful not to look toward Big
+Medicine. "The poor old fellow _walked_ every step of the way to the
+ranch, and Claude"--that was Chip's real name--"says it was
+twenty-five or six miles. He was so lame and he looked so old and
+so--well, friendless, that I could have _cried_ when he came limping
+up to the house! He had walked all night, and he got here just at
+breakfast time and was too tired to eat.
+
+"I dosed him and doctored his poor feet and made him go to bed, and he
+slept all that day. He wanted to start that night for Dry Lake, but of
+course we wouldn't let him do that. He was wild to leave, however, so
+J.G. had to drive him in the next day. He went off without a word to
+any of us, and he looked so utterly dejected and so--so _old_. Claude
+says he acted perfectly awful in camp, but I'm sure he was sorry for
+it afterwards. J.G. hasn't got over it yet; I believe he has taken it
+to heart as much as Patsy seemed to do. He's had Patsy with him for so
+long, you see--he was like one of the family." She stopped and
+regarded the Happy Family a bit anxiously. "This new cook is a very
+nice little man," she added after a minute, "but after all, he isn't
+Patsy."
+
+The Happy Family did not answer, and they refrained from looking at
+one another or at the Little Doctor.
+
+At last Big Medicine brought his big voice into the awkward silence.
+"Honest to grandma, Mrs. Chip," he said earnestly, "I'd give a lot
+right now to have old Patsy back--er--just to have _around_, if it
+made him feel bad to leave. I reckon maybe that was my fault: I hadn't
+oughta pitched quite so hard, and I had oughta looked where I was
+throwin' m' rider. I reelize that no cook likes to have a fellow
+standin' on his head in a big pan uh bread-sponge, on general
+principles if not on account uh the bread. Uh course, we've all knowed
+old Patsy to take just about as great liberties himself with his
+sponge--but we've got to recollect that it was _his_ dough, by cripes,
+and that pipe ashes ain't the same as a fellow takin' a shampoo in the
+pan. No, I reelize that I done wrong, and I'm willin' to apologize for
+it right here and now. At the same time," he ended dryly, "I will own
+that I'm dead stuck on little Jakie, and I'd ruther ride for the
+Flying U and eat Jakie's grub than any other fate I can think of right
+now. Whilst I'm sorry for what I done, yuh couldn't pry me loose from
+Jakie with a stick uh dynamite--and that's a fact, Mrs. Chip."
+
+The Little Doctor laughed, pushed back her hair in the way she had,
+glanced again at the unresponsive faces of the original members of the
+Happy Family and gave up as gracefully as possible.
+
+"Oh, of course Patsy's an old crank, and Jakie's a waxed angel," she
+surrendered with a little grimace. "You think so now, but that's
+because you are being led astray by your appetites, like all men. You
+just wait: You'll be _homesick_ for a sight of that fat, bald-headed,
+cranky old Patsy bouncing along on the mess-wagon and swearing in
+Dutch at his horses, before you're through. If you're not so
+completely gone over to Jakie that you will eat nothing but what he
+has cooked, come on up to the house. The Countess is making a
+twogallon freezer of ice-cream for you, and she has a big pan of angel
+cake to go with it! You don't deserve it--but come along anyway."
+Which was another endearing way of the Little Doctor's--the way of
+sweetening all her lectures with something very nice at the end.
+
+The Happy Family felt very much ashamed and very sorry that they could
+not feel kindly toward Patsy, even to please the Little Doctor. They
+sincerely wanted to please her and to have her unqualified approval;
+but wanting Patsy back, or feeling even the slightest regret that he
+was gone, seemed to them a great deal too much to ask of them. Since
+this is a story of cooks and of eating, one may with propriety add,
+however, that the invitation to ice cream and angel cake, coming
+though it did immediately after that wonderful supper of Jakie's, was
+accepted with alacrity and their usual thoroughness of accomplishment;
+not for the world would they have offended the Little Doctor by
+declining so gracious an invitation--the graciousness being manifested
+in her smile and her voice rather than in the words she spoke--leaving
+out the enchantment which hovers over the very name of angel cake and
+ice cream. The Happy Family went to bed that night as complacently
+uncomfortable as children after a Christmas dinner.
+
+Not often does it fall to the lot of a cowboy to have served to him
+stuffed olives and lobster salad with mayonnaise dressing, French
+fried potatoes and cream puffs from the mess-tent of a roundup outfit.
+During the next week it fell to the lot of the Happy Family, however.
+When the salads and the cream puffs disappeared suddenly and the smile
+of Jakie became pensive and contrite, the Happy Family, acting
+individually but unanimously, made inquiries.
+
+"It is that I no more possess the fresh vegetables, nor the eggs,
+gentlemen," purred Jakie. "Many things of a deliciousness must I now
+abstain because of the absence of two, three small eggs! But see, one
+brief arrival in the small town would quickly remedy, yes? It is that
+we return with haste that I may buy more of the several articles for
+fich I require?" He spread his small hands appealingly.
+
+"By golly, _Patsy_ never had no eggs--" began Slim traitorously.
+
+"Aw, gwan! Patsy never fed yuh like Jakie does, neither!" Happy Jack
+was heart and soul the slave of the chef. "If Chip don't care, I'll
+ride over to Nelson's and git some eggs. Jakie said he'd make some
+more uh that pudding if he had some. It ain't but six or seven miles."
+
+"Should you but obtain the juvenile hen, yes, I should be delighted to
+serve the chicken salad for luncheon. It is the great misfortune that
+the fresh vegetable are not obtain, but I will do the best and
+substitute with a cleverness fich will conceal the defect--yes?"
+Jakie's caps and aprons had lost their first immaculate freshness, but
+his manner was as royally perfect as ever and his smile as wistfully
+friendly.
+
+"Well, I'll ask Chip about it," Happy Jack yielded.
+
+Eggs and young chickens were of a truth strange to a roundup in full
+blast, but so was a chef like Jakie, and so were the salads, stuffed
+olives and cream puffs; and the white caps and the waxed mustache and
+the beautiful flow of words and the smile. The Happy Family was in no
+condition, mentally or digestively, to judge impartially. A month ago
+they would have whooped derision at the suggestion of riding anywhere
+after fresh eggs and "juvenile hens," but now it seemed to them very
+natural and very necessary. So much for the demoralization of expert
+cookery and white caps and a smile.
+
+Chip also seemed to have fallen under the spell. It may have been that
+the heavenly peace which wrapped the Flying U was, in his mind, too
+precious to be lightly disturbed. At any rate he told Happy Jack
+briefly to "Go ahead, if you want to," and so left unobstructed the
+path to the chicken salad and cream puffs. Happy Jack wiped his hands
+upon an empty flour sack, rolled down his shirtsleeves and hurried off
+to saddle a horse.
+
+Happy Jack did not realize that he was doing two thirds of the work
+about the cook-tent, but that was a fact. Because Jakie could not
+drive the mess-wagon team, Happy Jack had been appointed his
+assistant. As assistant he drove the wagon from one camping place to
+another, "rustled" the wood, peeled the potatoes, tended fires and
+washed dishes, and did the thousand things which do not require expert
+hands, and which, in time of stress, usually falls to the
+horse-wrangler. Jakie was ever smiling and always promising, in his
+purring voice, to cook something new and delicious, and left with the
+leisure which Happy's industry gave him, he usually kept his promise.
+
+"Now, Mr. Happy," he would smile, "I am agreeable to place the
+confidence in your so gracious person that you prepare the potatoes,
+yes? And that you attend to the boiling of meat and the unpacking and
+arrangement of those necessary furnishings for fich you possess the
+great understanding. And I shall prepare the so delicious dessert of
+the floating island, what you call in America. Yes? Our friends will
+have the so delightful astonishment when they arrive. They shall
+exclaim and partake joyously, is it not? And for your reward, Mr.
+Happy, I shall be so pleased to set aside a very extensive portion of
+the delicious floating island, so that you can eat no more except you
+endanger your handsome person from the bursting. Yes?" And oh, the
+smile of him!
+
+A man of sterner stuff than Happy Jack would have fallen before such
+guile and would have labored willingly--nay, gladly in the service of
+so delightful a diplomat as Jakie. Except for that willing service,
+Jakie would have been quite overwhelmed by the many and peculiar
+duties of a roundup cook. He would have been perfectly helpess before
+the morning and noon packing of dishes and food, and the skilful haste
+necessary to unpack and prepare a meal for fifteen ravenous appetites
+within the time limit would have been utterly impossible. Jakie was a
+chef, trained to his profession in well-appointed kitchens and with
+assistance always at hand; which is a trade apart from cooking for a
+roundup crew.
+
+Happy Jack, in the fulness of time, returned with the eggs. That is,
+he returned with six eggs and a quart or two of a yellowish mixture
+thickly powdered with shell. He took the pail to Jakie and he saw the
+seraphic smile fade from his face and an unpleasant glitter creep into
+his eyes.
+
+"It is the omelet fich you furnish, yes? The six eggs, they will not
+make the pudding. The omelet--I do not perceive yet the desirableness
+of the omelet. And the juvenile hen--yes?"
+
+"Aw, they wouldn't sell no chickens." Happy Jack's face had gone long
+and scarlet before the patent displeasure of the other. "And my horse
+was scared uh the bucket and pitched with me."
+
+Jackie looked again into the pail, felt gingerly the yellow mess and
+discovered one more egg which retained some semblance of its original
+form. "The misfortune distresses me," he murmured. "It is that you
+return hastily, Mr. Happy, and procure other eggs fich you will place
+unbroken in my waiting hands, yes?"
+
+Happy Jack mopped his forehead and glanced at the sun, burning hotly
+down upon the prairie. They had made a short move that day and it was
+still early. But the way to Nelson's and back had been hot and
+tumultuous and he was tired. For the first time since his abject
+surrender to the waxed smile, Happy Jack chafed a bit under the yoke
+of voluntary servitude. "Aw, can't yuh cook something that don't take
+so many eggs?" he asked in something like his old, argumentative tone.
+
+The unpleasant glitter in the eyes of Jakie grew more pronounced; grew
+even snaky, in the opinion of Happy Jack. "It is that I am no more
+permitted the privilege of preparing the food for fich I have the
+judgment, yes?" His voice purred too much to be convincing. "It is
+that I am no more the chef to be obeyed by my servant?"
+
+"Aw, gwan! I ain't anybody's servant that I ever heard of!" Happy Jack
+felt himself bewilderedly slipping from his loyalty. What had come
+over Jakie, to act like this? He walked away to where there was some
+shade and sat down sullenly. Jakie's servant, was he? Well! "The
+darned little greasy-faced runt," he mumbled rebelliously, and
+immediately felt the better for it.
+
+Two cigarettes brought coolness and calm. Happy Jack wanted very much
+to lie there and take a nap, but his conscience stirred uneasily. The
+boys were making a long circle that day and would come in with the
+appetites--and the tempers--of wolves. It occurred to Happy Jack that
+their appetites were much keener than they had ever been before, and
+he sat there a little longer while he thought about it; for Happy
+Jack's mind was slow and tenacious, and he hated to leave a new idea
+until he had squeezed it dry of all mystery. He watched Jakie moving
+in desultory fashion about the tent--but most of the time Jakie stayed
+inside.
+
+"I betche the boys ain't gitting enough old stand-by-yuh chuck," he
+decided at length. "Floatin' island and stuffed olives--for them that
+likes stuffed olives--and salad and all that junk _tastes_ good--but I
+betche the boys need a good feed uh beans!" Which certainly was
+brilliant of Happy Jack, even if it did take him a full hour to arrive
+at that conclusion. He got up immediately and started for the
+cook-tent.
+
+"Say, Jakie," he began before he was inside, "ain't there time enough
+to boil a pot uh beans if I make yuh a good fire? I betche the boys
+would like a good feed--"
+
+"A-a-hh!" Happy Jack insisted afterward that it sounded like the
+snarling of a wolf over a bone. "Is it that you come here to give the
+orders? Is it that you _insult_?" Followed a torrent of molten French,
+as it were. Followed also Jakie, with the eyes of a snake and the
+toothy grin of a wild animal and with a knife which Happy Jack had
+never seen before; a knife which caught the sunlight and glittered
+horridly.
+
+Happy Jack backed out as if he had inadvertently stirred a nest of
+hornets. Jakie almost caught him before he took to his heels. Happy
+never waited to discover what the new cook was saying, or whether he
+was following or remaining at the tent. He headed straight for the
+protection of the horse-wrangler, who watched his cavvy not far away,
+and his face was the color of stale putty.
+
+The horse-wrangler saw him coming and came loping up to meet him.
+"What's eating yuh, Happy?" he inquired inelegantly.
+
+"Jakie--he's gone nutty! He come at me with a knife, and he'd uh
+killed me if I'd stayed!" Happy Jack pantingly recovered himself. "I
+didn't have no time ta git my gun," he added in a more natural tone,
+"or I'd uh settled him pretty blame quick. So I come out to borrow
+yourn. I betche _I'll_ have the next move."
+
+The horse-wrangler grinned heartlessly. "I reckon he's about half
+shot," he said, sliding over in the saddle and getting out the
+inevitable tobacco sack and papers. "Old Pete Williams rode past while
+you were gone, loaded to the guards and with a bottle uh whisky in
+each saddle-pocket and two in his coat. He gave me a drink, and then
+he went on and stopped at camp. He was hung up there for quite a
+spell, I noticed. I didn't _see_ him pass any uh the vile liquor to
+little Jakie, but--" he twirled a blackened match stub in his fingers
+and then tossed it from him.
+
+"Aw, gwan! Jakie wouldn't touch nothing when he was in town," Happy
+Jack objected. "I betche he's gone crazy, or else--"
+
+"Well," interrupted the horse-wrangler, "I've told yuh what I know and
+all I know. Take it or leave it." He rode back to turn the lead-horse
+from climbing a ridge where he did not want the herd to follow. He did
+not lend Happy Jack his gun, and for that reason--perhaps--Jakie
+remained alive and unpunctured until the first of the riders came
+loping in to camp.
+
+The first riders happened to be Pink and Big Medicine. They were met
+by a tearful, contrite Jakie--a Jakie who seemed much inclined to
+weeping upon their shirt-fronts and to confessing all his sins,
+particularly the sin of trying to carve Happy Jack. That perturbed
+gentleman made his irate appearance as soon as he found that
+reinforcements had arrived.
+
+Big Medicine disengaged himself from the clinging arms of the chef,
+sniffed suspiciously and wiped away the tears from his vest. "Well,
+say," he bellowed in his usual manner of trying to make all Chouteau
+County hear what he had to say, "I ain't t' blame if he got away on
+yuh. Yuh hadn't ought to uh done it--or else yuh oughta made a clean
+job of it sos't we could hang yuh proper. Supper ready?"
+
+"It is that the supply of eggs is inadequate," wept Jakie, steadying
+himself against the tent-pole while he wiped his eyes upon his apron.
+"Because of it I could not prepare the floating island--and without
+the dessert I have not the heart to prepare the dinner, yes? It is
+that I am breaking of the heart that I assail the good friend of me.
+Oh, Mr. Happy, it is that I crave pardon!"
+
+Happy Jack came near taking to his heels again when he saw Jakie start
+for him; he did back up hastily, and his evident reluctance to embrace
+and forgive started afresh the tears of remorse. Jakie wailed volubly
+and, catching Pink unaware, he wept upon his bosom.
+
+Others came riding in, saw the huddle before the mess-tent and came up
+to investigate. With every fresh arrival Jakie began anew his
+confession that he had attempted to murder his good friend, Mr. Happy,
+and with every confession he wept more copiously than before.
+
+The Happy Family tacitly owned itself helpless. A warlike cook they
+could deal with. A lazy cook they could kick into industry. A weeping,
+wailing, conscience-stricken cook, a cook who steadfastly refused to
+be comforted, was an absolutely new experience. They told him to buck
+up, found that he only broke out anew, threatened, cajoled and argued.
+Jakie clung to whoever happened to be within reach and mixed the
+English language unmercifully.
+
+"Happy, you'll have to forgive him," said Weary at last. "Go tell him
+yuh don't feel hard towards him. We want some supper."
+
+"Aw, gwan. I _ain't_ forgive him, and I never will. I--"
+
+Big Medicine stepped into the breach. With his face contorted into a
+grin to crimple one's spine, with a voice to make one's knees buckle,
+he went up to Happy Jack and thrust that horrible grin into Happy's
+very face. "By cripes, you forgive Jakie, and you do it quick!" he
+thundered. "Think you're going to ball up the eating uh the whole
+outfit whilst you stand around acting haughty? Why, by cripes, I've
+killed men in the Coconino County for _half_ what you're doing! You'll
+wish, by cripes, that Jakie _had_ slit your hide; you'll consider that
+woulda been an easy way out, before I git half through with yuh. You
+walk right up and shake hands with him, and you tell him that yuh love
+him to death and are his best friend and always will be! Yuh _hear_
+me?"
+
+Happy Jack heard. The Happy Family considerately moved aside and left
+him a clear path, and they looked on without a word while he took
+Jakie's limp hand, muttered tremulously, "Aw, fergit it, Jakie. I know
+yuh didn't mean nothing by it, and I forgive yuh," and backed away
+again.
+
+Jakie wept, this time with gratitude. They got him inside a tent,
+unrolled his bed and persuaded him to lie down upon it. They searched
+the mess-box, found all that was left of a quart bottle of whisky,
+took it outside and divided it gravely and appreciatively among
+themselves. There was not much to divide.
+
+Happy Jack took charge of the pots and pans, with the whole Happy
+Family to help him hurry supper, while Jakie forgot his woes in sleep
+and the sun set upon a quiet camp.
+
+Next morning, Jakie was up and cooking breakfast at the appointed
+time, and the camp felt that the incident of the evening before might
+well be forgotten. The coffee was unusually good that morning, even
+for Jakie. He was subdued, was Jakie, and his soft, brown eyes were
+humble whenever they met the eyes of Happy Jack. His smile was
+infrequent and fleeting, and his voice more deprecating than ever.
+Aside from these minor changes everything seemed the same as before
+the sheepmen had stopped at camp.
+
+That afternoon, however, came an aftermath in the shape of Happy Jack
+galloping wildly out to where the others were holding a herd and
+"cutting out." He was due to come and help, so nobody paid any
+attention to his haste, though it was his habit to take his time. He
+shot recklessly by the outer fringes of the "cut" and yelled in a way
+to stampede the whole bunch. "Jakie's _dying_," he shouted, wild-eyed.
+"He's drunk up all the lemon extract and most uh the v'nilla before I
+could stop him!"
+
+Chip and Weary, riding in hot haste to the camp, found that it was
+true as far as the drinking was concerned. Jakie was stretched upon
+his back breathing unpleasantly, and beside him were two flat bottles
+of half-pint size, one empty and the other very nearly so; the tent
+and Jakie's breath reeked of lemon and vanilla. Chip sent back for
+help.
+
+For the second time the Flying U roundup was brought to an involuntary
+pause because of its cook. There was but one thing to do, and Chip did
+it. He broke camp, loaded Jakie into the bed-wagon, and headed at a
+gallop for Dry Lake in an effort to catch the next train for Great
+Falls. Whether he sent Jakie to the hospital or to the undertaker was
+a question he did not attempt to answer; one thing was certain,
+however, that he must send him to one of those places as soon as might
+be.
+
+That night, just before the train arrived, he sent another telegram to
+Johnny Scott at rush rates. He said simply:
+
+  "Send another cook immediately this one all in am returning him in
+  baggage coach this train.
+
+  "C. BENNETT."
+
+Just after midnight he went to the station and received an answer,
+which is worth repeating:
+
+  "C. BENNETT, Dry Lake: Supply cooks running low am sending only
+  available don't kill this one or may have to go without season on
+  cooks closed fine attached to killing, running with dogs or
+  keeping in captivity this one drunk look for him in Pullman have
+  bribed porter. J.G. SCOTT."
+
+It was sent collect, which accounts perhaps for the facetious remarks
+which it contained.
+
+It was morning when that train arrived, because it was behind time for
+some reason, but Chip, Weary, Pink and Big Medicine were at the depot
+to meet it. The new cook having been reported drunk, they wanted to
+make sure of getting him off the train in case he proved unruly. They
+were wise in the ways of intoxicated cooks. They ran to the steps of
+the only Pullman on the train and were met by the grinning porter.
+
+"Yas sah, he's in dah--but Ah cyan't git 'im off, sah, to save mah
+soul," he explained toothily. "Ah put 'im next de front end, sah, but
+he's went to sleep and Ah cyan't wake 'em up, an' Ah cyan't tote 'em
+out nohow. Seems lak he weighs a ton!"
+
+"By cripes, _we'll_ tote him out," declared Big Medicine, pushing
+ahead of Chip in his enthusiasm. "You hold the train, and we'll git
+'im. Show us the bunk."
+
+The porter pointed out the number and retreated to the steps that he
+might signal the conductor. The four pushed up through the vestibule
+and laid hold upon the berth curtains.
+
+"Mamma!" ejaculated Weary in a stunned tone. "Look what's in here,
+boys!"
+
+They thrust forward their heads and peered in at the recumbent form.
+
+"Honest to grandma--it's old Patsy!" The voice of Big Medicine brought
+heads out all along down the car.
+
+"Come out uh that!" Four voices made up the chorus, and Patsy opened
+his eyes reluctantly.
+
+"Py cosh, I not cook chuck for you fellers ven I'm sick," he mumbled
+dazedly.
+
+"Come out uh that, you damned Dutch belly-robber!" bawled Big Medicine
+joyously, and somewhere behind a curtain a feminine shriek was heard
+at the shocking sentence.
+
+Four pairs of welcoming hands laid hold upon Patsy; four pairs of
+strong arms dragged him out of the berth and through the narrow aisle
+to the platform. The conductor, the head brakeman and the porter were
+chafing there, and they pulled while the others pushed. So Patsy was
+deposited upon the platform, grumbling and only half sober.
+
+"Anyway, we've got him back," Weary remarked with much satisfaction
+the next day when they were once more started toward the range land.
+"When Irish blows in again, we'll be all right."
+
+"By cripes, yuh just give me a sight uh that Irish once, and he'll
+_come_, if I have to rope and drag 'im!" Big Medicine took his own way
+of intimating that he held no grudge. "Did yuh hear what Patsy said,
+by cripes, when he was loading up the chuck-wagon at the store? He
+turned in all that oil and them olives and _anchovies_, yuh know, and
+he told Tom t' throw in about six cases uh blueberries. I was standin'
+right handy by, and he turns around and scowls at me and says: 'Py
+cosh, der vay dese fellers eats pie mit derselves, I have to fill oop
+der wagon mit pie fruit alreatty!' And then the old devil turns around
+with his back to me, but yuh can skin me for a coyote if I didn't
+ketch a grin on 'is face!"
+
+They turned and looked back to where Patsy, seated high upon the
+mess-wagon, was cracking his long whip like pistol shots and swearing
+in Dutch at his four horses as he came bouncing along behind them.
+
+"Well, there's worse fellers than old Patsy," Slim admitted
+ponderously. "I don't want no more Jakie in mine, by golly."
+
+"I betche Jakie cashes in, with all that lemon in him," prophesied
+Happy Jack with relish. "Dirty little Dago--it'd serve him right.
+Patsy wouldn't uh acted like that in a thousand years."
+
+They glanced once more behind them, as if they would make sure that
+the presence of Patsy was a reality. Then, with content in their
+hearts, they galloped blithely out of the lane and into the grassy
+hills.
+
+
+THE END.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+
+
+_WHAT THE CRITICS SAY OF_
+
+CHIP OF THE FLYING U.
+
+BY M. BOWER.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+"'Chip' is all right. Better than 'The Virginian.'"
+
+--_Brooklyn Eagle_.
+
+
+"The name of B.M. Bower will stand for something readable in the
+estimation of every man, and most every woman, who reads this fine new
+story of Montana ranch and its dwellers."--_Publisher & Retailer_.
+
+
+"Its qualities and merit can be summed up in the brief but sufficient
+statement that it is thoroughly delightful."
+
+--_Albany Times-Union_.
+
+
+"For strength of interest, vivid description, clever and convincing
+character, drawing and literary merit it is the surprise of the year."
+
+--_Walden's Stationer and Printer_.
+
+
+"It is an appealing story told in an active style which fairly
+sparkles in reproducing the atmosphere of the wild and woolly West. It
+is consistently forceful and contains a quantity of refreshing
+comedy."
+
+--_Philadelphia Press_.
+
+
+"Bound to stand among the famous novels of the year."
+
+--_Baltimore American_.
+
+
+"'The Virginian' has found many imitators, but few authors have come
+as near duplicating Owen Wister's magnetic hero as has B.M. Bower,
+'Chip of the Flying U.'"--_Philadelphia Item_.
+
+
+"B.M. Bower has portrayed but few characters, but these he has
+pictured with the strong and yet delicate stroke of a true master. The
+atmosphere of the West is perfect; one sees and feels the vibrant,
+vital life of the ranch activities all through the telling of the
+story."
+
+--_Cincinnati Times-Star_.
+
+
+"It brims over with humor showing the bright and laughing side of
+ranch life. It is a story which will delightfully entertain the
+reader."
+
+--_Portland Journal_.
+
+
+"The story contains strength of interest, vivid descriptions, clever
+and convincing character drawing and literary merits, and the author
+lays on the colors with a master's touch."--_Albany Evening Journal_.
+
+
+12MO, CLOTH BOUND, COLOR ILLUSTRATIONS, $.25
+
+G.W. DILLINGHAM CO., PUBLISHERS, NEW YORK
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+
+
+WHAT THE CRITICS SAY OF
+
+THE RANGE DWELLERS.
+
+BY B.M. BOWER.
+
+
+"A clever and humorous story, delightfully clean and wholesome, and
+possessing enough of the dramatic and dangerous element to keep the
+imagination excited to the end."--_The Nashville American_.
+
+
+"A bright, jolly, entertaining yarn without a dull page."--_The
+Chicago Inter-Ocean_.
+
+
+"One of the most charming and appealing of all Western novels. There
+is action and vivacity at all times, and the reader's interest never
+sways for an instant. The story is admirably written and runs along
+smoothly at all times."--_Philadelphia Press_.
+
+
+"Here are every day, genuine cowboys, just as they really exist,
+spirited action, a range feud between two families, and a Romeo and
+Juliet courtship in the Far West which make easy reading. Mr. Bower
+knows his wild west intimately and writes of it entertainingly."--_Des
+Moines Register and Leader_.
+
+
+"Told with a good deal of humor and a lot of unusual spirit. A very
+clever book--one that has more atmosphere than usual, and which can be
+picked up at any time to fill a long felt want for excitement."
+--_Philadelphia Inquirer_.
+
+
+"A tale to set the blood tingling. It is a story of the West, with the
+scene laid on a Montana cattle ranch. A story well told and a story
+worth reading."--_St. Louis Republic_.
+
+
+"Mr. Bower has portrayed but few characters, but these he has pictured
+with the strong and yet delicate stroke of a true master. The
+atmosphere of the West is perfect; one sees and feels the vibrant
+vital life of the ranch activities all through the telling of the
+story."--_Pittsburgh Dispatch_.
+
+
+"Has many stirring situations and exciting incidents illustrative of
+existence in the open."--_Boston Budget-Beacon_.
+
+
+"The book is vigorous, with the bracing open air of the Far
+West."--_Rochester Herald_.
+
+
+_12mo, Cloth Bound_
+
+_Beautiful Color Illustrations by Charles M. Russell, $1.25_
+
+G.W. DILLINGHAM CO., Publishers, NEW YORK
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+
+
+RAW GOLD
+
+BY BERTRAND W. SINCLAIR
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+"This is a stirring story of the Canadian Northwest and the Northwest
+Mounted Police. The unwritten history of this wonderful and intrepid
+body of men must be a long way from the dry-as-dust histories on the
+shelves. It is an open question if people do not get more real history
+in a clear, clean-cut tale of this kind, with its strong character
+portrayal and its vivid local coloring, than could be obtained in any
+other way."
+
+--_St. Louis Times_.
+
+
+"Action enough to thrill the dullest sort of reader."
+
+--_Albany Times-Union_.
+
+
+"The delineation of characters in this tale of the Northwest Mounted
+Police is splendidly portrayed. They are flesh-and-blood
+personalities. There is something of mystery, bits of sharp action,
+color, description, life. A well-told story."
+
+--_Pittsburg Dispatch_.
+
+
+"The story is sensational, but is full of animation. Scenes shift
+rapidly and the actors play the game of life fearlessly and like men.
+The love theme runs through it all and pleasantly."
+
+--_Chicago Tribune_.
+
+
+"It is strong, virile, captivating and well told."
+
+--_Denver Republican_.
+
+
+"A rattling good story. There is sentiment of the kind that fits with
+the open sky and life in the saddle, and the whole story moves with a
+swing and reality that are refreshing in the extreme."--_New York
+Times_.
+
+
+"Wild, indeed, is the West pictured by Mr. Sinclair."
+
+--_Boston Transcript_.
+
+
+"The tale, rapid in action and clearly told, is one of the best
+written on the Canadian West."--_Louisville Courier-Journal_.
+
+
+_12mo, Cloth bound, Illustrated, $1.50._
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+G.W. DILLINGHAM CO., PUBLISHERS, NEW YORK
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+
+
+WYOMING
+
+_A STORY OF THE OUTDOOR WEST_
+
+BY
+
+WILLIAM MACLEOD RAINE
+
+_Author of "Ridgeway of Montana," "A Daughter of Raasay," Etc._
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+In this vivid story the author has captured the breezy charm of
+"Cattleland," and brings to us the turbid life of the frontier with
+all its engaging dash and vigor. It is the kind of book one reads at a
+sitting far into the night.
+
+A young woman, fresh from the conventional East, drives her motor car
+into an absorbing adventure which is the first of a series of dramatic
+events that tread upon each other's heels and grow more intense and
+thrilling from page to page.
+
+The gallant vagabond, Ned Bannister, who enthralls the heroine's
+fancy, against her will, is reputed to be a lawless desperado of the
+worst type. Yet the reader joins with the wholly delightful young
+heroine in yielding him full sympathy. How the mystery is solved to
+the satisfaction of all is one of the pleasures that must be reserved
+for a reading.
+
+The characters each and all are drawn with masterly vigor and help
+forward the swift movement of the plot.
+
+
+_12mo. Illustrated. Cloth bound, $1.50._
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+G.W. DILLINGHAM COMPANY
+
+PUBLISHERS NEW YORK
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+
+
+WHAT THEY SAY ABOUT
+
+RIDGWAY OF MONTANA
+
+BY WILLIAM MACLEOD RAINE
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+"To-day I had it out with 'Ridgway.' I opened the book and I did not
+lay it down till I had raced eagerly through it. I find it a story
+with many elements of power in its treatment of plot and personality.
+The men are all well-marked types. The women are all possible and
+pleasant beings. The story gives dramatically the inner life of a
+mining camp. The atmosphere of wild nature and primeval human passion
+is well sustained. The exuberance of detail and suggestion, the easy
+drawing of character, the fine massing of effects, all show a strength
+and fire in the author which ought to give us a line of good books
+from his pen in the coming days."
+
+--EDWIN MARKHAM, in _The New York American_.
+
+
+"Whatever else the reader of this novel may say, he certainly will be
+forced to admit that it is highly interesting. Mr. Raine is not only
+skillful in devising incidents which compel unwearied attention; he
+also has the rarer and finer craftsmanship which enables him to create
+characters that have a high degree of personal charm."--_Boston
+Transcript_.
+
+
+"A story engrossing all the way through."--_New York World_.
+
+
+"It is a real pleasure to pick up a book like this one. To use an old
+phrase, the story is one which can hardly be put down."
+
+--_Minneapolis Tribune_.
+
+
+"The action starts with the first line, and there is no suspension
+until the last word is written. It is a story of thrilling situations,
+busy people and stirring times. Once started to read it there is no
+quitting the book."--_Denver Republican_.
+
+
+"Full of action and written with remarkable vigor."
+
+--_Charleston News and Courier_.
+
+
+"Mr. Raine's experience as a newspaper man has stood him in good
+stead. He knows the corrupt workings of politicians, the venality of
+biased courts, the weakness of the human heart when tempted by gold.
+More, he knows the details by which all these are made manifest in
+unjust laws, unfair verdicts and treachery to one's best friends."
+
+--_Denver Post_.
+
+
+"The political contest, the love scenes, and the character drawing
+give this story of life in the mining country great strength and
+charm."--_Pittsburg Dispatch_.
+
+
+"Western stories are always in demand, and of these William MacLeod
+Raine is the most popular and successful writer. This is an
+exceptionally entertaining book."--_Albany Times-Union_.
+
+
+_12mo. Cloth bound. Illustrated, $1.50_
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+G.W. DILLINGHAM CO., PUBLISHERS, NEW YORK
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Happy Family, by Bertha Muzzy Bower
+
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+    <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content=
+    "text/html; charset=iso-8859-1" />
+    <title>
+      The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Happy Family, by B.M. BOWER.
+    </title>
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+<pre>
+
+The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Happy Family, by Bertha Muzzy Bower
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: The Happy Family
+
+Author: Bertha Muzzy Bower
+
+Release Date: October 7, 2004 [EBook #13670]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE HAPPY FAMILY ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Suzanne Shell, Victoria Woosley and the PG Online
+Distributed Proofreading Team.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+</pre>
+
+<p class="ctr"><a href="./images/frontis.jpg"><img src="./images/frontis_th.jpg" alt="&quot;A man's plumb crazy to go round blatting all he
+knows&quot;" title="" /></a><br /><b>&quot;A man's plumb crazy to go round blatting all he knows&quot;
+</b></p>
+
+
+<h1>The Happy Family</h1>
+<h3>BY</h3>
+<h2>B.M. BOWER</h2>
+<h2>(B.M. SINCLAIR)</h2>
+<h3>AUTHOR OF<br /></h3>
+
+<p class="blkquot">&quot;Chip of the Flying U,&quot; &quot;The Range Dwellers,&quot; &quot;Her Prairie Knight,&quot;
+&quot;The Lure of the Dim Trails,&quot; &quot;The Lonesome Trail,&quot; &quot;The Long Shadow,&quot;
+Etc.<br /><br /></p>
+
+<p class="ctr">G.W. DILLINGHAM COMPANY<br /></p>
+
+<p class="ctr">PUBLISHERS NEW YORK<br /></p>
+
+<p class="ctr"><i>1907, 1909, 1910, by</i> STREET &amp; SMITH.</p>
+<p class="ctr"><i>1910, by</i> G.W. DILLINGHAM COMPANY.</p>
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h1>The Happy Family.<br />
+<br /></h1>
+
+<p class="ctr">To B.W.V.<br /></p>
+
+<p class="blkquot"><i>&quot; ...met the Ananias of the cow camp. I have knocked about
+cow camps, mining camps, railroad and telegraph camps, and
+kicked up alkali dust for many a weary mile on the desert. Yet
+wherever I went I never failed to meet him. He is part and
+parcel of every outfit.... He is indispensable, irresistible,
+and incorrigible; and while in but few cases can he be held a
+thing of beauty, he is certainly a joy forever&mdash;at least to
+those who have known his type with some degree of
+    understanding....&quot;</i><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 24em">From a letter.</span></p>
+
+<div class="ctr"><table summary="TOC" border="0" cellspacing="10" cellpadding="0">
+<colgroup><col align="left"></col><col align="right"></col></colgroup>
+<tr><th colspan="2" align="center">CONTENTS.<br /></th></tr>
+<tr><td>ANANIAS GREEN</td><td><a href="#ANANIAS_GREEN"> 7</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td>BLINK</td><td><a href="#BLINK">35</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td>MISS MARTIN'S MISSION</td><td><a href="#MISS_MARTINS_MISSION">61</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td>HAPPY JACK, WILD MAN.</td><td><a href="#HAPPY_JACK_WILD_MAN"> 90</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td>A TAMER OF WILD ONES.</td><td><a href="#A_TAMER_OF_WILD_ONES"> 118</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td>ANDY, THE LIAR</td><td><a href="#A_TAMER_OF_WILD_ONES"> 178</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td>&quot;WOLF! WOLF!&quot;</td><td><a href="#WOLF_WOLF"> 210</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td>FOOL'S GOLD</td><td><a href="#FOOLS_GOLD"> 241</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td>LORDS OF THE POTS AND PANS</td><td><a href="#LORDS_OF_THE_POTS_AND_PANS"> 269</a></td></tr>
+</table></div>
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+<h1><br /><br />The Happy Family<br /><br /></h1>
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="ANANIAS_GREEN"></a>ANANIAS GREEN</h2>
+
+<p>Pink, because he knew well the country and because Irish, who also
+knew it well, refused pointblank to go into it again even as a rep,
+rode alone except for his horses down into the range of the Rocking R.
+General roundup was about to start, down that way, and there was stock
+bought by the Flying U which ranged north of the Bear Paws.</p>
+
+<p>It so happened that the owner of the Rocking R was entertaining a
+party of friends at the ranch; it also happened that the friends were
+quite new to the West and its ways, and they were intensely interested
+in all pertaining thereto. Pink gathered that much from the crew,
+besides observing much for himself. Hence what follows after.</p>
+
+<p>Sherwood Branciforte was down in the blacksmith shop at the Rocking
+R, watching one Andy Green hammer a spur-shank straight. Andy was what
+he himself called a tamer of wild ones, and he was hard upon his
+riding gear. Sherwood had that morning watched with much admiration
+the bending of that same spur-shank, and his respect for Andy was
+beautiful to behold.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Lord, but this is a big, wild country,&quot; he was saying
+enthusiastically, &quot;and the people in it are big and&mdash;&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Wild,&quot; supplied Andy. &quot;Yes, you've just about got us sized up
+correct.&quot; He went on hammering, and humming under his breath, and
+thinking that, while admiration is all right in its time and place, it
+is sometimes a bit wearisome.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Oh, but I didn't mean that,&quot; the young man protested. &quot;What I meant
+was breezy and picturesque. Things can happen, out here. Life and men
+don't run in grooves.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No, nor horses,&quot; assented Andy. &quot;Leastways, not in oiled ones.&quot; He
+was remembering how that spur-shank had become bent.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;You did some magnificent riding, this morning. By Jove! I've never
+seen anything like it. Strange that one can come out here into a part
+of the country absolutely new and raw, and see things&mdash;&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Oh, it ain't so raw as you might think,&quot; Andy defended jealously,
+&quot;nor yet new.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Of course it is new! A commonwealth in the making. You can't,&quot; he
+asserted triumphantly, &quot;point to anything man-made that existed a
+hundred years ago; scarcely fifty, either. Your civilization is yet in
+the cradle&mdash;a lusty infant, and a&mdash;er&mdash;vociferous one, but still an
+infant in swaddling clothes.&quot; Sherwood Branciforte had given lectures
+before the Y.M.C.A. of his home town, and young ladies had spoken of
+him as &quot;gifted,&quot; and he had come to hear of it, and to believe.</p>
+
+<p>Andy Green squinted at the shank before he made reply. Andy, also, was
+&quot;gifted,&quot; in his modest Western way.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;A country that can now and then show the papers for a civilization
+old as the Phenixes of Egypt,&quot; he said, in a drawling tone that was
+absolutely convincing, &quot;ain't what I'd call raw.&quot; He decided that a
+little more hammering right next the rowel was necessary, and bent
+over the anvil solicitously. Even the self-complacency of Sherwood
+Branciforte could not fail to note his utter indifference to the
+presence and opinions of his companion. Branciforte was accustomed to
+disputation at times&mdash;even to enmity; but not to indifference. He
+blinked. &quot;My dear fellow, do you realize what it is that statement
+might seem to imply?&quot; he queried haughtily.</p>
+
+<p>Andy, being a cowpuncher of the brand known as a &quot;real,&quot; objected
+strongly both to the term and the tone. He stood up and stared down at
+the other disapprovingly. &quot;I don't as a general thing find myself
+guilty of talking in my sleep,&quot; he retorted, &quot;and I'm prepared to let
+anything I say stand till the next throw. We may be some vociferous,
+out here twixt the Mississippi and the Rockies, but we ain't no
+infant-in-the-cradle, Mister. We had civilization here when the
+Pilgrim Fathers' rock wasn't nothing but a pebble to let fly at the
+birds!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Indeed!&quot; fleered Sherwood Branciforte, in a voice which gave much
+intangible insult to one's intelligence.</p>
+
+<p>Andy clicked his teeth together, which was a symptom it were well for
+the other to recognize but did not. Then Andy smiled, which was
+another symptom. He fingered the spur absently, laid it down and
+reached, with the gesture that betrays the act as having become second
+nature, for his papers and tobacco sack.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Uh course, you mean all right, and you ain't none to blame for what
+you don't know, but you're talking wild and scattering. When you stand
+up and tell me I can't point to nothing man-made that's fifty years
+old, or a hundred, you make me feel sorry for yuh. I can take you to
+something&mdash;or I've seen something&mdash;that's older than swearing; and I
+reckon that art goes back to when men wore their hair long and a
+sheep-pelt was called ample for dress occasions.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Are you crazy, man?&quot; Sherwood Branciforte exclaimed incredulously.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Not what you can notice. You wait whilst I explain. Once last fall I
+was riding by my high lonesome away down next the river, when my horse
+went lame on me from slipping on a shale bank, and I was set afoot. Uh
+course, you being plumb ignorant of our picturesque life, you don't
+half know all that might signify to <i>imply</i>.&quot; This last in open
+imitation of Branciforte. &quot;It implies that I was in one hell of a fix,
+to put it elegant. I was sixty miles from anywhere, and them sixty
+half the time standing on end and lapping over on themselves. That
+there is down where old mama Nature gave full swing to a morbid
+hankering after doing things unconventional. Result is, that it's
+about as ungodly a mixture of nightmare scenery as this old world can
+show up; and I've ambled around considerable and am in a position to
+pass judgment.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;So there I was, and I wasn't in no mood to view the beauties uh
+nature to speak of; for instance, I didn't admire the clouds sailing
+around promiscous in the sky, nor anything like that. I was high and
+dry and the walking was about as poor as I ever seen; and my boots was
+high-heel and rubbed blisters before I'd covered a mile of that
+acrobatic territory. I wanted water, and I wanted it bad. Before I got
+it I wanted it a heap worse.&quot; He stopped, cupped his slim fingers
+around a match-blaze, and Branciforte sat closer. He did not know what
+was coming, but the manner of the indifferent narrator was compelling.
+He almost forgot the point at issue in the adventure.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Along about dark, I camped for the night under a big, bare-faced
+cliff that was about as homelike and inviting as a charitable
+institution, and made a bluff at sleeping and cussed my bum luck in a
+way that wasn't any bluff. At sun-up I rose and mooched on.&quot; His
+cigarette needed another match and he searched his pockets for one.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What about the&mdash;whatever it was you started to tell me?&quot; urged
+Branciforte, grown impatient.</p>
+
+<p>Andy looked him over calmly. &quot;You've lived in ignorance for about
+thirty years or so&mdash;giving a rough guess at your age; I reckon you can
+stand another five minutes. As I was saying, I wandered around like a
+dogy when it's first turned loose on the range and is trying to find
+the old, familiar barn-yard and the skim-milk bucket. And like the
+dogy, I didn't run across anything that looked natural or inviting.
+All that day I perambulated over them hills, and I will say I wasn't
+enjoying the stroll none. You're right when you say things can happen,
+out here. There's some things it's just as well they don't happen too
+frequent, and getting lost and afoot in the Bad-lands is one.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;That afternoon I dragged myself up to the edge of a deep coulee and
+looked over to see if there was any way of getting down. There was a
+bright green streak down there that couldn't mean nothing but water,
+at that time of year; this was last fall. And over beyond, I could see
+the river that I'd went and lost. I looked and looked, but the walls
+looked straight as a Boston's man's pedigree. And then the sun come
+out from behind a cloud and lit up a spot that made me forget for a
+minute that I was thirsty as a dog and near starved besides.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I was looking down on the ruins&mdash;and yet it was near perfect&mdash;of an
+old castle. Every stone stood out that clear and distinct I could have
+counted 'em. There was a tower at one end, partly fell to pieces but
+yet enough left to easy tell what it was. I could see it had kinda
+loop-holes in it. There was an open place where I took it the main
+entrance had used to be; what I'd call the official entrance. But
+there was other entrances besides, and some of 'em was made by time
+and hard weather. There was what looked like a
+what-you-may-call-'em&mdash;a ditch thing, yuh mind, running around my side
+of it, and a bridge business. Uh course, it was all needing repairs
+bad, and part of it yuh needed to use your imagination on. I laid
+there for quite a spell looking it over and wondering how the dickens
+it come to be way down there. It didn't look to me like it ought to be
+there at all, but in a school geography or a history where the chapter
+is on historic and prehistoric hangouts uh the heathen.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The deuce! A castle in the Bad-lands!&quot; ejaculated Branciforte.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;That's what it was, all right. I found a trail it would make a
+mountain sheep seasick to follow, and I got down into the coulee. It
+was lonesome as sin, and spooky; but there was a spring close by, and
+a creek running from it; and what is a treat in that part uh the
+country, it was good drinking and didn't have neither alkali nor
+sulphur nor mineral in it. It was just straight water, and you can
+gamble I filled up on it a-plenty. Then I shot a rabbit or two that
+was hanging out around the ruins, and camped there till next day, when
+I found a pass out, and got my bearings by the river and come on into
+camp. So when you throw slurs on our plumb newness and shininess, I've
+got the cards to call yuh. That castle wasn't built last summer,
+Mister. And whoever did build it was some civilized. So there yuh
+are.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Andy took a last, lingering pull at the cigarette stub, flung it into
+the backened forge, and picked up the spur. He settled his hat on his
+head at its accustomed don't-give-a-darn tilt, and started for the
+door and the sunlight.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Oh, but say! didn't you find out anything about it afterwards? There
+must have been something&mdash;&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;If it's relics uh the dim and musty past yuh mean, there was; relics
+to burn. I kicked up specimens of ancient dishes, and truck like that,
+while I was prowling around for fire-wood. And inside the castle, in
+what I reckon was used for the main hall, I run acrost a skeleton.
+That is, part of one. I don't believe it was all there, though.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;But, man alive, why haven't you made use of a discovery like that?&quot;
+Branciforte followed him out, lighting his pipe with fingers that
+trembled. &quot;Don't you realize what a thing like that means?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Andy turned and smiled lazily down at him. &quot;At the time I was there, I
+was all took up with the idea uh getting home. I couldn't eat
+skeletons, Mister, nor yet the remains uh prehistoric dishes. And I
+didn't run acrost no money, nor no plan marked up with crosses where
+you're supposed to do your excavating for treasure. It wasn't
+nothing, that I could see, for a man to starve to death while he
+examined it thorough. And so far as I know there ain't any record of
+it. I never heard no one mention building it, anyhow.&quot; He stooped and
+adjusted the spur to his heel to see if it were quite right, and went
+off to the stable humming under his breath.</p>
+
+<p>Branciforte stood at the door of the blacksmith shop and gazed after
+him, puffing meditatively at his pipe. &quot;Lord! the ignorance of these
+Western folk! To run upon a find like that, and to think it less
+important than getting home in time for supper. To let a discovery
+like that lie forgotten, a mere incident in a day's travel! That
+fellow thinks more, right now, about his horse going lame and himself
+raising blisters on his heels, than of&mdash;Jove, what ignorance! He&mdash;he
+couldn't <i>eat</i> the skeleton or the dishes! Jerusalem!&quot; Branciforte
+knocked his pipe gently against the door-casing, put in into his coat
+pocket and hurried to the house to hunt up the others and tell them
+what he had heard.</p>
+
+<p>That night the roundup pulled in to the home ranch.</p>
+
+<p>The visitors, headed by their host, swooped down upon the roundup
+wagons just when the boys were gathered together for a cigarette or
+two apiece and a little talk before rolling in. There was no
+night-guarding to do, and trouble winged afar. Sherwood Branciforte
+hunted out Andy Green where he lay at ease with head and shoulders
+propped against a wheel of the bed-wagon and gossipped with Pink and a
+few others.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Look here, Green,&quot; he said in a voice to arrest the attention of the
+whole camp, &quot;I wish you'd tell the others that tale you told me this
+afternoon&mdash;about that ruined castle down in the hills. Mason, here, is
+a newspaper man; he scents a story for his paper. And the rest refuse
+to believe a word I say.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I'd hate to have a rep like that, Mr. Branciforte,&quot; Andy said
+commiseratingly, and turned his big, honest gray eyes to where stood
+the women&mdash;two breezy young persons with sleeves rolled to tanned
+elbows and cowboy hats of the musical comedy brand. Also they had gay
+silk handkerchiefs knotted picturesquely around their throats. There
+was another, a giggly, gurgly lady with gray hair fluffed up into a
+pompadour. You know the sort. She was the kind who refuses to grow
+old, and so merely grows imbecile.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Do tell us, Mr. Green,&quot; this young old lady urged, displaying much
+gold by her smile. &quot;It sounds so romantic.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It's funny you never mentioned it to any of us,&quot; put in the &quot;old man&quot;
+suspiciously.</p>
+
+<p>Andy pulled himself up into a more decorous position, and turned his
+eyes towards his boss. &quot;I never knew yuh took any interest in
+relic-hunting,&quot; he explained mildly.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Sherwood says you found a <i>skeleton!</i>&quot; said the young old lady,
+shuddering pleasurably.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes, I did find one&mdash;or part of one,&quot; Andy admitted reluctantly.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What were the relics of pottery like?&quot; demanded one of the
+cowboy-hatted girls, as if she meant to test him. &quot;I do some
+collecting of that sort of thing.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Andy threw away his cigarette, and with it all compunction. &quot;Well, I
+wasn't so much interested in the dishes as in getting something to
+eat,&quot; he apologized. &quot;I saw several different kinds. One was a big,
+awkward looking thing and was pretty heavy, and had straight sides.
+Then I come across one or two more that was ornamented some. One had
+what looked like a fish on it, and the other I couldn't make out very
+well. They didn't look to be worth much, none of 'em.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Green,&quot; said his employer steadily, &quot;<i>was</i> there such a place?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Andy returned his look honestly. &quot;There was, and there is yet, I
+guess,&quot; he asserted. &quot;I'll tell you how you can find it and what it's
+like&mdash;if yuh doubt my words.&quot; He glanced around and found every man,
+including the cook, listening intently. He picked a blade of new grass
+and began splitting it into tiny threads. The host found boxes for the
+women to sit upon, and the men sat down upon the grass.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Before I come here to work, I was riding for the Circle C. One day I
+was riding away down in the Bad-lands alone and my horse slipped in
+some shale rock and went lame; strained his shoulder so I couldn't
+ride him. That put me afoot, and climbing up and down them hills I
+lost my bearings and didn't know where I was at for a day or two. I
+wandered around aimless, and got into a strip uh country that was new
+to me and plumb lonesome and wild. &quot;That second day is when I
+happened across this ruin. I was looking down into a deep, shut-in
+coulee, hunting water, when the sun come out and shone straight on to
+this place. It was right down under me; a stone ruin, with a tower on
+one end and kinda tumbled down so it wasn't so awful high&mdash;the tower
+wasn't. There was a&mdash;a&mdash;&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Moat,&quot; Branciforte suggested.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;That's the word&mdash;a moat around it, and a bridge that was just about
+gone to pieces. It had loopholes, like the pictures of castles, and
+a&mdash;&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Battlement?&quot; ventured one of the musical-comedy cowgirls.</p>
+
+<p>Andy had not meant to say battlement; of a truth, his conception of
+battlements was extremely hazy, but he caught up the word and warmed
+to the subject. &quot;Battlement? well I should guess yes! There was about
+as elegant a battlement as I'd want to see anywhere. It was sure a
+peach. It was&mdash;&quot; he hesitated for a fraction of a second. &quot;It was high
+as the tower, and it had figures carved all over it; them kind that
+looks like kid-drawing in school, with bows and arrows stuck out in
+front of 'em, threatening.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Not the old Greek!&quot; exclaimed one of the girls in a little,
+breathless voice.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I couldn't say as to that,&quot; Andy made guarded reply. &quot;I never made no
+special study of them things. But they was sure old. And&mdash;&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;About how large was the castle?&quot; put in the man who wrote things.
+&quot;How many rooms, say?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I'd hate to give a guess at the size. I didn't step it off, and I'm a
+punk guesser. The rooms I didn't count. I only explored around in the
+main hall, like, a little. But it got dark early, down in there, and I
+didn't have no matches to waste. And next morning I started right out
+at sun-up to find the way home. No, I never counted the rooms, and if
+I had, the chances are I'd have likely counted the same one more'n
+once; to count them rooms would take an expert, which I ain't&mdash;not at
+counting. I don't reckon, though, that there was so awful many.
+Anyway, not more than fifteen or twenty. But as I say, I couldn't
+rightly make a guess, even; or I'd hate to. Ruins don't interest me
+much, though I was kinda surprised to run acrost that one, all right,
+and I'm willing to gamble there was warm and exciting times down there
+when the place was in running order. I'd kinda like to have been down
+there then. Last fall, though, there wasn't nothing to get excited
+over, except getting out uh there.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;A castle away out here! Just think, good people, what that means!
+Romance, adventure and scientific discoveries! We must go right down
+there and explore the place. Why can't we start at once&mdash;in the
+morning? This gentleman can guide us to the place, and&mdash;&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It ain't easy going,&quot; Andy remarked, conscientiously. &quot;It's pretty
+rough; some places, you'd have to walk and lead your horses.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>They swept aside the discouragement.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;We'd need pick and shovels, and men to dig,&quot; cried one enthusiast.
+&quot;Uncle Peter can lend us some of his men. There may be treasure to
+unearth. There may be <i>anything</i> that is wonderful and mysterious. Get
+busy, Uncle Peter, and get your outfit together; you've boasted that a
+roundup can beat the army in getting under way quickly, now let us
+have a practical demonstration. We want to start by six o'clock&mdash;all
+of us, with a cook and four or five men to do the excavating. Bring it
+to pass!&quot; It was the voice of the girl whom her friends spoke of as
+&quot;The life of the party;&quot; the voice of the-girl-who-does-things.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It's sixty-five miles from here, good and strong&mdash;and mostly up and
+down,&quot; put in Andy.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;'Quoth the raven,'&quot; mocked the-girl-who-does-things. &quot;We are prepared
+to face the ups-and-downs. Do we start at six, Uncle Peter?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Uncle Peter glanced sideways at the roundup boss. To bring it to pass,
+he would be obliged to impress the roundup cook and part of the crew.
+It was breaking an unwritten law of the rangeland, and worse, it was
+doing something unbusiness-like and foolish. But not even the owner of
+the Rocking R may withstand the pleading of a pretty woman. Uncle
+Peter squirmed, but he promised:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;We start at six; earlier if you say so.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The roundup boss gave his employer a look of disgust and walked away;
+the crew took it that he went off to some secluded place to swear.</p>
+
+<p>Thereafter there was much discussion of ways and means, and much
+enthusiasm among the visitors from the East&mdash;equalled by the
+depression of the crew, for cowboys do not, as a rule, take kindly to
+pick and shovel, and the excavators had not yet been chosen from
+among them. They were uneasy, and they stole frequent, betraying
+glances at one another. All of which amused Pink much. Pink would like
+to have gone along, and would certainly have offered his services, but
+for the fact that his work there was done and he would have to start
+back to the Flying U just as soon as one of his best saddle horses,
+which had stepped on a broken beer bottle and cut its foot, was able
+to travel. That would be in a few days, probably. So Pink sighed and
+watched the preparations enviously.</p>
+
+<p>Since he was fairly committed into breaking all precedents, uncle
+Peter plunged recklessly. He ordered the mess-wagon to be restocked
+and prepared for the trip, and he took the bed-tent and half the crew.
+The foreman he wisely left behind with the remnant of his outfit. They
+were all to eat at the house while the mess-wagon was away, and they
+were to spread their soogans&mdash;which is to say beds&mdash;where they might,
+if the bunk-house proved too small or too hot.</p>
+
+<p>The foreman, outraged beyond words, saddled at daybreak and rode to
+the nearest town, and the unchosen half turned out in a body to watch
+the departure of the explorers, which speaks eloquently of their
+interest; for cowboys off duty are prone to sleep long.</p>
+
+<p>Andy, as guide, bolted ahead of the party that he might open the gate.
+Bolted is a good word, for his horse swerved and kept on running,
+swerved again, and came down in a heap. Andy did not get up, and the
+women screamed. Then Pink and some others hurried out and bore Andy,
+groaning, to the bunk-house.</p>
+
+<p>The visitors from the East gathered, perturbed, around the door,
+sympathetic and dismayed. It looked very much as if their exploration
+must end where it began, and the-girl-who-does-things looked about to
+weep, until Andy, still groaning, sent Pink out to comfort them.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;He says you needn't give up the trip on his account,&quot; Pink announced
+musically from the doorway. &quot;He's drawing a map and marking the coulee
+where the ruin is. He says most any of the boys that know the country
+at all can find the place for yuh. And he isn't hurt permanent; he
+strained his back so he can't ride, is all.&quot; Pink dimpled at the young
+old lady who was admiring him frankly, and withdrew.</p>
+
+<p>Inside, Andy Green was making pencil marks and giving the chosen half
+explicit directions. At last he folded the paper and handed it to one
+called Sandy.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;That's the best I can do for yuh,&quot; he finished. &quot;I don't see how yuh
+can miss it if yuh follow that map close. And if them gay females make
+any kick on the trail, you just remind 'em that I said all along it
+was rough going. So long, and good luck.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>So with high-keyed, feminine laughter and much dust, passed the
+exploring party from the Rocking R.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Say,&quot; Pink began two days later to Andy, who was sitting on the shady
+side of the bunk-house staring absently at the skyline, &quot;There's a
+word uh praise I've been aiming to give yuh. I've seen riding, and
+I've done a trifle in that line myself, and learned some uh the
+tricks. But I want to say I never did see a man flop his horse any
+neater than you done that morning. I'll bet there ain't another man in
+the outfit got next your play. I couldn't uh done it better myself.
+Where did you learn that? Ever ride in Wyoming?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Andy turned his eyes, but not his head&mdash;which was a way he had&mdash;and
+regarded Pink slantwise for at least ten seconds. &quot;Yes, I've rode in
+Wyoming,&quot; he answered quietly. Then: &quot;What's the chance for a job, up
+your way? Is the Flying U open for good men and true?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It won't cost yuh a cent to try,&quot; Pink told him. &quot;How's your back?
+Think you'll be able to ride by the time Skeeker is able to travel?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Andy, grinned. &quot;Say,&quot; he confided suddenly, &quot;if that hoss don't
+improve some speedy, I'll be riding on ahead. I reckon I'll be able to
+travel before them explorers get back, my friend.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why?&quot; dimpled Pink boldly.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why? Well, the going is some rough, down that way. If they get them
+wagons half way to the coulee marked with a cross, they'll sure have
+to attach wings onto 'em. I've been some worried about that. I don't
+much believe uncle Peter is going to enjoy that trip&mdash;and he sure does
+get irritable by spells. I've got a notion to ride for some other
+outfit, this summer.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Was that the reason you throwed your horse down and got hurt, that
+morning?&quot; questioned Pink, and Andy grinned again by way of reply.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;They'll be gone a week, best they can do,&quot; he estimated aloud. &quot;We
+ought to be able to make our getaway by then, easy.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Pink assured him that a week would see them headed for the Flying U.</p>
+
+<p>It was the evening of the sixth day, and the two were packed and ready
+to leave in the morning, when Andy broke off humming and gave a snort
+of dismay. &quot;By gracious, there they come. My mother lives in Buffalo,
+Pink, in a little drab house with white trimmings. Write and tell her
+how her son&mdash; Oh, beloved! but they're hitting her up lively. If they
+made the whole trip in that there frame uh mind, they could uh gone
+clean to Miles City and back. How pretty the birds sing! Pink, you'll
+hear words, directly.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Directly Pink did.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;You're the biggest liar on earth,&quot; Sherwood Branciforte contributed
+to the recriminating wave that near engulfed Andy Green. &quot;You sent us
+down there on a wild-goose chase, you brute. You&mdash;&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I never sent nobody,&quot; Andy defended. &quot;You was all crazy to go.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;And nothing but an old stone hut some trapper had built!&quot; came an
+indignant, female tone. &quot;There never was any castle, nor&mdash;&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;A man's home is his castle,&quot; argued Andy, standing unabashed before
+them. &quot;Putting it that way, it was a castle, all right.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>There was babel, out of which&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;And the skeleton! Oh, you&mdash;it was a dead <i>cow!</i>&quot; This from the young
+old lady, who was looking very draggled and not at all young.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I don't call to mind ever saying it was human,&quot; put in Andy, looking
+at her with surprised, gray eyes.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;And the battlements!&quot; groaned the-girl-who-does-things.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;You wanted battlements,&quot; Andy flung mildly into the uproar. &quot;I always
+aim to please.&quot; With that he edged away from them and made his escape
+to where the cook was profanely mixing biscuits for supper. All-day
+moves put an edge to his temper. The cook growled an epithet, and Andy
+passed on. Down near the stable he met one of the chosen half, and the
+fellow greeted him with a grin. Andy stopped abruptly.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Say, they don't seem none too agreeable,&quot; he began tentatively,
+jerking his thumb toward the buzzing group. &quot;How about it, Sandy? Was
+they that petulant all the way?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Sandy, the map-bearer, chuckled. &quot;It's lucky you got hurt at the last
+minute! And yet it was worth the trip. Uh course we got stalled with
+the wagons, the second day out, but them women was sure ambitious, and
+made us go on with a packadero layout. I will say that, going down,
+they stood the hardships remarkable. It was coming back that frazzled
+the party.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;And when we found the place&mdash;say, but it was lucky you wasn't along!
+They sure went hog-wild when they seen the ruins. The old party with
+the pompadoor displayed temper, and shed tears uh rage. When she
+looked into the cabin and seen the remains uh that cow-critter, there
+was language it wasn't polite to overhear. She said a lot uh things
+about you, Andy. One thing they couldn't seem to get over, and that
+was the smallness uh the blamed shack. Them fourteen or fifteen rooms
+laid heavy on their minds.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I didn't say there was fourteen or fifteen rooms. I said I didn't
+count the rooms; I didn't either. I never heard of anybody counting
+one room. Did you, Pink?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No,&quot; Pink agreed, &quot;I never did!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Sandy became suddenly convulsed. &quot;Oh, but the funniest thing was the
+ancient pottery,&quot; he gasped, the tears standing in his eyes. &quot;That old
+Dutch oven was bad enough; but when one uh the girls&mdash;that one that
+collects old dishes&mdash;happened across an old mackerel can and picked it
+up and saw the fish on the label, she was the maddest female person I
+ever saw in my life, barring none. If you'd been in reach about that
+time, she'd just about clawed your eyes out, Andy Green. Oh me, oh
+my!&quot; Sandy slapped his thigh and had another spasm.</p>
+
+<p>Sounds indicated that the wave of recrimination was rolling nearer.
+Andy turned to find himself within arm's length of Uncle Pete.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Maybe this is your idea of a practical joke, Green,&quot; he said to Andy.
+&quot;But anyway, it will cost you your job. I ought to charge you up with
+the time my outfit has spent gallivanting around the country on the
+strength of your wild yarn. The quicker you hit the trail, the better
+it will suit me. By the way, what's your first name?&quot; He asked,
+pulling out a check-book.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Andy,&quot; answered the unrepentant one.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Andy,&quot; Uncle Peter paused with a fountain pen between his fingers. He
+looked Andy up and down, and the frown left his face. He proceeded to
+write out the check, and when it was done he handed it over with a
+pleased smile.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What did you do it for, Green?&quot; he queried in a friendlier tone.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Self-defence,&quot; Andy told him laconically, and turned away.</p>
+
+<p>Half an hour later, Andy and Pink trailed out of the coulee that
+sheltered the Rocking R. When they were out and away from the fence,
+and Pink's horses, knowing instinctively that they were homeward
+bound, were jogging straight west without need of guidance, Andy felt
+in his pocket for cigarette material. His fingers came in contact with
+the check Uncle Peter had given him, and he drew it forth and looked
+it over again.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, by gracious!&quot; he said to himself. &quot;Uncle Peter thinks we're
+even, I guess.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>He handed the check to Pink and rolled his cigarette; and Pink, after
+one comprehending look at the slip of paper, doubled up over his
+saddle-horn and shouted with glee&mdash;for the check was written: &quot;Pay to
+the order of Ananias Green.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;And I've got to sign myself a liar, or I don't collect no money,&quot;
+sighed Andy. &quot;That's what I call tough luck, by gracious!&quot;</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="BLINK"></a>BLINK</h2>
+
+
+<p>The range-land was at its unpicturesque worst. For two days the wind
+had raged and ranted over the hilltops, and whooped up the long
+coulees, so that tears stood in the eyes of the Happy Family when they
+faced it; impersonal tears blown into being by the very force of the
+wind. Also, when they faced it they rode with bodies aslant over their
+saddle-horns and hats pulled low over their streaming eyes, and with
+coats fastened jealously close. If there were buttons enough, well and
+good; if not, a strap cinched tightly about the middle was considered
+pretty lucky and not to be despised. Though it was early September,
+&quot;sour-dough&quot; coats were much in evidence, for the wind had a chill way
+of searching to the very marrow&mdash;and even a good, sheepskin-lined
+&quot;sour-dough&quot; was not always protection sufficient.</p>
+
+<p>When the third day dawned bleakly, literally blown piecemeal from out
+darkness as bleak, the Happy Family rose shiveringly and with sombre
+disapproval of whatever met their blood-shot eyes; dressed hurriedly
+in the chill of flapping tent and went out to stagger drunkenly over
+to where Patsy, in the mess-tent, was trying vainly to keep the
+biscuits from becoming dust-sprinkled, and sundry pans and tins from
+taking jingling little excursions on their own account. Over the brow
+of the next ridge straggled the cavvy, tails and manes whipping in the
+gale, the nighthawk swearing so that his voice came booming down to
+camp. Truly, the day opened inauspiciously enough for almost any dire
+ending.</p>
+
+<p>As further evidence, saddling horses for circle resolved itself, as
+Weary remarked at the top of his voice to Pink, at his elbow, into &quot;a
+free-for-all broncho busting tournament.&quot; For horses have nerves, and
+nothing so rasps the nerves of man or beast as a wind that never stops
+blowing; which means swaying ropes and popping saddle leather, and
+coat-tails flapping like wet sheets on a clothes line. Horses do not
+like these things, and they are prone to eloquent manifestations of
+their disapproval.</p>
+
+<p>Over by the bed-wagon, a man they called Blink, for want of a better
+name, was fighting his big sorrel silently, with that dogged
+determination which may easily grow malevolent. The sorrel was at best
+a high-tempered, nervous beast, and what with the wind and the
+flapping of everything in sight, and the pitching of half-a-dozen
+horses around him, he was nearly crazed with fear in the abstract.</p>
+
+<p>Blink was trying to bridle him, and he was not saying a word&mdash;which,
+in the general uproar, was strange. But Blink seldom did say anything.
+He was one of the aliens who had drifted into the Flying U outfit that
+spring, looking for work. Chip had taken him on, and he had stayed. He
+could ride anything in his string, and he was always just where he was
+wanted. He never went to town when the others clattered off for a few
+hours' celebration more or less mild, he never took part in any of the
+camp fun, and he never offended any man. If any offended him they did
+not know it unless they were observant; if they were, they would see
+his pale lashes wink fast for a minute, and they might read aright the
+sign and refrain from further banter. So Blink, though he was counted
+a good man on roundup, was left pretty much alone when in camp.</p>
+
+<p>Andy Green, well and none too favorably known down Rocking R way, and
+lately adopted into the Happy Family on the recommendation of Pink and
+his own pleasing personality, looped the latigo into the holder, gave
+his own dancing steed a slap of the
+don't-try-to-run-any-whizzers-on-me variety, and went over to help out
+Blink.</p>
+
+<p>Blink eyed his approach with much the same expression with which he
+eyed the horse. &quot;I never hollered for assistance,&quot; he remarked
+grudgingly when Andy was at his elbow. &quot;When I can't handle any of the
+skates in my string, I'll quit riding and take to sheep-herding.&quot;
+Whereupon he turned his back as squarely as he might upon Andy and
+made another stealthy grab for the sorrel's ears. (There is such a
+thing in the range-land as jealousy among riders, and the fame of Andy
+Green had gone afar.)</p>
+
+<p>&quot;All right. Just as you say, and not as I care a darn,&quot; Andy retorted,
+and went back to where his own mount stood tail to the wind. He did
+not in the least mind the rebuff; he really felt all the indifference
+his manner portrayed&mdash;perhaps even more. He had offered help where
+help was needed, and that ended it for him. It never occurred to him
+that Blink might feel jealous over Andy's hard-earned reputation as a
+&quot;tamer of wild ones,&quot; or mistake his good nature for patronage.</p>
+
+<p>Five minutes later, when Chip looked around comprehensively at the lot
+of them in various degrees of readiness; saw that Blink was still
+fighting silently for mastery of the sorrel and told Andy to go over
+and help him get saddled, Andy said nothing of having had his services
+refused, but went. This time, Blink also said nothing, but accepted in
+ungracious surrender the assistance thus thrust upon him. For on the
+range-land, unless one is in a mind to roll his bed and ride away, one
+does not question when the leader commands. Andy's attitude was still
+that of indifference; he really thought very little about Blink or his
+opinions, and the rapid blinking of the pale lashes was quite lost
+upon him.</p>
+
+<p>They rode, eighteen ill-natured, uncomfortable cowboys, tumultuously
+away from the camp, where canvas bulged and swayed, and loose corners
+cracked like pistol shots, over the hill where even the short, prairie
+grass crouched and flattened itself against the sod; where stray
+pebbles, loosened by the ungentle tread of pitching hoofs, skidded
+twice as far as in calm weather. The gray sky bent threateningly
+above them, wind-torn into flying scud but never showing a hint of
+blue. Later there might be rain, sleet, snow&mdash;or sunshine, as nature
+might whimsically direct; but for the present she seemed content with
+only the chill wind that blew the very heart out of a man.</p>
+
+<p>Whenever Chip pulled up to turn off a couple of riders that they might
+search a bit of rough country, his voice was sharp with the general
+discomfort. When men rode away at his command, it was with brows drawn
+together and vengeful heels digging the short-ribs of horses in quite
+as unlovely a mood as themselves.</p>
+
+<p>Out at the end of the &quot;circle,&quot; Chip divided the remainder of his men
+into two groups for the homeward drive. One group he himself led. The
+other owned Weary as temporary commander and galloped off to the left,
+skirting close to the foothills of the Bear Paws. In that group rode
+Pink and Happy Jack, Slim, Andy Green and Blink the silent.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I betche we get a blizzard out uh this,&quot; gloomed Happy Jack, pulling
+his coat collar up another fraction of an inch. &quot;And the way Chip's
+headed us, we got to cross that big flat going back in the thick of
+it; chances is, we'll git lost.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>No one made reply to this; it seemed scarcely worth while. Every man
+of them rode humped away from the wind, his head drawn down as close
+to his shoulders as might be. Conversation under those conditions was
+not likely to become brisk.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;A fellow that'll punch cows for a living,&quot; Happy Jack asserted
+venomously after a minute, &quot;had ought to be shut up somewheres. He
+sure ain't responsible. I betche next summer don't see me at it.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Aw, shut up. We know you're feeble-minded, without you blatting it by
+the hour,&quot; snapped Pink, showing never a dimple.</p>
+
+<p>Happy Jack tugged again at his collar and made remarks, to which no
+one paid the slightest attention. They rode in amongst the hills and
+narrow ridges dividing &quot;draws&quot; as narrow, where range cattle would
+seek shelter from the cutting blast that raked the open. Then, just as
+they began to realize that the wind was not quite such a raging
+torment, came a new phase of nature's unpleasant humor.</p>
+
+<p>It was not a blizzard that descended upon them, though when it came
+rolling down from the hilltops it much resembled one. The wind had
+changed and brought fog, cold, suffocating, impenetrable. Yet such was
+the mood of them that no one said anything about it. Weary had been
+about to turn off a couple of men, but did not. What was the use,
+since they could not see twenty yards?</p>
+
+<p>For a time they rode aimlessly, Weary in the lead. Then, when it grew
+no better but worse, he pulled up, just where a high bank shut off the
+wind and a tangle of brush barred the way in front.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;We may as well camp right here till things loosen up a little,&quot; he
+said. &quot;There's no use playing blind-man's-buff any longer. We'll have
+some fire, for a change. Mama! this is sure beautiful weather!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>At that, they brightened a bit and hurriedly dismounted and hunted dry
+wood. Since they were to have a fire, the general tendency was to have
+a big one; so that when they squatted before it and held out cold,
+ungloved fingers to the warmth, the flames were leaping high into the
+fog and crackling right cheerily. It needed only a few puffs at their
+cigarettes to chase the gloom from their faces and put them in the
+mood for talk. Only Blink sat apart and stared moodily into the fire,
+his hands clasped listlessly around his knees, and to him they gave no
+attention. He was an alien, and a taciturn one at that. The Happy
+Family were accustomed to living clannishly, even on roundup, and only
+when they tacitly adopted a man, as they had adopted Pink and Irish
+and, last but not least important, Andy Green, did they take note of
+that man's mood and demand reasons for any surliness.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;If Slim would perk up and go run down a grouse or two,&quot; Pink observed
+pointedly, &quot;we'd be all right for the day. How about it, Slim?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Run 'em down yourself,&quot; Slim retorted. &quot;By golly, I ain't no lop-ear
+bird dog.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The law's out fer chickens,&quot; Happy Jack remarked dolefully.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Go on, Happy, and get us a few. You've got your howitzer buckled on,&quot;
+fleered Andy Green. Andy it was whose fertile imagination had so
+christened Happy Jack's formidable weapon.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Aw, gwan!&quot; protested Happy Jack.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Happy looks like he was out for a rep,&quot; bantered Pink. &quot;He makes me
+think uh the Bad Man in a Western play. All he needs is his hat turned
+up in front and his sleeves rolled up to his elbow, like he was
+killing hogs. Happy would make a dandy-looking outlaw, with that gun
+and that face uh his.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Say, by golly, I bet that's what he's figurin' on doing. He ain't
+going to punch cows no more&mdash;I bet he's thinking about turning out.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, when I do, you'll be the first fellow I lay for,&quot; retorted
+Happy, with labored wit.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;You never'd get a rep shooting at a target the size uh Slim,&quot; dimpled
+Pink. &quot;Is that toy cannon loaded, Happy?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I betche yuh dassen't walk off ten paces and let me show yuh,&quot;
+growled Happy.</p>
+
+<p>Pink made as if to rise, then settled back with a sigh. &quot;Ten paces is
+farther than you could drive me from this fire with a club,&quot; he said.
+&quot;And you couldn't see me, in this fog.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Say, it <i>is</i> pretty solid,&quot; said Weary, looking around him at the
+blank, gray wall. &quot;A fellow could sit right here and be a lot ignorant
+of what's going on around him. A fellow could&mdash;&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;When I was riding down in the San Simon basin,&quot; spoke up Andy,
+rolling his second cigarette daintily between his finger-tips, &quot;I had
+a kinda queer experience in a fog, once. It was thick as this one,
+and it rolled down just about as sudden and unexpected. That's a
+plenty wild patch uh country&mdash;or it was when I was there. I was riding
+for a Spanish gent that kept white men as a luxury and let the
+greasers do about all the rough work&mdash;such as killing off superfluous
+neighbors, and running brands artistic, and the like. Oh, he was a gay
+mark, all right.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;But about this other deal: I was out riding alone after a little
+bunch uh hosses, one day in the fall. I packed my gun and a pair uh
+field glasses, and every time I rode up onto a mesa I'd take a long
+look at all the lower country to save riding it. I guess I'd
+prognosticated around like that for two or three hours, when I come
+out on a little pinnacle that slopes down gradual toward a neighbor's
+home ranch&mdash;only the ranch itself was quite a ride back up the basin.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I got off my horse and set down on a rock to build me a smoke, and
+was gazing off over the country idle, when I seen a rider come up out
+of a little draw and gallop along quartering-like, to pass my pinnacle
+on the left. You know how a man out alone like that will watch
+anything, from a chicken hawk up in the air to a band uh sheep,
+without any interest in either one, but just to have your eyes on
+something that's alive and moves.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;So I watched him, idle, while I smoked. Pretty soon I seen another
+fellow ride out into sight where the first one had, and hit her up
+lively down the trail. I didn't do no wondering&mdash;I just sat and
+watched 'em both for want uh something better to do.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Finding them strays wasn't important, I s'pose?&quot; Happy Jack
+insinuated.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It could wait, and did. So I kept an eye on these gazabos, and pretty
+soon I saw the hind fellow turn off the trail and go fogging along
+behind a little rise. He come into sight again, whipping down both
+sides like he was heading a wild four-year-old; and that was queer,
+because the only other live thing in sight was man number one, and I
+didn't see no reason why he should be hurting himself to get around to
+windward like that.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Maybe it was five minutes I watched 'em: number one loping along like
+there wasn't nothing urgent and he was just merely going somewhere and
+taking his time for it, and number two quirting and spurring like
+seconds was diamonds.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I wish they was that valuable to you,&quot; hinted Pink.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;They ain't, so take it easy. Well, pretty soon they got closer
+together, and then number two unhooked something on his saddle that
+caught the light. There's where I got my field glasses into play. I
+drew a bead with 'em, and seen right off it was a gun. And I hadn't no
+more than got my brain adjusted to grasp his idea, when he puts it
+back and takes down his rope. That there,&quot; Andy added na&iuml;vely,
+&quot;promised more real interest; guns is commonplace.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I took down the glasses long enough to size up the layout. Glasses,
+you know, are mighty deceiving when it comes to relative distances,
+and a hilltop a mile back looks, through the glass, like just stepping
+over a ditch. With the naked eye I could see that they were coming
+together pretty quick, and they done so.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Number one looks back, but whether he seen number two I couldn't say;
+seemed to me like he just glanced back casual and in the wrong
+direction. Be that is it may, number two edged off a little and rode
+in behind a bunch uh mesquite&mdash;and then I seen that the trail took a
+turn, right there. So he pulled up and stood still till the other one
+had ambled past, and then he whirled out into the trail and swung his
+loop.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;When I'd got the glasses focused on 'em again, he had number one
+snared, all right, and had took his turns. The hoss he was riding&mdash;it
+was a buckskin&mdash;set back and yanked number one end over end out uh the
+saddle, and number one's hoss stampeded off through the brush. Number
+two dug in his spurs and went hell-bent off the trail and across
+country dragging the other fellow&mdash;and him bouncing over the rough
+spots something horrible.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I don't know what got the matter uh me, then; I couldn't do anything
+but sit there on my rock and watch through the glasses. Anyway, while
+they looked close enough to hit with a rock, they was off a mile or
+more. So while I could see it all I couldn't do nothing to prevent. I
+couldn't even hear number one yell&mdash;supposing he done any hollering,
+which the chances is he did a plenty. It was for all the world like
+one uh these moving pictures.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I thought it was going to be a case uh dragging to death, but it
+wasn't; it looked to me a heap worse. Number two dragged his man a
+ways&mdash;I reckon till he was plumb helpless&mdash;and then he pulled up and
+rode back to where he laid. The fellow tried to get up, and did get
+partly on his knees&mdash;and number one standing over him, watching.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What passed I don't know, not having my hearing magnified like my
+sight was. I framed it up that number two was getting his past,
+present and future read out to him&mdash;what I'd call a free life reading.
+The rope was pinning his arms down to his sides, and number two was
+taking blamed good care there wasn't any slack, so fast as he tried to
+get up he was yanked back. From first to last he never had a ghost of
+a show.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Then number two reaches back deliberate and draws his gun and
+commences shooting, and I commences hollering for him to quit it&mdash;and
+me a mile off and can't do nothing! I tell yuh right now, that was
+about the worst deal I ever went up against, to set there on that
+pinnacle and watch murder done in cold blood, and me plumb helpless.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The first shot wasn't none fatal, as I could see plainer than was
+pleasant. Looked to me like he wanted to string out the agony. It was
+a clear case uh butchery from start to finish; the damnedest,
+lowest-down act a white man could be guilty of. He empties his
+six-gun&mdash;counting the smoke-puffs&mdash;and waits a minute, watching like a
+cat does a gopher. I was sweating cold, but I kept my eyes glued to
+them glasses like a man in a nightmare.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;When he makes sure the fellow's dead, he rides alongside and flips
+off the rope, with the buckskin snorting and edging off&mdash;at the
+blood-smell, I reckon. While he's coiling his rope, calm as if he'd
+just merely roped a yearling, the buckskin gets his head, plants it
+and turns on the fireworks.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;When that hoss starts in pitching, I come alive and drop the glasses
+into their case and make a jump for my own hoss. If the Lord lets me
+come up with that devil, I aim to deal out a case uh justice on my own
+hook; I was in a right proper humor for doing him like he done the
+other fellow, and not ask no questions. Looked to me like he had it
+coming, all right.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I'd just stuck my toe in the stirrup, when down comes the fog like a
+wet blanket on everything. I couldn't see twenty feet&mdash;&quot; Andy stopped
+and reached for a burning twig to relight his cigarette. The Happy
+Family was breathing hard with the spell of the story.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Did yuh git him?&quot; Happy Jack asked hoarsely. Andy took a long puff
+at his cigarette. &quot;Well, I&mdash; Holy smoke! what's the matter with <i>you</i>,
+Blink?&quot; For Blink was leaning forward, half crouched, like a cat about
+to pounce, and was glaring fixedly at Andy with lips drawn back in a
+snarl. The Happy Family looked, then stared.</p>
+
+<p>Blink relaxed, shrugged his shoulders and grinned unmirthfully. He got
+up, pulled up his chaps with the peculiar, hitching gesture which
+comes with long practice and grows to be second nature, and stared
+back defiantly at the wondering faces lighted by the dancing flames.
+He turned his back coolly upon them and walked away to where his horse
+stood, took up the reins and stuck his toe in the stirrup, went up and
+landed in the saddle ready for anything. Then he wheeled the big
+sorrel so that he faced those at the camp-fire.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;A man's a damned fool, Andy Green, to see more than is meant for him
+to see. He's plumb crazy to go round blatting all he knows. You won't
+tell that tale again, <i>mi amigo!</i>&quot;</p>
+
+<p>There was the pop of a pistol, a puff of blue against the gray, and
+then the fog reached out and gathered Blink and the sorrel to itself.
+Only the clatter of galloping hoofs came to them from behind the damp
+curtain. Andy Green was lying on his back in the grass, his cigarette
+smoking dully in his fingers, a fast widening red streak trailing down
+from his temple.</p>
+
+<p>The Happy Family rose like a covey of frightened chickens before the
+echoes were done playing with the gun-bark. On the heels of Blink's
+shot came the crack of Happy Jack's &quot;howitzer&quot; as he fired blindly
+toward the hoof-beats. There was more shooting while they scurried to
+where their horses, snorting excitement, danced uneasily at the edge
+of the bushes. Only one man spoke, and that was Pink, who stopped just
+as he was about to swing into the saddle.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Damme for leaving my gun in camp! I'll stay with Andy. Go on&mdash;and if
+yuh don't get him, I'll&mdash;&quot; he turned back, cursing hysterically, and
+knelt beside the long figure in the grass. There was a tumult of sound
+as the three raced off in pursuit, so close that the flight of the
+fugitive was still distinct in the fog.</p>
+
+<p>While they raced they cursed the fog that shielded from their
+vengeance their quarry, and made such riding as theirs a blind gamble
+with the chances all in favor of broken bones; their only comfort the
+knowledge that Blink could see no better than could they. They did not
+talk, just at first. They did not even wonder if Andy was dead. Every
+nerve, every muscle and every thought was concentrated upon the
+pursuit of Blink. It was the instant rising to meet an occasion
+undreamed of in advance, to do the only thing possible without loss of
+a second in parley. Truly, it were ill for Blink to fall into the
+hands of those three in that mood.</p>
+
+<p>They rode with quirt and spur, guided only by the muffled
+<i>pluckety-pluck, pluckety-pluck</i> of Blink's horse fleeing always just
+before. Whenever the hoof-beats seemed a bit closer, Happy Jack would
+lift his long-barreled .45 and send a shot at random toward the sound.
+Or Weary or Slim would take a chance with their shorter guns. But
+never once did they pull rein for steep or gulley, and never once did
+the hoof-beats fail to come back to them from out the fog.</p>
+
+<p>The chase had led afar and the pace was telling on their mounts, which
+breathed asthmatically. Slim, best he could do, was falling behind.
+Weary's horse stumbled and went to his knees, so that Happy Jack
+forged ahead just when the wind, puffing up from the open, blew aside
+the gray fog-wall. It was not a minute, nor half that; but it was long
+enough for Happy Jack to see, clear and close, Blink pausing
+irresolutely upon the edge of a deep, brush-filled gulley. Happy Jack
+gave a hoarse croak of triumph and fired, just as the fog-curtain
+swayed back maddeningly. Happy Jack nearly wept with pure rage. Weary
+and Slim came up, and together they galloped to the place, riding by
+instinct of direction, for there was no longer any sound to guide.</p>
+
+<p>Ten minutes they spent searching the gulley's edge. Then they saw
+dimly, twenty feet below, a huddled object half-hidden in the brush.
+They climbed down none too warily, though they knew well what might be
+lying, venomous as a coiled rattler, in wait for them below. Slipping
+and sliding in the fog-dampened grass, they reached the spot, to find
+the big sorrel crumpled there, dead. They searched anxiously and
+futilely for more, but Blink was not there, nor was there anything to
+show that he had ever been there. Then not fear, perhaps, but caution,
+came to Happy Jack.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Aw, say! he's got away on us&mdash;the skunk! He's down there in the
+brush, somewheres, waiting for somebody to go in and drag him out by
+the ear. I betche he's laying low, right now, waiting for a chance to
+pot-shot us. We better git back out uh this.&quot; He edged away, his eyes
+on the thicket just below. To ride in there was impossible, even to
+the Happy Family in whole or in part. To go in afoot was not at all to
+the liking of Happy Jack.</p>
+
+<p>Slim gave a comprehensive, round-eyed stare at the unpromising
+surroundings, and followed Happy Jack. &quot;By golly, that's right. Yuh
+don't git me into no hole like that,&quot; he assented.</p>
+
+<p>Weary, foolhardy to the last, stayed longest; but even Weary could not
+but admit that the case was hopeless. The brush was thick and filled
+the gully, probably from end to end. Riding through it was impossible,
+and hunting it through on foot would be nothing but suicide, with a
+man like Blink hidden away in its depths. They climbed back to the
+rim, remounted and rode, as straight as might be, for the camp-fire
+and what lay beside, with Pink on guard.</p>
+
+<p>It was near noon when, through the lightening fog, they reached the
+place and discovered that Andy, though unconscious, was not dead. They
+found, upon examination of his hurt, that the bullet had ploughed
+along the side of his head above his ear; but just how serious it
+might be they did not know. Pink, having a fresh horse and aching for
+action, mounted and rode in much haste to camp, that the bed-wagon
+might be brought out to take Andy in to the ranch and the
+ministrations of the Little Doctor. Also, he must notify the crew and
+get them out searching for Blink.</p>
+
+<p>All that night and the next day the cowboys rode, and the next. They
+raked the foothills, gulley by gulley, their purpose grim. It would
+probably be a case of shoot-on-sight with them, and nothing saved
+Blink save the all-important fact that never once did any man of the
+Flying U gain sight of him. He had vanished completely after that
+fleeting glimpse Happy Jack had gained, and in the end the Flying U
+was compelled to own defeat.</p>
+
+<p>Upon one point they congratulated themselves: Andy, bandaged as he
+was, had escaped with a furrow ploughed through the scalp, though it
+was not the fault of Blink that he was alive and able to discuss the
+affair with the others&mdash;more exactly, to answer the questions they
+fired at him.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Didn't you recognize him as being the murderer?&quot; Weary asked him
+curiously.</p>
+
+<p>Andy moved uneasily on his bed. &quot;No, I didn't. By gracious, you must
+think I'm a plumb fool!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, yuh sure hit the mark, whether yuh meant to or not,&quot; Pink
+asserted. &quot;He was the jasper, all right. Look how he was glaring at
+yuh while you were telling about it. <i>He</i> knew he was the party, and
+having a guilty conscience, he naturally supposed yuh recognized him
+from the start.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, I didn't,&quot; snapped Andy ungraciously, and they put it down to
+the peevishness of invalidism and overlooked the tone.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Chip has given his description in to the sheriff,&quot; soothed Weary,
+&quot;and if he gets off he's sure a good one. And I heard that the sheriff
+wired down to the San Simon country and told 'em their man was up
+here. Mama! What bad breaks a man will make when he's on the dodge! If
+Blink had kept his face closed and acted normal, nobody would have got
+next. Andy didn't know he was the fellow that done it. But it sure was
+queer, the way the play come up. Wasn't it, Andy?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Andy merely grunted. He did not like to dwell upon the subject, and he
+showed it plainly.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;By golly! he must sure have had it in for that fellow,&quot; mused Slim
+ponderously, &quot;to kill him the way Andy says he did. By golly, yuh
+can't wonder his eyes stuck out when he heard Andy telling us all
+about it!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I betche he lays for Andy yet, and gits him,&quot; predicted Happy Jack
+felicitously. &quot;He won't rest whilst an eye-witness is running around
+loose. I betche he's cached in the hills right now, watching his
+chance.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Oh, go to hell, the whole lot of yuh!&quot; flared Andy, rising to an
+elbow. &quot;What the dickens are yuh roosting around here for? Why don't
+yuh go on out to camp where yuh belong? You're a nice bunch to set
+around comforting the sick! <i>Vamos</i>, darn yuh!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Whereupon they took the hint and departed, assuring Andy, by way of
+farewell, that he was an unappreciative cuss and didn't deserve any
+sympathy or sick-calls. They also condoled openly with Pink because he
+had been detailed as nurse, and advised him to sit right down on Andy
+if he got too sassy and haughty over being shot up by a real outlaw.
+They said that any fool could build himself a bunch of trouble with a
+homicidal lunatic like Blink, and it wasn't anything to get vain
+over.</p>
+
+<p>Pink slammed the door upon their jibes and offered Andy a cigarette he
+had just rolled; not that Andy was too sick to roll his own, but
+because Pink was notably soft-hearted toward a sick man and was prone
+to indulge himself in trifling attentions.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yuh don't want to mind that bunch,&quot; he placated. &quot;They mean all
+right, but they just can't help joshing a man to death.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Andy accepted also a light for the cigarette, and smoked moodily. &quot;It
+ain't their joshing,&quot; he explained after a minute &quot;It's puzzling over
+what I can't understand that gets on my nerves. I can't see through
+the thing, Pink, no way I look at it.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Looks plain enough to me,&quot; Pink answered. &quot;Uh course, it's funny
+Blink should be the man, and be setting there listening&mdash;&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes, but darn it all, Pink, there's a funnier side to it than that,
+and it's near driving me crazy trying to figure it out. Yuh needn't
+tell anybody, Pink, but it's like this: I was just merely and simply
+romancing when I told that there blood-curdling tale! I never was
+south uh the Wyoming line except when I was riding in a circus and
+toured through, and that's the truth. I never was down in the San
+Simon basin. I never set on no pinnacle with no field glasses&mdash;&quot; Andy
+stopped short his labored confession to gaze, with deep disgust, upon
+Pink's convulsed figure. &quot;Well,&quot; he snapped, settling back on the
+pillow, &quot;<i>laugh</i>, darn yuh! and show your ignorance! By gracious, I
+wish <i>I</i> could see the joke!&quot; He reached up gingerly and readjusted
+the bandage on his head, eyed Pink sourly a moment, and with a grunt
+eloquent of the mood he was in turned his face to the wall.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="MISS_MARTINS_MISSION"></a>MISS MARTIN'S MISSION</h2>
+
+
+<p>When Andy Green, fresh-combed and shining with soap and towel polish,
+walked into the dining-room of the Dry Lake Hotel, he felt not the
+slightest premonition of what was about to befall. His chief sensation
+was the hunger which comes of early rising and of many hours spent in
+the open, and beyond that he was hoping that the Chinaman cook had
+made some meat-pie, like he had the week before. His eyes, searching
+unobtrusively the long table bearing the unmistakable signs of many
+other hungry men gone before&mdash;for Andy was late&mdash;failed to warn him.
+He pulled out his chair and sat down, still looking for meat-pie.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Good after<i>noon!</i>&quot; cried an eager, feminine voice just across the
+table.</p>
+
+<p>Andy started guiltily. He had been dimly aware that some one was
+sitting there, but, being occupied with other things, had not given a
+thought to the sitter, or a glance. Now he did both while he said
+good afternoon with perfunctory politeness.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Such a <i>beau</i>tiful day, isn't it? <i>so</i> invigorating, like rare, old
+wine!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Andy assented somewhat dubiously; it had never just struck him that
+way; he thought fleetingly that perhaps it was because he had never
+come across any rare, old wine. He ventured another glance. She was
+not young, and she wore glasses, behind which twinkled very bright
+eyes of a shade of brown. She had unpleasantly regular hair waves on
+her temples, and underneath the waves showed streaks of gray. Also,
+she wore a black silk waist, and somebody's picture made into a brooch
+at her throat. Further, Andy dared not observe. It was enough for one
+glance. He looked again for the much-desired meat-pie.</p>
+
+<p>The strange lady ingratiatingly passed him the bread. &quot;You're a
+cowboy, aren't you?&quot; was the disconcerting question that accompanied
+the bread.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, I&mdash;er&mdash;I punch cows,&quot; he admitted guardedly, his gaze elsewhere
+than on her face.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I <i>knew</i> you were a cowboy, the moment you entered the door! I could
+tell by the tan and the straight, elastic walk, and the silk
+handkerchief knotted around your throat in that picturesque fashion.
+(Oh, I'm older than you, and dare speak as I think!) I've read a great
+deal about cowboys, and I do admire you all as a type of free,
+great-hearted, noble manhood!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Andy looked exactly as if someone had caught him at something
+exceedingly foolish. He tried to sugar his coffee calmly, and so sent
+it sloshing all over the saucer.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Do you live near here?&quot; she asked next, beaming upon him in the
+orthodox, motherly fashion.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes, ma'am, not very near,&quot; he was betrayed into saying&mdash;and she
+might make what she could of it. He had not said &quot;ma'am&quot; before since
+he had gone to school.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Oh, I've heard how you Western folks measure distances,&quot; she teased.
+&quot;About how many miles?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;About twenty.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I suppose that is not far, to you knights of the plains. At home it
+would be called a <i>dreadfully</i> long journey. Why, I have known numbers
+of old men and women who have never been so far from their own doors
+in their lives! What would you think, I wonder, of their little forty
+acre farms?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Andy had been brought to his sixteenth tumultuous birthday on a
+half-acre in the edge of a good-sized town, but he did not say so. He
+shook his head vaguely and said he didn't know. Andy Green, however,
+was not famous for clinging ever to the truth.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;You out here in this great, wide, free land, with the free winds ever
+blowing and the clouds&mdash;&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Will you pass the butter, please?&quot; Andy hated to interrupt, but he
+was hungry.</p>
+
+<p>The strange lady passed the butter and sent with it a smile. &quot;I have
+read and heard so much about this wild, free life, and my heart has
+gone out to the noble fellows living their lonely life with their
+cattle and their faithful dogs, lying beside their camp-fires at night
+while the stars stood guard&mdash;&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Andy forgot his personal embarrassment and began to perk up his ears.
+This was growing interesting.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;&mdash;And I have felt how lonely they must be, with their rude fare and
+few pleasures, and what a field there must be among them for a great
+and noble work; to uplift them and bring into their lonely lives a
+broader, deeper meaning; to help them to help themselves to be
+better, nobler men and women&mdash;&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;We don't have any lady cowpunchers out here,&quot; interposed Andy mildly.</p>
+
+<p>The strange lady had merely gone astray a bit, being accustomed to
+addressing Mothers' Meetings and the like. She recovered herself
+easily. &quot;Nobler men, the bulwarks of our nation.&quot; She stopped and eyed
+Andy archly. Andy, having observed that her neck was scrawny, with
+certain cords down the sides that moved unpleasantly when she talked,
+tried not to look.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I wonder if you can guess what brings me out here, away from home and
+friends! Can you guess?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Andy thought of several things, but he could not feel that it would be
+polite to mention them. Agent for complexion stuff, for instance, and
+next to that, wanting a husband. He shook his head again and looked at
+his potato.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;You <i>can't guess</i>?&quot; The tone was the one commonly employed for the
+encouragement, and consequent demoralization of, a primary class. Andy
+realized that he was being talked down to, and his combativeness
+awoke. &quot;Well, away back in my home town, a woman's club has been
+thinking of all you lonely fellows, and have felt their hearts swell
+with a desire to help you&mdash;so far from home and mother's influence,
+with only the coarse pleasures of the West, and amid all the
+temptations that lie in wait&mdash;&quot; She caught herself back from
+speech-making&mdash;&quot;and they have sent <i>me</i>&mdash;away out here&mdash;to be your
+<i>friend</i>; to help you to help yourselves become better, truer men
+and&mdash;&quot; She did not say women, though, poor soul, she came near it.
+&quot;So, I am going to be your friend. I want to get in touch with you
+all, first; to win your confidence and teach you to look upon me in
+the light of a mother. Then, when I have won your confidence, I want
+to organize a Cowboys' Mutual Improvement and Social Society, to help
+you in the way of self-improvement and to resist the snares laid for
+homeless boys like you. Don't you think I'm very&mdash;<i>brave</i>?&quot; She was
+smiling at him again, leaning back in her chair and regarding him
+playfully over her glasses.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;You sure are,&quot; Andy assented, deliberately refraining from saying
+&quot;yes, ma'am,&quot; as had been his impulse.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;To come away out here&mdash;<i>all alone</i>&mdash;among all you wild cowboys with
+your guns buckled on and your wicked little mustangs&mdash;Are you sure you
+won't shoot me?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Andy eyed her pityingly. If she meant it, he thought, she certainly
+was wabbly in her mind. If she thought that was the only kind of talk
+he could savvy, then she was a blamed idiot; either way, he felt
+antagonistic. &quot;The law shall be respected in your case,&quot; he told her,
+very gravely.</p>
+
+<p>She smiled almost as if she could see the joke; after which she became
+twitteringly, eagerly in earnest. &quot;Since you live near here, you must
+know the Whitmores. Miss Whitmore came out here, two or three years
+ago, and married her brother's coachman, I believe&mdash;though I've heard
+conflicting stories about it; some have said he was an artist, and
+others that he was a jockey, or horse-trainer. I heard too that he was
+a cowboy; but Miss Whitmore certainly wrote about this young man
+driving her brother's carriage. However, she is married and I have a
+letter of introduction to her. The president of our club used to be a
+schoolmate of her mother. I shall stop with them&mdash;I have heard so much
+about the Western hospitality&mdash;and shall get into touch with my
+cowboys from the vantage point of proximity. Did you say you know
+them?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I work for them,&quot; Andy told her truthfully in his deep amazement, and
+immediately repented and wished that he had not been so virtuous. With
+Andy, to wish was to do&mdash;given the opportunity.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Then I can go with you out to their farm&mdash;ranchero! How nice! And on
+the way you can tell me all about yourself and your life and
+hopes&mdash;because I do want to get in touch with you all, you know&mdash;and
+I'll tell you all my plans for you; I have some <i>beau</i>tiful plans! And
+we'll be very good friends by the time we reach our destination, I'm
+sure. I want you to feel from the start that I am a true friend, and
+that I have your welfare very much at heart. Without the confidence of
+my cowboys, I can do nothing. Are there any more at home like you?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Andy looked at her suspiciously, but it was so evident she never meant
+to quote comic opera, that he merely wondered anew. He struggled
+feebly against temptation, and fell from grace quite willingly. It
+isn't polite to &quot;throw a load&quot; at a lady, but then Andy felt that
+neither was it polite for a lady to come out with the avowed intention
+of improving him and his fellows; it looked to him like butting in
+where she was not wanted, or needed.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes, ma'am, there's quite a bunch, and they're pretty bad. I don't
+believe you can do much for 'em.&quot; He spoke regretfully.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Do they&mdash;<i>drink</i>?&quot; she asked, leaning forward and speaking in the
+hushed voice with which some women approach a tabooed subject.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes ma'am, they do. They're hard drinkers. And they&quot;&mdash;he eyed her
+speculatively, trying to guess the worst sins in her category&mdash;&quot;they
+play cards&mdash;gamble&mdash;and swear, and smoke cigarettes and&mdash;&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;All the more need of someone to help them overcome,&quot; she decided
+solemnly. &quot;What you need is a coffee-house and reading room here, so
+that the young men will have some place to go other than the saloons.
+I shall see to that right away. And with the Mutual Improvement and
+Social Society organized and working smoothly, and a library of
+standard works for recreation, together with earnest personal efforts
+to promote temperance and clean-living, I feel that a <i>wonderful</i> work
+can be done. I saw you drive into town, so I know you can take me out
+with you; I hope you are going to start soon. I feel very impatient
+to reach the field and put my sickle to the harvest.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Andy mentally threw up his hands before this unshakable person. He had
+meant to tell her that he had come on horseback, but she had
+forestalled him. He had meant to discourage her&mdash;head her off, he
+called it to himself. But there seemed no way of doing it. He pushed
+back his chair and rose, though he had not tasted his pie, and it was
+lemon pie at that. He had some faint notion of hurrying out of town
+and home before she could have time to get ready; but she followed him
+to the door and chirped over his shoulder that it wouldn't take her
+two minutes to put on her wraps. Andy groaned.</p>
+
+<p>He tried&mdash;or started to try&mdash;holding out at Rusty Brown's till she
+gave up in despair; but it occurred to him that Chip had asked him to
+hurry back. Andy groaned again, and got the team.</p>
+
+<p>She did not wait for him to drive around to the hotel for her;
+possibly she suspected his intentions. At any rate, she came nipping
+down the street toward the stable just as he was hooking the last
+trace, and she was all ready and had a load of bags and bundles.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I'm not going to begin by making trouble for you,&quot; she twittered. &quot;I
+thought I could just as well come down here to the wagon as have you
+drive back to the hotel. And my trunk did not come on the train with
+me, so I'm all ready.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Andy, having nothing in mind that he dared say to a lady, helped her
+into the wagon.</p>
+
+<p>At sundown or thereabouts&mdash;for the days were short and he had a load
+of various things besides care&mdash;Andy let himself wearily into the
+bunk-house where was assembled the Happy Family. He merely grunted
+when they spoke to him, and threw himself heavily down upon his bunk.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;For Heaven's sake, somebody roll me a cigarette! I'm too wore out to
+do a thing, and I haven't had a smoke since dinner,&quot; he groaned, after
+a minute.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Sick?&quot; asked Pink solicitously.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Sick as a dog! water, water!&quot; moaned Andy. All at once he rolled over
+upon his face and shook with laughter more than a little hysterical,
+and to the questioning of the Happy Family gave no answer but howls.
+The Happy Family began to look at one another uneasily.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Aw, let up!&quot; Happy Jack bellowed. &quot;You give a man the creeps just to
+listen at yuh.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I'm going to empty the water-bucket over yuh in a minute,&quot; Pink
+threatened, &quot;Go get it, Cal; it's half full.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Andy knew well the metal of which the Happy Family was made, and the
+night was cool for a ducking. He rolled back so that they could see
+his face, and struggled for calm. In a minute he sat up and merely
+gurgled.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, say, I had to do something or die,&quot; he explained, gasping.
+&quot;I've gone through a heap, the last few hours, and I was right where I
+couldn't do a thing. By gracious, I struck the ranch about as near
+bug-house as a man can get and recover. Where's a cigarette?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What you've gone through&mdash;and I don't give a cuss what it is&mdash;ain't a
+marker for what's going to happen if yuh don't loosen up on the
+history,&quot; said Jack Bates firmly.</p>
+
+<p>Andy smoked hungrily while he surveyed the lot. &quot;How calm and innocent
+yuh all look,&quot; he observed musingly, &quot;with your hats on and saying
+words that's rude, and smoking the vile weed regardless, never
+dreaming what's going to drop, pretty soon quick. Yuh make me think
+of a hymn-song my step-mother used to sing a lot, about 'They dreamed
+not of danger, those sinners of old, whom&mdash;&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Hand me the water bucket,&quot; directed Pink musically.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Oh, well&mdash;take it from the shoulder, then; I was only trying to lead
+up to it gradual, but yuh <i>will</i> have it raw. You poor, dear cowboys,
+that live your lonely lives watching over your cattle with your
+<i>faithful dogs</i> and the stars for company, you're going to be
+<i>improved</i>. (You'll sure stand a lot of it, too!) A woman's relief
+club back East has felt the burden of your no-accountness and general
+orneriness, and has sent one of its leading members out here to reform
+yuh. You're going to be hazed into a Cowboys' Mutual Improvement and
+Social Society, and quit smoking cigarettes and cussing your hosses
+and laying over Rusty's bar when yuh ride into town; and for pleasure
+and recreation you're going to read Tennyson's poems, and when yuh get
+caught out in a blizzard yuh'll be heeled with Whittier's <i>Snowbound</i>,
+pocket edition. Emerson and Browning and Shakespeare and Gatty&quot; (Andy
+misquoted; he meant Goethe) &quot;and all them stiffs is going to be set
+before yuh regular and in your mind constant, purging it of unclean
+thoughts, and grammar is going to be learnt yuh as a side-line. Yuh&mdash;&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Mama mine,&quot; broke in Weary. &quot;I have thought sometimes, when Andy
+broke loose with that imagination uh his, that he'd gone the limit;
+but next time he always raises the limit out uh sight. He's like the
+Good Book says: he's prone to lie as the sparks fly-upward.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Andy gazed belligerently at the skeptical group. &quot;I brought her out
+from town,&quot; he said doggedly, &quot;and whilst I own up to having an
+imagination, she's stranger than fiction. She'd make the fellow that
+wrote &quot;She&quot; lay down with a headache. She's come out here to help us
+cowboys live nobler, better lives. She's going to learn yuh Browning,
+darn yuh! and Emerson and Gatty. She said so. She's going to fill your
+hearts with love for dumb creatures, so when yuh get set afoot out on
+the range, or anything like that, yuh won't put in your time cussing
+the miles between you and camp; you'll have a pocket edition of 'Much
+Ado About Nothing' to read, or the speech Mark Anthony made when he
+was running for office. Or supposing yuh left 'em all in camp, yuh'll
+study nature.</p>
+
+<p>There's sermons in stones, she says. She's going to send for a pocket
+library that can easy be took on roundup&mdash;&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Say, I guess that's about enough,&quot; interrupted Pink restlessly. &quot;We
+all admit you're the biggest liar that ever come West of the
+Mississippi, without you laying it on any deeper.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Whereupon Andy rose in wrath and made a suggestive movement with his
+fist. &quot;If I was romancing,&quot; he declared indignantly, &quot;I'd do a
+smoother job; when I do lie, I notice yuh all believe it&mdash;till yuh
+find out different. And by gracious yuh might do as much when I'm
+telling the truth! Go up to the White House and see, darn yuh! If yuh
+don't find Miss Verbena Martin up there telling the Little Doctor how
+her heart goes out to her dear cowboys and how she's going to get in
+touch with 'em and help 'em lead nobler, better lives, you can kick me
+all round the yard. And I hope, by gracious, she <i>does</i> improve yuh!
+Yuh sure do need it a lot.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The Happy Family discussed the tale freely and without regard for the
+feelings of Andy; they even became heated and impolite, and they made
+threats. They said that a liar like him ought to be lynched or gagged,
+and that he was a disgrace to the outfit. In the end, however, they
+decided to go and see, just to prove to Andy that they knew he lied.
+And though it was settled that Weary and Pink should be the
+investigating committee, by the time they were halfway to the White
+House they had the whole Happy Family trailing at their heels. A light
+snow had begun to fall since dark, and they hunched their shoulders
+against it as they went. Grouped uncomfortably just outside the circle
+of light cast through the unshaded window, they gazed silently in upon
+Chip and the Little Doctor and J.G. Whitmore, and upon one other; a
+strange lady in a black silk shirtwaist and a gold watch suspended
+from her neck by a chaste, black silken cord; a strange lady with
+symmetrical waves in her hair and gray on her temples, and with
+glasses and an eager way of speaking.</p>
+
+<p>She was talking very rapidly and animatedly, and the others were
+listening and stealing glances now and then at one another. Once,
+while they watched, the Little Doctor looked at Chip and then turned
+her face toward the window. She was biting her lips in the way the
+Happy Family had learned to recognize as a great desire to laugh. It
+all looked suspicious and corroborative of Andy's story, and the
+Happy Family shifted their feet uneasily in the loose snow.</p>
+
+<p>They watched, and saw the strange lady clasp her hands together and
+lean forward, and where her voice had before come to them with no
+words which they could catch distinctly, they heard her say something
+quite clearly in her enthusiasm: &quot;Eight real cowboys <i>here</i>, almost
+within reach! I must see them before I sleep! I must get in touch with
+them at once, and show them that I am a true friend. Come, Mrs.
+Bennett! Won't you take me where they are and let me meet my boys? for
+they <i>are</i> mine in spirit; my heart goes out to them&mdash;&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The Happy Family waited to hear no more, but went straightway back
+whence they had come, and their going savored of flight.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Mama mine! she's coming down to the bunkhouse!&quot; said Weary under his
+breath, and glanced back over his shoulder at the White House bulking
+large in the night. &quot;Let's go on down to the stable and roost in the
+hay a while.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;She'll out-wind us, and be right there waiting when we come back,&quot;
+objected Andy, with the wisdom gained from his brief acquaintance with
+the lady. &quot;If she's made up her mind to call on us, there's no way
+under Heaven to head her off.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>They halted by the bunk-house door, undecided whether to go in or to
+stay out in the open.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;By golly, she don't improve <i>me</i>!&quot; Slim asserted pettishly. &quot;I hate
+books like strychnine, and, by golly, she can't make me read 'em,
+neither.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;If there's anything I do despise it's po'try,&quot; groaned Cal Emmett.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Emerson and Browning and Shakespeare and <i>Gatty</i>,&quot; named Andy
+gloomily.</p>
+
+<p>Whereat Pink suddenly pushed open the door and went in as goes one who
+knows exactly what he is about to do. They followed him distressfully
+and silently. Pink went immediately to his bunk and began pulling off
+his boots.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I'm going to bed,&quot; he told them. &quot;You fellows can stay up and
+entertain her if yuh want to&mdash;<i>I</i> won't!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>They caught the idea and disrobed hastily, though the evening was
+young. Irish blew out the lamp and dove under the blankets just as
+voices came faintly from up the hill, so that when Chip rapped a
+warning with his knuckles on the door, there was no sound within save
+an artificial snore from the corner where lay Pink. Chip was not in
+the habit of knocking before he entered, but he repeated the summons
+with emphasis.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Who's there-e?&quot; drawled sleepily a voice&mdash;the voice of Weary.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Oh, I do believe they've retired!&quot; came, in a perturbed feminine
+tone, to the listening ears of the Happy Family.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Gone to bed?&quot; cried Chip gravely.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Hours ago,&quot; lied Andy fluently. &quot;We're plumb wore out. What's
+happened?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Oh, don't disturb the poor fellows! They're tired and need their
+rest,&quot; came the perturbed tone again. After that the voices and the
+footsteps went up the hill again, and the Happy Family breathed freer.
+Incidentally, Pink stopped snoring and made a cigarette.</p>
+
+<p>Going to bed at seven-thirty or thereabouts was not the custom of the
+Happy Family, but they stayed under the covers and smoked and
+discussed the situation. They dared not have a light, and the night
+was longer than they had ever known a night to be, for it was late
+before they slept. It was well that Miss Verbena Martin could not
+overhear their talk, which was unchivalrous and unfriendly in the
+extreme. The general opinion seemed to be that old maid improvers
+would better stay at home where they might possibly be welcome, and
+that when the Happy Family wanted improving they would let her know.
+Cal Emmett said that he wouldn't mind, if they had only sent a young,
+pretty one. Happy Jack prophesied plenty of trouble, and boasted that
+she couldn't haul <i>him</i> into no s'ciety. Slim declared again that by
+golly, she wouldn't do no improving on <i>him</i>, and the others&mdash;Weary
+and Irish and Pink and Jack Bates and Andy&mdash;discussed ways and means
+and failed always to agree. When each one hoots derision at all plans
+but his own, it is easy guessing what will be the result. In this
+particular instance the result was voices raised in argument&mdash;voices
+that reached Chip, grinning and listening on the porch of the White
+House&mdash;and tardy slumber overtaking a disgruntled Happy Family on the
+brink of violence.</p>
+
+<p>It was not a particularly happy Family that woke to memory and a snowy
+Sunday; woke late, because of the disturbing evening. When they spoke
+to one another their voices were but growls, and when they trailed
+through the snow to their breakfast they went in moody silence.</p>
+
+<p>They had just brightened a bit before Patsy's Sunday breakfast, which
+included hot-cakes and maple syrup, when the door was pushed quietly
+open and the Little Doctor came in, followed closely by Miss Martin;
+an apologetic Little Doctor, who seemed, by her very manner of
+entering, to implore them not to blame <i>her</i> for the intrusion. Miss
+Martin was not apologetic. She was disconcertingly eager and glad to
+meet them, and pathetically anxious to win their favor.</p>
+
+<p>Miss Martin talked, and the Happy Family ate hurriedly and with
+lowered eyelids. Miss Martin asked questions, and the Happy Family
+kicked one another's shins under the table by way of urging someone to
+reply; for this reason there was a quite perceptible pause between
+question and answer, and the answer was invariably &quot;the soul of
+wit&quot;&mdash;according to that famous recipe. Miss Martin told them naively
+all about her hopes and her plans and herself, and about the distant
+woman's club that took so great an interest in their welfare, and the
+Happy Family listened dejectedly and tried to be polite. Also, they
+did not relish the hot-cakes as usual, and Patsy had half the batter
+left when the meal was over, instead of being obliged to mix more, as
+was usually the case.</p>
+
+<p>When they had eaten, the Happy Family filed out decorously and went
+hastily down to the stables. They did not say much, but they did
+glance over their shoulders uneasily once or twice.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The old girl is sure hot on our trail,&quot; Pink remarked when they were
+safely through the big gate. &quot;She must uh got us mixed up with some
+Wild West show, in her mind. Josephine!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, by golly, she don't improve <i>me</i>,&quot; Slim repeated for about the
+tenth time.</p>
+
+<p>The horses were all fed and everything tidy for the day, and several
+saddles were being hauled down significantly from their pegs, when
+Irish delivered himself of a speech, short but to the point. Irish had
+been very quiet and had taken no part in the discussion that had waxed
+hot all that morning.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Now, see here,&quot; he said in his decided way. &quot;Maybe it didn't strike
+you as anything but funny&mdash;which it sure is. But yuh want to remember
+that the old girl has come a dickens of a long ways to do us some
+good. She's been laying awake nights thinking about how we'll get to
+calling her something nice: Angel of the Roundup, maybe&mdash;you can't
+tell, she's that romantic. And right here is where I'm going to give
+the old girl the worth of her money. It won't hurt <i>us</i>, letting her
+talk wild and foolish at us once a week, maybe; and the poor old
+thing'll just be tickled to death thinking what a lot uh good she's
+doing. She won't stay long, and&mdash;well, I go in. If she'll feel better
+and more good to the world improving me, she's got my permission. I
+guess I can stand it a while.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The Happy Family looked at him queerly, for if there was a black sheep
+in the flock, Irish was certainly the man; and to have Irish take the
+stand he did was, to say the least, unexpected.</p>
+
+<p>Cal Emmett blurted the real cause of their astonishment. &quot;You'll have
+to sign the pledge, first pass,&quot; he said. &quot;That's going to be the ante
+in <i>her</i> game. How&mdash;&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, I don't play nobody's hand, or stake anybody's chips, but my
+own,&quot; Irish retorted, the blood showing under the tan on his cheeks.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;And we won't das't roll a cigarette, even, by golly!&quot; reminded Slim.
+For Miss Martin, whether intentionally or not, had made plain to them
+the platform of the new society.</p>
+
+<p>Irish got some deep creases between his eyebrows, and put back his
+saddle. &quot;You can do as yuh like,&quot; he said, coldly. &quot;I'm going to stay
+and go to meeting this afternoon, according to her invite. If it's
+going to make that poor old freak feel any better thinking she's a
+real missionary&mdash;&quot; He turned and walked out of the stable without
+finishing the sentence, and the Happy Family stood quite still and
+watched him go.</p>
+
+<p>Pink it was who first spoke. &quot;I ain't the boy to let any long-legged
+son-of-a-gun like Irish hit a gait I can't follow,&quot; he dimpled, and
+took the saddle reluctantly off Toots. &quot;If he can stand it, I guess I
+can.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Weary loosened his latigo. &quot;If Cadwolloper is going to learn poetry, I
+will, too,&quot; he grinned. &quot;Mama! it'll be good as a three-ringed circus!
+I never thought uh that, before. I couldn't miss it.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Oh, well, if you fellows take a hand, I'll sure have to be there to
+see,&quot; Andy decided. &quot;Two o'clock, did she say?&quot;</p>
+
+<hr  />
+
+<p>&quot;I hate to be called a quitter,&quot; Pink remarked dispiritedly to the
+Happy Family in general; a harassed looking Happy Family, which sat
+around and said little, and watched the clock. In an hour they would
+be due to attend the second meeting of the M.I.S.S.&mdash;and one would
+think, from the look of them, that they were about to be hanged. &quot;I
+hate to be called a quitter, but right here's where I lay 'em down.
+The rest of yuh can go on being improved, if yuh want to&mdash;darned if I
+will, though. I'm all in.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I don't recollect hearing anybody say we wanted to,&quot; growled Jack
+Bates. &quot;Irish, maybe, is still burning with a desire to be nice and
+chivalrous; but you can count me out. One dose is about all I can
+stand.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;By golly, I wouldn't go and feel that foolish again, not if yuh paid
+me for it,&quot; Slim declared.</p>
+
+<p>Irish grinned and reached for his hat. &quot;I done my damnettest,&quot; he said
+cheerfully. &quot;I made the old girl happy once; now, one Irish Mallory is
+due to have a little joy coming his way. I'm going to town.&quot;</p>
+
+<div class="poem"><p>&quot;'Break, break, break, on thy cold, gray crags, oh sea,<br />
+And I would that my tongue could utter the thoughts that come over me.'</p></div>
+
+<p>&quot;You will observe, gentlemen, the beautiful sentiment, the euphonious
+rhythm, the noble&mdash;&quot; Weary went down, still declaiming mincingly,
+beneath four irate bodies that hurled themselves toward him and upon
+him.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;We'll break, break, break every bone in your body if you don't shut
+up. You will observe the beautiful sentiment of <i>that</i> a while,&quot; cried
+Pink viciously. &quot;I've had the euphonious rhythm of my sleep broke up
+ever since I set there and listened at her for two hours. Josephine!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Irish stopped with his hand on the door knob. &quot;I was the jay that
+started it,&quot; he admitted contritely. &quot;But, honest, I never had a hunch
+she was plumb locoed; I thought she was just simply foolish. Come on
+to town, boys!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Such is the power of suggestion that in fifteen minutes the Happy
+Family had passed out of sight over the top of the grade; all save
+Andy Green, who told them he would be along after a while, and that
+they need not wait. He looked at the clock, smoked a meditative
+cigarette and went up to the White House, to attend the second meeting
+of the Mutual Improvement and Social Society.</p>
+
+<p>When he faced alone Miss Verbena Martin, and explained that the other
+members were unavoidably absent because they had a grudge against a
+man in Dry Lake and had gone in to lynch him and burn the town, Miss
+Martin was shocked into postponing the meeting. Andy said he was glad,
+because he wanted to go in and see the fight; undoubtedly, he assured
+her, there would be a fight, and probably a few of them would get
+killed off. He reminded her that he had told her right in the start
+that they were a bad lot, and that she would have hard work reforming
+them; and finally, he made her promise that she would not mention to
+anyone what he had told her, because it wouldn't be safe for him, or
+for her, if they ever got to hear of it. After that Andy also took the
+trail to town, and he went at a gallop and smiled as he rode.</p>
+
+<p>Miss Martin reflected shudderingly upon the awful details of the
+crime, as hinted at by Andy, and packed her trunk. It might be brave
+and noble to stay and work among all those savages, but she doubted
+much whether it were after all her duty. She thought of many ways in
+which she could do more real good nearer home. She had felt all along
+that these cowboys were an untrustworthy lot; she had noticed them
+glancing at one another in a secret and treacherous manner, all
+through the last meeting, and she was positive they had not given her
+that full confidence without which no good can be accomplished. That
+fellow they called Happy looked capable of almost any crime; she had
+never felt quite safe in his presence.</p>
+
+<p>Miss Martin pictured them howling and dancing around the burning
+dwellings of their enemies, shooting every one they could see; Miss
+Martin had imagination, of a sort. But while she pictured the horrors
+of an Indian massacre she continued to pack her suit-case and to
+consult often her watch. When she could do no more it occurred to her
+that she would better see if someone could take her to the station.
+Fortunately for all concerned, somebody could. One might go further
+and say that somebody was quite willing to strain a point, even, in
+order to get her there in time for the next train.</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p>The Happy Family was gathered in Rusty Brown's place, watching Irish
+do things to a sheep-man from Lonesome Prairie, in a game of pool.
+They were just giving vent to a prolonged whoop of derision at the
+sheep-man's play, when a rig flashed by the window. Weary stopped with
+his mouth wide open and stared; leaned to the window and craned to see
+more clearly.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Mama mine!&quot; he ejaculated incredulously. &quot;I could swear I saw Miss
+Verbena in that rig, with her trunk, and headed towards the depot.
+Feel my pulse, Cadwolloper, and see if I'm normal.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>But Pink was on his way to the back door, and from there climbed like
+a cat to the roof of the coal-house, where, as he knew from
+experience, one could see the trail to the depot, and the depot
+itself.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It's sure her,&quot; he announced. &quot;Chip's driving like hell, and the
+smoke uh the train's just coming around the bend from the big field.
+Wonder what struck her so sudden?&quot; He turned and looked down into the
+grinning face of Andy Green.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;She was real insulted because you fellows played hookey,&quot; Andy
+explained. &quot;I tried to explain, but it didn't help none. I don't
+believe her heart went out to us like she claimed, anyhow.&quot;</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="HAPPY_JACK_WILD_MAN"></a>HAPPY JACK, WILD MAN.</h2>
+
+
+<p>Happy Jack, over on the Shonkin range, saw how far it was to the river
+and mopped the heat-crimsoned face of him with a handkerchief not
+quite as clean as it might have been. He hoped that the Flying U
+wagons would be where he had estimated that they would be; for he was
+aweary of riding with a strange outfit, where his little personal
+peculiarities failed to meet with that large tolerance accorded by the
+Happy Family. He didn't think much of the Shonkin crew; grangers and
+pilgrims, he called them disgustedly in his mind. He hoped the Old Man
+would not send him on that long trip with them south of the
+Highwoods&mdash;which is what he was on his way to find out about. What
+Happy Jack was hoping for, was to have the Old Man&mdash;as represented by
+Chip&mdash;send one of the boys back with him to bring over what Flying U
+cattle had been gathered, together with Happy's bed and string of
+horses. Then he would ride with the Happy Family on the familiar
+range that was better, in his eyes, than any other range that ever
+lay outdoors&mdash;and the Shonkin outfit could go to granny. (Happy did
+not, however, say &quot;granny&quot;).</p>
+
+<p>He turned down the head of a coulee which promised to lead him, by the
+most direct route&mdash;if any route in the Badlands can be called
+direct&mdash;to the river, across which, and a few miles up on Suction
+Creek, he confidently expected to find the Flying U wagons. The coulee
+wound aimlessly, with precipitous sides that he could not climb, even
+by leading his horse. Happy Jack, under the sweltering heat of
+mid-June sunlight, once more mopped his face, now more crimson than
+ever, and relapsed into his habitual gloom. Just when he was telling
+himself pessimistically that the chances were he would run slap out on
+a cut bank where he couldn't get down to the river at all, the coulee
+turned again and showed the gray-blue water slithering coolly past,
+with the far bank green and sloping invitingly.</p>
+
+<p>The horse hurried forward at a shuffling trot and thrust his hot
+muzzle into the delicious coolness. Happy Jack slipped off and, lying
+flat on his stomach, up-stream from the horse, drank deep and long,
+then stood up, wiped his face and considered the necessity of
+crossing. Just at this point the river was not so wide as in others,
+and for that reason the current flowed swiftly past. Not too swiftly,
+however, if one took certain precautions. Happy Jack measured mentally
+the strength of the current and the proper amount of caution which it
+would be expedient to use, and began his preparations; for the sun was
+sliding down hill toward the western skyline, and he wished very much
+to reach the wagons in time for supper, if he could.</p>
+
+<p>Standing in the shade of the coulee wall, he undressed deliberately,
+folding each garment methodically as he took it off. When the pile was
+complete to socks and boots, he rolled it into a compact bundle and
+tied it firmly upon his saddle. Stranger, his horse, was a good
+swimmer, and always swam high out of water. He hoped the things would
+not get very wet; still, the current was strong, and his
+characteristic pessimism suggested that they would be soaked to the
+last thread. So, naked as our first ancestor, he urged his horse into
+the stream, and when it was too deep for kicking&mdash;Stranger was ever
+uncertain and not to be trusted too far&mdash;he caught him firmly by the
+tail and felt the current grip them both. The feel of the water was
+glorious after so long a ride in the hot sun, and Happy Jack reveled
+in the cool swash of it up his shoulders to the back of his neck, as
+Stranger swam out and across to the sloping, green bank on the home
+side. When his feet struck bottom, Happy Jack should have waded
+also&mdash;but the water was so deliciously cool, slapping high up on his
+shoulders like that; he still floated luxuriously, towed by
+Stranger&mdash;until Stranger, his footing secure, glanced back at Happy
+sliding behind like a big, red fish, snorted and plunged up and on to
+dry land.</p>
+
+<p>Happy Jack struck his feet down to bottom, stumbled and let go his
+hold of the tail, and Stranger, feeling the weight loosen suddenly,
+gave another plunge and went careering up the bank, snorting back at
+Happy Jack. Happy swore, waded out and made threats, but Stranger,
+seeing himself pursued by a strange figure whose only resemblance to
+his master lay in voice and profanity, fled in terror before him.</p>
+
+<p>Happy Jack, crippling painfully on the stones, fled fruitlessly after,
+still shouting threats. Then, as Stranger, galloping wildly,
+disappeared over a ridge, he stood and stared stupidly at the place
+where the horse had last been seen. For the moment his mind refused to
+grasp all the horror of his position; he stepped gingerly over the hot
+sand and rocks, sought the shelter of a bit of overhanging bank, and
+sat dazedly down upon a rock too warm for comfort. He shifted uneasily
+to the sand beside, found that still hotter, and returned to the rock.</p>
+
+<p>He needed to think; to grasp this disaster that had come so suddenly
+upon him. He looked moodily across to the southern bank, his chin
+sunken between moist palms, the while the water dried upon his person.
+To be set afoot, down here in the Badlands, away from the habitations
+of men and fifteen miles from the probable location of the Flying U
+camp, was not nice. To be set afoot <i>naked</i>&mdash;it was horrible, and
+unbelievable. He thought of tramping, barefooted and bare-legged,
+through fifteen miles of sage-covered Badlands to camp, with the sun
+beating down on his unprotected back, and groaned in anticipation. Not
+even his pessimism had ever pictured a thing so terrible.</p>
+
+<p>He gazed at the gray-blue river which had caused this trouble that he
+must face, and forgetting the luxury of its coolness, cursed it
+venomously. Little waves washed up on the pebbly bank, and glinted in
+the sun while they whispered mocking things to him. Happy Jack gave
+over swearing at the river, and turned his wrath upon
+Stranger&mdash;Stranger, hurtling along somewhere through the breaks, with
+all Happy's clothes tied firmly to the saddle. Happy Jack sighed
+lugubriously when he remembered how firmly. A fleeting hope that, if
+he followed the trail of Stranger, he might glean a garment or two
+that had slipped loose, died almost before it lived. Happy Jack knew
+too well the kind of knots he always tied. His favorite boast that
+nothing ever worked loose on his saddle, came back now to mock him
+with its absolute truth.</p>
+
+<p>The sun, dropping a bit lower, robbed him inch by inch of the shade to
+which he clung foolishly. He hunched himself into as small a space as
+his big frame would permit, and hung his hat upon his knees where they
+stuck out into the sunlight. It was very hot, and his position was
+cramped, but he would not go yet; he was still thinking&mdash;and the brain
+of Happy Jack worked ever slowly. In such an unheard-of predicament
+he felt dimly that he had need of much thought.</p>
+
+<p>When not even his hat could shield him from the sun glare, he got up
+and went nipping awkwardly over the hot beach. He was going into the
+next river-bottom&mdash;wherever that was&mdash;on the chance of finding a
+cow-camp, or some cabin where he could, by some means, clothe himself.
+He did not like the idea of facing the Happy Family in his present
+condition; he knew the Happy Family. Perhaps he might find someone
+living down here next the river. He hoped so&mdash;for Happy Jack, when
+things were so bad they could not well be worse, was forced to give
+over the prediction of further evil, and pursue blindly the faintest
+whisper of hope. He got up on the bank, where the grass was kinder to
+his unaccustomed feet than were the hot stones below, and hurried away
+with his back to the sun, that scorched him cruelly.</p>
+
+<p>In the next bottom&mdash;and he was long getting to it&mdash;the sage brush grew
+dishearteningly thick. Happy began to be afraid of snakes. He went
+slowly, stepping painfully where the ground seemed smoothest; he never
+could walk fifteen miles in his bare feet, he owned dismally to
+himself. His only hope lay in getting clothes.</p>
+
+<p>Halfway down the bottom, he joyfully came upon a camp, but it had long
+been deserted; from the low, tumble-down corrals, and the unmistakable
+atmosphere of the place, Happy Jack knew it for a sheep camp. But
+nothing save the musty odor and the bare cabin walls seemed to have
+been left behind. He searched gloomily, thankful for the brief shade
+the cabin offered. Then, tossed up on the rafters and forgotten, he
+discovered a couple of dried sheep pelts, untanned and stiff, almost,
+as shingles. Still, they were better than nothing, and he grinned in
+sickly fashion at the find.</p>
+
+<p>Realizing, in much pain, that some protection for his feet was an
+absolute necessity, he tore a pelt in two for sandals. Much search
+resulted in the discovery of a bit of rotted rope, which he unraveled
+and thereby bound a piece of sheepskin upon each bruised foot. They
+were not pretty, but they answered the purpose. The other pelt he
+disposed of easily by tying the two front legs together around his
+neck and letting the pelt hang down his back as far as it would reach.
+There being nothing more that he could do in the way of
+self-adornment, Happy Jack went out again into the hot afternoon. At
+his best, Happy Jack could never truthfully be called handsome; just
+now, clothed inadequately in gray Stetson hat and two meager
+sheepskins, he looked scarce human.</p>
+
+<p>Cheered a bit, he set out sturdily over the hills toward the mouth of
+Suction Creek. The Happy Family would make all kinds of fools of
+themselves, he supposed, if he showed up like this; but he might not
+be obliged to appear before them in his present state of undress; he
+might strike some other camp, first. Happy Jack was still forced to be
+hopeful. He quite counted on striking another camp before reaching the
+wagons of the Flying U.</p>
+
+<p>The sun slid farther and farther toward the western rim of tumbled
+ridges as Happy Jack, in his strange raiment, plodded laboriously to
+the north. The mantle he was forced to shift constantly into a new
+position as the sun's rays burned deep a new place, or the stiff hide
+galled his blistered shoulders. The sandals did better, except that
+the rotten strands of rope were continually wearing through on the
+bottom, so that he must stop and tie fresh knots, or replace the bit
+from the scant surplus which he had prudently brought along.</p>
+
+<p>Till sundown he climbed toilfully up the steep hills and then
+scrambled as toilfully into the coulees, taking the straightest course
+he knew for the mouth of Suction Creek; that, as a last resort, while
+he watched keenly for the white flake against green which would tell
+of a tent pitched there in the wilderness. He was hungry&mdash;when he
+forgot other discomforts long enough to think of it. Worst, perhaps,
+was the way in which the gaunt sage brush scratched his unclothed legs
+when he was compelled to cross a patch on some coulee bottom. Happy
+Jack swore a great deal, in those long, heat-laden hours, and never
+did he so completely belie the name men had in sarcasm given him.</p>
+
+<p>Just when he was given over to the most gloomy forebodings, a white
+square stood out for a moment sharply against a background of pines,
+far below him in a coulee where the sun was peering fleetingly before
+it dove out of sight over a hill. Happy Jack&mdash;of a truth, the most
+unhappy Jack one could find, though he searched far and long&mdash;stood
+still and eyed the white patch critically. There was only the one; but
+another might be hidden in the trees. Still, there was no herd grazing
+anywhere in the coulee, and no jingle of cavvy bells came to his
+ears, though he listened long. He was sure that it was not the camp of
+the Flying U, where he would be ministered unto faithfully, to be
+sure, yet where the ministrations would be mingled with much
+wit-sharpened raillery harder even to bear than was his present
+condition of sun-blisters and scratches. He thanked the Lord in
+sincere if unorthodox terms, and went down the hill in long,
+ungraceful strides.</p>
+
+<p>It was far down that hill, and it was farther across the coulee. Each
+step grew more wearisome to Happy Jack, unaccustomed as he was to
+using his own feet as a mode of travel. But away in the edge of the
+pine grove were food and raiment, and a shelter from the night that
+was creeping down on him with the hurried stealth of a mountain lion
+after its quarry. He shifted the sheepskin mantle for the thousandth
+time; this time he untied it from his galled shoulders and festooned
+it modestly if unbecomingly about his middle.</p>
+
+<p>Feeling sure of the unfailing hospitality of the rangeland, be the
+tent-dweller whom he might, Happy Jack walked boldly through the soft,
+spring twilight that lasts long in Montana, and up to the very door of
+the tent. A figure&mdash;a female figure&mdash;slender and topped by thin face
+and eyes sheltered behind glasses, rose up, gazed upon him in horror,
+shrieked till one could hear her a mile, and fell backward into the
+tent. Another female figure appeared, looked, and shrieked also&mdash;and
+even louder than did the first. Happy Jack, with a squawk of dismay,
+turned and flew incontinently afar into the dusk. A man's voice he
+heard, shouting inquiry; another, shouting what, from a distance,
+sounded like threats. Happy Jack did not wait to make sure; he ran
+blindly, until he brought up in a patch of prickly-pear, at which he
+yelled, forgetting for the instant that he was pursued. Somehow he
+floundered out and away from the torture of the stinging spines, and
+took to the hills. A moon, big as the mouth of a barrel, climbed over
+a ridge and betrayed him to the men searching below, and they shouted
+and fired a gun. Happy Jack did not believe they could shoot very
+straight, but he was in no mood to take chances; he sought refuge
+among a jumble of great, gray bowlders; sat himself down in the shadow
+and caressed gingerly the places where the prickly-pear had punctured
+his skin, and gave himself riotously over to blasphemy.</p>
+
+<p>The men below were prowling half-heartedly, it seemed to him&mdash;as if
+they were afraid of running upon him too suddenly. It came to him that
+they were afraid of him&mdash;and he grinned feebly at the joke. He had not
+before stopped to consider his appearance, being concerned with more
+important matters. Now, however, as he pulled the scant covering of
+the pelt over his shoulders to keep off the chill of the night, he
+could not wonder that the woman at the tent had fainted. Happy Jack
+suspected shrewdly that he could, in that rig, startle almost any one.</p>
+
+<p>He watched the coulee wistfully. They were making fires, down there
+below him; great, revealing bonfires at intervals that would make it
+impossible to pass their line unseen. He could not doubt that some one
+was <i>cached</i> in the shadows with a gun. There were more than two men;
+Happy Jack thought that there must be at least four or five. He would
+have liked to go down, just out of gun range, and shout explanations
+and a request for some clothes&mdash;only for the women. Happy was always
+ill at ease in the presence of strange women, and he felt, just now,
+quite unequal to the ordeal of facing those two. He sat huddled in
+the shadow of a rock and wished profanely that women would stay at
+home and not go camping out in the Badlands, where their presence was
+distinctly inappropriate and undesirable. If the men down there were
+alone, he felt sure that he could make them understand. Seeing they
+were not alone, however, he stayed where he was and watched the fires,
+while his teeth chattered with cold and his stomach ached with the
+hunger he could not appease.</p>
+
+<p>Till daylight he sat there unhappily and watched the unwinking
+challenge of the flames below, and miserably wished himself elsewhere;
+even the jibes of the Happy Family would be endurable, so long as he
+had the comfort afforded by the Flying U camp. But that was miles
+away. And when daylight brought warmth and returning courage, he went
+so far as to wish the Flying U camp farther away than it probably was.
+He wanted to get somewhere, and ask help from strangers rather than
+those he knew best.</p>
+
+<p>With that idea fixed in his mind, he got stiffly to his bruised feet,
+readjusted the sheepskin and began wearily to climb higher. When the
+sun tinged all the hilltops golden yellow, he turned and shook his
+fist impotently at the camp far beneath him. Then he went on doggedly.</p>
+
+<p>Standing at last on a high peak, he looked away toward the sunrise and
+made out a white speck on a grassy side-hill; beside it, a gray square
+moved slowly over the green. Sheep, and a sheep camp&mdash;and Happy Jack,
+hater of sheep though he was, hailed the sight as a bit of rare good
+luck. His spirits rose immediately, and he started straight for the
+place.</p>
+
+<p>Down in the next coulee&mdash;there were always coulees to cross, no matter
+in what direction one would travel&mdash;he came near running plump into
+three riders, who were Irish Mallory, and Weary, and Pink. They were
+riding down from the direction of the camp where were the women, and
+they caught sight of him immediately and gave chase. Happy Jack had no
+mind to be rounded up by that trio; he dodged into the bushes, and
+though they dug long, unmerciful scratches in his person, clung to the
+shelter they gave and made off at top speed. He could hear the others
+shouting at one another as they galloped here and there trying to
+locate him, and he skulked where the bushes were deepest, like a
+criminal in fear of lynching.</p>
+
+<p>Luck, for once, was with him, and he got out into another
+brush-fringed coulee without being seen, and felt himself, for the
+present, safe from that portion of the Happy Family. Thereafter he
+avoided religiously the higher ridges, and kept the direction more by
+instinct than by actual knowledge. The sun grew hot again and he
+hurried on, shifting the sheepskin as the need impressed.</p>
+
+<p>When at last he sighted again the sheep, they were very close. Happy
+Jack grew cautious; he crept down upon the unsuspecting herder as
+stealthily as an animal hunting its breakfast. Herders sometimes carry
+guns&mdash;and the experience of last night burned hot in his memory.</p>
+
+<p>Slipping warily from rock to rock, he was within a dozen feet, when a
+dog barked and betrayed his presence. The herder did not have a gun.
+He gave a yell of pure terror and started for camp after his weapon.
+Happy Jack, yelling also, with long leaps followed after. Twice the
+herder looked over his shoulder at the weird figure in gray hat and
+flapping sheepskin, and immediately after each glance his pace
+increased perceptibly. Still Happy Jack, desperate beyond measure,
+doggedly pursued, and his long legs lessened at each jump the
+distance between. From a spectacular viewpoint, it must have been a
+pretty race.</p>
+
+<p>The herder, with a gasp, dove into the tent; into the tent Happy Jack
+dove after him&mdash;and none too soon. The hand of the herder had almost
+clasped his rifle when the weight of Happy bore him shrieking to the
+earthen floor.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Aw, yuh locoed old fool, shut up, can't yuh, a minute?&quot; Happy Jack,
+with his fingers pressed against the windpipe of the other, had the
+satisfaction of seeing his request granted at once. The shrieks died
+to mere gurgling. &quot;What I want uh <i>you</i>,&quot; Happy went on crossly,
+&quot;ain't your lifeblood, yuh dam' Swede idiot. I want some clothes, and
+some grub; and I want to borry that pinto I seen picketed out in the
+hollow, down there. Now, will yuh let up that yelling and act white,
+or must I pound some p'liteness into yuh? Say!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;By damn, Ay tank yo' vas got soom crazy,&quot; apologized the herder
+humbly, sanity growing in his pale blue eyes. &quot;Ay tank&mdash;&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Oh, I don't give a cuss what you <i>tank</i>,&quot; Happy Jack cut in. &quot;I ain't
+had anything to eat sence yesterday forenoon, and I ain't had any
+clothes on sence yesterday, either. Send them darn dogs back to watch
+your sheep, and get busy with breakfast! I've got a lot to do, t'-day.
+I've got to round up my horse and get my clothes that's tied to the
+saddle, and get t' where I'm going. Get up, darn yuh! I ain't going t'
+eat yuh&mdash;not unless you're too slow with that grub.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The herder was submissive and placating, and permitted Happy Jack to
+appropriate the conventional garb of a male human, the while coffee
+and bacon were maddening his hunger with their tantalizing odor. He
+seemed much more at ease, once he saw that Happy Jack, properly
+clothed, was not particularly fearsome to look upon, and talked
+volubly while he got out bread and stewed prunes and boiled beans for
+the thrice-unexpected guest.</p>
+
+<p>Happy Jack, clothed and fed, became himself again and prophesied
+gloomily: &quot;The chances is, that horse uh mine'll be forty miles away
+and still going, by this time; but soon as I can round him up, I'll
+bring your pinto back. Yuh needn't t' worry none; I guess I got all
+the sense I've ever had.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Once more astride a horse&mdash;albeit the pinto pony of a
+sheepherder&mdash;Happy Jack felt abundantly able to cope with the
+situation. He made a detour that put him far from where the three he
+most dreaded to meet were apt to be, and struck out at the pinto's
+best pace for the river at the point where he had crossed so
+disastrously the day before.</p>
+
+<p>Having a good memory for directions and localities, he easily found
+the place of unhappy memory; and taking up Stranger's trail through
+the sand from there, he got the general direction of his flight and
+followed vengefully after; rode for an hour up a long, grassy coulee,
+and came suddenly upon the fugitive feeding quietly beside a spring.
+The bundle of clothing was still tied firmly to the saddle, and at
+sight of it the face of Happy Jack relaxed somewhat from its gloom.</p>
+
+<p>When Happy rode up and cast a loop over his head Stranger nickered a
+bit, as if he did not much enjoy freedom while he yet bore the
+trappings of servitude. And his submission was so instant and
+voluntary that Happy Jack had not the heart to do as he had threatened
+many times in the last few hours&mdash;&quot;to beat the hide off him.&quot; Instead,
+he got hastily into his clothes&mdash;quite as if he feared they might
+again be whisked away from him&mdash;and then rubbed forgivingly the nose
+of Stranger, and solicitously pulled a few strands of his forelock
+from under the brow-band. In the heart of Happy Jack was a great
+peace, marred only by the physical discomforts of much sun-blister and
+many deep scratches. After that he got thankfully into his own saddle
+and rode gladly away, leading the pinto pony behind him. He had got
+out of the scrape, and the Happy Family would never find it out; it
+was not likely that they would chance upon the Swede herder, or if
+they did, that they would exchange with him many words. The Happy
+Family held itself physically, mentally, morally and socially far
+above sheepherders&mdash;and in that lay the safety of Happy Jack.</p>
+
+<p>It was nearly noon when he reached again the sheep camp, and the Swede
+hospitably urged him to stay and eat with him; but Happy Jack would
+not tarry, for he was anxious to reach the camp of the Flying U. A
+mile from the herder's camp he saw again on a distant hilltop three
+familiar figures. This time he did not dodge into shelter, but urged
+Stranger to a gallop and rode boldly toward them. They greeted him
+joyfully and at the top of their voices when he came within shouting
+distance.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;How comes it you're riding the pinnacles over here?&quot; Weary wanted to
+know, as soon as he rode alongside.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Aw, I just came over after more orders; hope they send somebody else
+over there, if they want any more repping done,&quot; Happy Jack said, in
+his customary tone of discontent with circumstances.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Say! Yuh didn't see anything of a wild man, down next the river, did
+yuh?&quot; put in Pink.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Aw, gwan! what wild man?&quot; Happy Jack eyed them suspiciously.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Honest, there's a wild man ranging around here in these hills,&quot; Pink
+declared. &quot;We've been mooching around all forenoon, hunting him. Got
+sight of him, early this morning, but he got away in the brush.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Happy Jack looked guilty, and even more suspicious. Was it possible
+that they had recognized him?</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The way we come to hear about him,&quot; Weary explained, &quot;we happened
+across some campers, over in a little coulee to the west uh here. They
+was all worked up over him. Seems he went into camp last night, and
+like to scared the ladies into fits. He ain't got enough clothes on to
+flag an antelope, according to them, and he's about seven feet high,
+and looks more like a missing link than a plain, ordinary man. The
+one that didn't faint away got the best look at him, and she's ready
+to take oath he ain't more'n half human. They kept fires burning all
+night to scare him out uh the coulee, and they're going to break camp
+to-day and hike for home. They say he give a screech that'd put a
+crimp in the devil himself, and went galloping off, jumping about
+twenty feet at a lick. And&mdash;&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Aw, gwan!&quot; protested Happy Jack, feebly.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;So help me Josephine, it's the truth,&quot; abetted Pink, round-eyed and
+unmistakably in earnest. &quot;We wouldn't uh taken much stock in it,
+either, only we saw him ourselves, not more than two hundred yards
+off. He was just over the hill from the coulee where they were camped,
+so it's bound to be the same animal. It's a fact, he didn't have much
+covering&mdash;just something hung over his shoulders. And he was sure
+wild, for soon as he seen us he humped himself and got into the brush.
+We could hear him go crashing away like a whole bunch of elephants.
+It's a damn' shame he got away on us,&quot; Pink sighed regretfully. &quot;We
+was going to rope him and put him in a cage; we could sure uh made
+money on him, at two bits a look.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Happy Jack continued to eye the three distrustfully. Too often had he
+been the victim of their humor for him now to believe implicitly in
+their ignorance. It was too good to be real, it seemed to him. Still,
+if by any good luck it <i>were</i> real, he hated to think what would
+happen if they ever found out the truth. He eased the clothing
+cautiously away from his smarting back, and stared hard into a coulee.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It was likely some sheepherder gone clean nutty,&quot; mused Irish.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, the most uh them wouldn't have far to go,&quot; ventured Happy Jack,
+thinking of the Swede.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What we ought to do,&quot; said Pink, keen for the chase, &quot;is for the
+whole bunch of us to come down here and round him up. Wonder if we
+couldn't talk Chip into laying off for a day or so; there's no herd to
+hold. I sure would like to get a good look at him.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Somebody ought to take him in,&quot; observed Irish longingly. &quot;He ain't
+safe, running around loose like that. There's no telling what he might
+do. The way them campers read his brand, he's plumb dangerous to meet
+up with alone. It's lucky you didn't run onto him, Happy.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, I didn't,&quot; growled Happy Jack. &quot;And what's more, I betche
+there ain't any such person.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Don't call us liars to our faces, Happy,&quot; Weary reproved. &quot;We told
+yuh, a dozen times, that we saw him ourselves. Yuh might be polite
+enough to take our word for it.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Aw, gwan!&quot; Happy Jack grunted, still not quite sure of how much&mdash;or
+how little&mdash;they knew. While they discussed further the wild man, he
+watched furtively for the surreptitious lowering of lids that would
+betray their insincerity. When they appealed to him for an opinion of
+some phase of the subject, he answered with caution. He tried to turn
+the talk to his experiences on the Shonkin range, and found the wild
+man cropping up with disheartening persistency. He shifted often in
+the saddle, because of the deep sunburns which smarted continually and
+maddeningly. He wondered if the boys had used all of that big box of
+carbolic salve which used to be kept in a corner of the mess-box; and
+was carbolic salve good for sun-blisters? He told himself gloomily
+that if there was any of it left, and if it were good for his ailment,
+there wouldn't be half enough of it, anyway. He estimated unhappily
+that he would need about two quarts.</p>
+
+<p>When they reached camp, the welcome of Happy Jack was overshadowed and
+made insignificant by the strange story of the wild man. Happy Jack,
+mentally and physically miserable, was forced to hear it all told over
+again, and to listen to the excited comments of the others. He was
+sick of the subject. He had heard enough about the wild man, and he
+wished fervently that they would shut up about it. He couldn't see
+that it was anything to make such a fuss about, anyway. And he wished
+he could get his hands on that carbolic salve, without having the
+whole bunch rubbering around and asking questions about something that
+was none of their business. He even wished, in that first bitter hour
+after he had eaten and while they were lying idly in the shady spots,
+that he was back on the Shonkin range with an alien crew.</p>
+
+<p>It was perhaps an hour later that Pink, always of an investigative
+turn of mind, came slipping quietly up through the rose bushes from
+the creek. The Happy Family, lying luxuriously upon the grass, were
+still discussing the latest excitement. Pink watched his chance and
+when none but Weary observed him jerked his head mysteriously toward
+the creek.</p>
+
+<p>Weary got up, yawned ostentatiously, and sauntered away in the wake of
+Pink. &quot;What's the matter, Cadwolloper?&quot; he asked, when he was close
+enough. &quot;Seen a garter snake?&quot; Pink was notoriously afraid of snakes.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;You come with me, and I'll show yuh the wild man,&quot; he grinned.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Mama!&quot; ejaculated Weary, and followed stealthily where Pink led.</p>
+
+<p>Some distance up the creek Pink signalled caution, and they crept like
+Indians on hands and knees through the grass. On the edge of the high
+bank they stopped, and Pink motioned. Weary looked over and came near
+whooping at the sight below. He gazed a minute, drew back and put his
+face close to the face of Pink.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Cadwolloper, go get the bunch!&quot; he commanded in a whisper, and Pink,
+again signalling needlessly for silence, slipped hastily away from the
+spot.</p>
+
+<p>Happy Jack, secure in the seclusion offered by the high bank of the
+creek, ran his finger regretfully around the inside of the carbolic
+salve box, eyed the result dissatisfiedly, and applied the finger
+carefully to a deep cut on his knee. He had got that cut while going
+up the bluff, just after leaving the tent where had been the shrieking
+females. He wished there was more salve, and he picked up the cover of
+the box and painstakingly wiped out the inside; the result was
+disheartening.</p>
+
+<p>He examined his knee dolefully. It was beginning to look inflamed, and
+it was going to make him limp. He wondered if the boys would notice
+anything queer about his walk. If they did, there was the conventional
+excuse that his horse had fallen down with him&mdash;Happy Jack hoped that
+it would be convincing. He took up the box again and looked at the
+shining emptiness of it. It had been half full&mdash;not enough, by a long
+way&mdash;and maybe some one would wonder what had become of it. Darn a
+bunch that always had to know everything, anyway!</p>
+
+<p>Happy Jack, warned at last by that unnamed instinct which tells of a
+presence unseen, turned around and looked up apprehensively. The Happy
+Family, sitting in a row upon their heels on the bank, looked down at
+him gravely and appreciatively.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;There's a can uh wagon dope, up at camp,&quot; Cal Emmett informed him
+sympathetically.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Aw&mdash;&quot; Happy Jack began, and choked upon his humiliation.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I used to know a piece uh poetry about a fellow like Happy,&quot; Weary
+remarked sweetly. &quot;It said</p>
+
+<div class="poem"><p><i>'He raised his veil, the maid turned slowly round</i><br />
+<i>Looked at him, shrieked, and fell upon the ground.'</i><br /></p></div>
+
+<p>Only, in this case,&quot; Weary smiled blandly down upon him, &quot;Happy didn't
+have no veil.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Aw, gwan!&quot; adjured Happy Jack helplessly, and reached for his
+clothes, while the Happy Family chorused a demand for explanations.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="A_TAMER_OF_WILD_ONES"></a>A TAMER OF WILD ONES.</h2>
+
+
+<p>When the days grow crisp at each end and languorous in the middle;
+when a haze ripples the skyline like a waving ribbon of faded blue;
+when the winds and the grasses stop and listen for the first on-rush
+of winter, then it is that the rangeland takes on a certain
+intoxicating unreality, and range-wild blood leaps with desire to do
+something&mdash;anything, so it is different and irresponsible and not
+measured by precedent or prudence.</p>
+
+<p>In days like that one grows venturesome and ignores difficulties and
+limitations with a fine disregard for probable consequences, a mental
+snapping of fingers. On a day like that, the Happy Family, riding
+together out of Dry Lake with the latest news in mind and speech,
+urged Andy Green, tamer of wild ones, to enter the rough-riding
+contest exploited as one of the features of the Northern Montana Fair,
+to be held at Great Falls in two weeks. Pink could not enter, because
+a horse had fallen with him and hurt his leg, so that he was picking
+the gentlest in his string for daily riding. Weary would not, because
+he had promised his Little Schoolma'am to take care of himself and not
+take any useless risks; even the temptation of a two-hundred-dollar
+purse could not persuade him that a rough-riding contest is perfectly
+safe and without the ban. But Andy, impelled by the leaping blood of
+him and urged by the loyal Family, consented and said he'd try it a
+whirl, anyway.</p>
+
+<p>They had only ridden four or five miles when the decision was reached,
+and they straightway turned back and raced into Dry Lake again, so
+that Andy might write the letter that clinched matters. Then, whooping
+with the sheer exhilaration of living, and the exultation of being
+able to ride and whoop unhindered, they galloped back to camp and let
+the news spread as it would. In a week all Chouteau County knew that
+Andy Green would ride for the purse, and nearly all Chouteau County
+backed him with all the money it could command; certainly, all of it
+that knew Andy Green and had seen him ride, made haste to find someone
+who did not know him and whose faith in another contestant was strong,
+and to bet all the money it could lay hands upon.</p>
+
+<p>For Andy was one of those mild-mannered men whose genius runs to
+riding horses which object violently to being ridden; one of those
+lucky fellows who never seems to get his neck broken, however much he
+may jeopardize it; and, moreover, he was that rare genius, who can
+make a &quot;pretty&quot; ride where other broncho-fighters resemble nothing so
+much as a scarecrow in a cyclone. Andy not only could ride&mdash;he could
+ride gracefully. And the reason for that, not many knew: Andy, in the
+years before he wandered to the range, had danced, in spangled tights,
+upon the broad rump of a big gray horse which galloped around a
+saw-dust ring with the regularity of movement that suggested a
+machine, while a sober-clothed man in the center cracked a whip and
+yelped commands. Andy had jumped through blazing hoops and over
+sagging bunting while he rode&mdash;and he was just a trifle ashamed of the
+fact. Also&mdash;though it does not particularly matter&mdash;he had, later in
+the performance, gone hurtling around the big tent dressed in the garb
+of an ancient Roman and driving four deep-chested bays abreast. As has
+been explained, he never boasted of his circus experience; though his
+days in spangled tights probably had much to do with the inimitable
+grace of him in the saddle. The Happy Family felt to a man that Andy
+would win the purse and add honor to the Flying U in the winning. They
+were enthusiastic over the prospect and willing to bet all they had on
+the outcome.</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p>The Happy Family, together with the aliens who swelled the crew to
+round-up size, was foregathered at the largest Flying U corral,
+watching a bunch of newly bought horses circle, with much snorting and
+kicking up of dust, inside the fence. It was the interval between
+beef-and calf-roundups, and the witchery of Indian Summer held the
+range-land in thrall.</p>
+
+<p>Andy, sizing up the bunch and the brands, lighted upon a rangy blue
+roan that he knew&mdash;or thought he knew, and the eyes of him brightened
+with desire. If he could get that roan in his string, he told himself,
+he could go to sleep in the saddle on night-guard; for an easier horse
+to ride he never had straddled. It was like sitting in grandma's pet
+rocking chair when that roan loosened his muscles for a long, tireless
+gallop over the prairie sod, and as a stayer Andy had never seen his
+equal. It was not his turn to choose, however, and he held his breath
+lest the rope of another should settle over the slatey-black ears
+ahead of him.</p>
+
+<p>Cal Emmett roped a plump little black and led him out, grinning
+satisfaction; from the white saddle-marks back of the withers he knew
+him for a &quot;broke&quot; horse, and he certainly was pretty to look at. Andy
+gave him but a fleeting glance.</p>
+
+<p>Happy Jack spread his loop and climbed down from the fence, almost at
+Andy's elbow. It was his turn to choose. &quot;I betche that there blue
+roan over there is a good one,&quot; he remarked. &quot;I'm going to tackle
+him.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Andy took his cigarette from between his lips. &quot;Yuh better hobble your
+stirrups, then,&quot; he discouraged artfully. &quot;I know that roan a heap
+better than you do.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Aw, gwan!&quot; Happy, nevertheless, hesitated. &quot;He's got a kind eye in
+his head; yuh can always go by a horse's eye.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Can yuh?&quot; Andy smiled indifferently. &quot;Go after him, then. And say,
+Happy: if yuh ride that blue roan for five successive minutes, I'll
+give yuh fifty dollars. I knew that hoss down on the Musselshell; he's
+got a record that'd reach from here to Dry Lake and back.&quot; It was a
+bluff, pure and simple, born of his covetousness, but it had the
+desired effect&mdash;or nearly so.</p>
+
+<p>Happy fumbled his rope and eyed the roan. &quot;Aw, I betche you're just
+lying,&quot; he hazarded; but, like many another, when he did strike the
+truth he failed to recognize it. &quot;I betche&mdash;&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;All right, rope him out and climb on, if yuh don't believe me.&quot; The
+tone of Andy was tinged with injury. &quot;There's fifty dollars&mdash;yes, by
+gracious, I'll give yuh a <i>hundred</i> dollars if yuh ride him for five
+minutes straight.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>A conversation of that character, carried on near the top of two
+full-lunged voices, never fails in the range land to bring an audience
+of every male human within hearing. All other conversations and
+interests were immediately suspended, and a dozen men trotted up to
+see what it was all about. Andy remained roosting upon the top rail,
+his rope coiled loosely and dangling from one arm while he smoked
+imperturbably.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Oh, Happy was going to rope out a sure-enough bad one for his night
+hoss, and out uh the goodness uh my heart, I put him wise to what he
+was going up against,&quot; he explained carelessly.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;He acts like he has some thoughts uh doubting my word, so I just
+offered him a hundred dollars to ride him&mdash;that blue roan, over there
+next that crooked post. GET<i> a reserved seat right in front of the
+grand stand where all the big acts take</i> PLACE;&quot; he sung out suddenly,
+in the regulation circus tone.
+&quot;GET-a-seat-right-in-front-where-Happy-Jack-the-WILD-Man-rides-the-BUCKING-BRONCHO&mdash;Go
+on, Happy. Don't keep the audience waiting. Aren't yuh going to earn
+that hundred dollars?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Happy Jack turned half a shade redder than was natural. &quot;Aw, gwan. I
+never said I was going to do no broncho-busting ack. But I betche yuh
+never seen that roan before he was unloaded in Dry Lake.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What'll yuh bet I don't know that hoss from a yearling colt?&quot; Andy
+challenged, and Happy Jack walked away without replying, and cast his
+loop sullenly over the first horse he came to&mdash;which was <i>not</i> the
+roan.</p>
+
+<p>Chip, coming up to hear the last of it, turned and looked long at the
+horse in question; a mild-mannered horse, standing by a crooked corral
+post and flicking his ears at the flies. &quot;Do you know that roan?&quot;he
+asked Andy, in the tone which brings truthful answer. Andy had one
+good point: he never lied except in an irresponsible mood of pure
+deviltry. For instance, he never had lied seriously, to an employer.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Sure, I know that hoss,&quot; he answered truthfully.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Did you ever ride him?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No,&quot; Andy admitted, still truthfully. &quot;I never rode him but once
+myself, but I worked right with a Lazy 6 rep that had him in his
+string, down at the U up-and-down, two years ago. I know the hoss, all
+right; but I did lie when I told Happy I knowed him from a colt. I
+spread it on a little bit thick, there.&quot; He smiled engagingly down at
+Chip.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;And he's a bad one, is he?&quot; Chip queried Over his shoulder, just as
+he was about to walk away.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well,&quot; Andy prevaricated&mdash;still clinging to the letter, if not to the
+spirit of truth. &quot;He ain't a hoss I'd like to see Happy Jack go up
+against. I ain't saying, though, that he can't be <i>rode</i>. I don't say
+that about <i>any</i> hoss.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Is he any worse than Glory, when Glory is feeling peevish?&quot; Weary
+asked, when Chip was gone and while the men still lingered. Andy,
+glancing to make sure that Chip was out of hearing, threw away his
+cigarette and yielded to temptation. &quot;Glory?&quot; he snorted with a fine
+contempt. &quot;Why, Glory's&mdash;a&mdash;<i>lamb</i> beside that blue roan! Why, that
+hoss throwed Buckskin Jimmy clean out of a corral&mdash;Did yuh ever see
+Buckskin Jimmy ride? Well, say, yuh missed a pretty sight, then;
+Jimmy's a sure-enough rider. About the only animal he ever failed to
+connect with for keeps, is that same cow-backed hoss yuh see over
+there. Happy says he's got a kind eye in his head&mdash;&quot; Andy stopped and
+laughed till they all laughed with him. &quot;By gracious, Happy ought to
+step up <i>on</i> him, once, and see how <i>kind</i> he is!&quot; He laughed again
+until Happy, across the corral saddling the horse he had chosen,
+muttered profanely at the derision he knew was pointed at himself.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why, I've seen that hoss&mdash;&quot; Andy Green, once fairly started in the
+fascinating path of romance, invented details for the pure joy of
+creation. If he had written some of the tales he told, and had sold
+the writing for many dollars, he would have been famous. Since he did
+not write them for profit, but told them for fun, instead, he earned
+merely the reputation of being a great liar. A significant mark of his
+genius lay in the fact that his inventions never failed to convince;
+not till afterward did his audience doubt.</p>
+
+<p>That is why the blue roan was not chosen in any of the strings, but
+was left always circling in the corral after a loop had settled. That
+is why the Flying U boys looked at him askance as they passed him by.
+That is why, when a certain Mr. Coleman, sent by the board of
+directors to rake northern Montana for bad horses, looked with favor
+upon the blue roan when he came to the Flying U ranch and heard the
+tale of his exploits as interpreted&mdash;I should say created&mdash;by Andy
+Green.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;We've got to have him,&quot; he declared enthusiastically. &quot;If he's as bad
+as all that, he'll be the star performer at the contest, and make that
+two-hundred-dollar plum a hard one to pick. Some of these gay boys
+have entered with the erroneous idea that that same plum is hanging
+loose, and all they've got to do is lean up against the tree and it'll
+drop in their mouths. We've got to have that roan. I'll pay you a good
+price for him, Whitmore, if you won't let him go any other way. We've
+got a reporter up there that can do him up brown in a special
+article, and people will come in bunches to see a horse with that kind
+of a pedigree. Is it Green, here, that knows the horse and what he'll
+do? You're sure of him, are you, Green?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Andy took time to roll a cigarette. He had not expected any such
+development as this, and he needed to think of the best way out. All
+he had wanted or intended was to discourage the others from claiming
+the blue roan; he wanted him in his own string. Afterwards, when they
+had pestered him about the roan's record, he admitted to himself that
+he had, maybe, overshot the mark and told it a bit too scarey, and too
+convincingly. Under the spell of fancy he had done more than make the
+roan unpopular as a roundup horse; he had made him a celebrity in the
+way of outlaw horses. And they wanted him in the rough-riding contest!
+Andy, perhaps, had never before been placed in just such a position.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Are you sure of what the horse will do?&quot; Mr. Coleman repeated, seeing
+that Andy was taking a long time to reply.</p>
+
+<p>Andy licked his cigarette, twisted an end and leaned backward while he
+felt in his pocket for a match. From the look of his face you never
+could have told how very uncomfortable he felt &quot;Naw,&quot; he drawled. &quot;I
+ain't never sure of what <i>any</i> hoss will do. I've had too much
+dealings with 'em for any uh that brand uh foolishness.&quot; He lighted
+the cigarette as if that were the only matter in which he took any
+real interest, though he was thinking fast.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Coleman looked nonplussed. &quot;But I thought&mdash;you said&mdash;&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What I said,&quot; Andy retorted evenly, &quot;hit the blue roan two years ago;
+maybe he's reformed since then; I dunno. Nobody's rode him, here.&quot; He
+could not resist a sidelong glance at Happy Jack. &quot;There was some talk
+of it, but it never come to a head.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yuh offered me a hundred dollars&mdash;&quot; Happy Jack began accusingly.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;And yuh never made no move to earn it, that I know of. By gracious,
+yuh all seem to think I ought to <i>mind</i>-read that hoss! I ain't seen
+him for two years. Maybe so, he's a real wolf yet; maybe so, he's a
+sheep.&quot; He threw out both his hands to point the end of the
+argument&mdash;so far as he was concerned&mdash;stuck them deep into his
+trousers' pockets and walked away before he could be betrayed into
+deeper deceit. It did seem to him rather hard that, merely because he
+had wanted the roan badly enough to&mdash;er&mdash;exercise a little diplomacy
+in order to get him, they should keep harping on the subject like
+that. And to have Coleman making medicine to get the roan into that
+contest was, to say the least, sickening. Andy's private belief was
+that a twelve-year-old girl could go round up the milk-cows on that
+horse. He had never known him to make a crooked move, and he had
+ridden beside him all one summer and had seen him in all places and
+under all possible conditions. He was a dandy cow-horse, and dead
+gentle; all this talk made him tired. Andy had forgotten that he
+himself had started the talk.</p>
+
+<p>Coleman went often to the corral when the horses were in, and looked
+at the blue roan. Later he rode on to other ranches where he had heard
+were bad horses, and left the roan for further consideration. When he
+was gone, Andy breathed freer and put his mind to the coming contest
+and the things he meant to do with the purse and with the other
+contestants.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;That Diamond G twister is going t' ride,&quot; Happy Jack announced, one
+day when he came from town. &quot;Some uh the boys was in town and they
+said so. He can ride, too. I betche Andy don't have no picnic gitting
+the purse away from <i>that</i> feller. And Coleman's got that sorrel
+outlaw uh the HS. I betche Andy'll have to pull leather on that one.&quot;
+This was, of course, treason pure and simple; but Happy Jack's
+prophecies were never taken seriously.</p>
+
+<p>Andy simply grinned at him. &quot;Put your money on the Diamond G twister,&quot;
+he advised calmly. &quot;I know him&mdash;he's a good rider, too. His name's
+Billy Roberts. Uh course, I aim to beat him to it, but Happy never
+does like to have a sure-thing. He wants something to hang his jaw
+down over. Put your money on Billy and watch it fade away, Happy.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Aw, gwan. I betche that there sorrel&mdash;&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I rode that there sorrel once, and combed his forelock with both
+spurs alternate,&quot; Andy lied boldly. &quot;He's pickings. Take him back and
+bring me a real hoss.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Happy Jack wavered. &quot;Well, I betche yuh don't pull down that money,&quot;
+he predicted vaguely. &quot;I betche yuh git throwed, or something. It
+don't do to be too blame sure uh nothing.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Whereat Andy laughed derisively and went away whistling. &quot;I wish I was
+as sure uh living till I was a thousand years old, and able to ride
+nine months out of every year of 'em,&quot; he called back to Happy. Then
+he took up the tune where he had left off.</p>
+
+<p>For the days were still crisp at both ends and languorous in the
+middle, and wind and grasses hushed and listened for the coming of
+winter. And because of these things, and his youth and his health, the
+heart of Andy Green was light in his chest and trouble stood afar off
+with its face turned from him.</p>
+
+<p>It was but three days to the opening of the fair when Coleman,
+returning that way from his search for bad horses, clattered, with his
+gleanings and three or four men to help drive them, down the grade to
+the Flying U. And in the Flying U coulee, just across the creek from
+the corrals, still rested the roundup tents for a space. For the
+shipping was over early and work was not urgent, and Chip and the Old
+Man, in their enthusiasm for the rough-riding contest and the entry of
+their own man, had decided to take the wagons and crew entire to
+Great Falls and camp throughout the four days of the fair. The boys
+all wanted to go, anyway, as did everybody else, so that nothing could
+be done till it was over. It was a novel idea, and it tickled the
+humor of the Happy Family.</p>
+
+<p>The &quot;rough string,&quot; as the bad horses were called, was corralled, and
+the men made merry with the roundup crew. Diamond G men they were,
+loudly proclaiming their faith in Billy Roberts, and offering bets
+already against Andy, who listened undisturbed and had very little to
+say. The Happy Family had faith in him, and that was enough. If
+everybody, he told them, believed that he would win, where would be
+the fun of riding and showing them?</p>
+
+<p>It was after their early supper that Coleman came down to camp at the
+heels of Chip and the Old Man. Straightway he sought out Andy like a
+man who has something on his mind; though Andy did not in the least
+know what it was, he recognized the indefinable symptoms and braced
+himself mentally, half suspecting that it was something about that
+blue roan again. He was getting a little bit tired of the blue
+roan&mdash;enough so that, though he had chosen him for his string, he had
+not yet put saddle to his back, but waited until the roundup started
+out once more, when he would ride him in his turn.</p>
+
+<p>It was the blue roan, without doubt. Coleman came to a stop directly
+in front of Andy, and as directly came to the point.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Look here, Green,&quot; he began. &quot;I'm shy on horses for that contest, and
+Whitmore and Bennett say I can have that roan you've got in your
+string. If he's as bad as you claim, I certainly must have him. But
+you seem to have some doubts of what he'll do, and I'd like to see him
+ridden once. Your shingle is out as a broncho-peeler. Will you ride
+him this evening, so I can size him up for that contest?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Andy glanced up under his eyebrows, and then sidelong at the crowd.
+Every man within hearing was paying strict attention, and was eyeing
+him expectantly; for broncho-fighting is a spectacle that never palls.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, I can ride him, if yuh say so,&quot; Andy made cautious answer, &quot;but
+I won't gamble he's a bad hoss <i>now</i>&mdash;that is, bad enough to take to
+the Falls. Yuh don't want to expect&mdash;&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Oh, I don't expect anything&mdash;only I want to see him ridden once.
+Come on, no time like the present. If he's bad, you'll have to ride
+him at the fair, anyhow, and a little practice won't hurt you; and if
+he isn't, I want to know it for sure.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It's a go with me,&quot; Andy said indifferently, though he secretly felt
+much relief. The roan would go off like a pet dog, and he could
+pretend to be somewhat surprised, and declare that he had reformed.
+Bad horses do reform, sometimes, as Andy and every other man in the
+crowd knew. Then there would be no more foolish speculation about the
+cayuse, and Andy could keep him in peace and have a mighty good
+cow-pony, as he had schemed. He smoked a cigarette while Chip was
+having the horses corralled, and then led the way willingly, with
+twenty-five men following expectantly at his heels. Unlike Andy, they
+fully expected an impromptu exhibition of fancy riding. Not all of
+them had seen Andy atop a bad horse, and the Diamond G men, in
+particular, were eager to witness a sample of his skill.</p>
+
+<p>The blue roan submitted to the rope, and there was nothing spectacular
+in the saddling. Andy kept his cigarette between his lips and smiled
+to himself when he saw the saddle bunch hazed out through the gate
+and the big corral left empty of every animal but the blue roan, as
+was customary when a man tackled a horse with the record which he had
+given the poor beast. Also, the sight of twenty-five men roosting
+high, their boot-heels hooked under a corral rail to steady them,
+their faces writ large with expectancy, amused him inwardly. He
+pictured their disappointment when the roan trotted around the corral
+once or twice at his bidding, and smiled again.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;If you can't top him, Green, we'll send for Billy Roberts. <i>He'll</i>
+take off the rough edge and gentle him down for yuh,&quot; taunted a
+Diamond G man.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Don't get excited till the show starts,&quot; Andy advised, holding the
+cigarette in his fingers while he emptied his lungs of smoke. Just to
+make a pretence of caution, he shook the saddle tentatively by the
+horn, and wished the roan would make a little show of resistance,
+instead of standing there like an old cow, lacking only the cud, as he
+complained to himself, to make the resemblance complete. The roan,
+however, did lay back an ear when Andy, the cigarette again in his
+lips, put his toe in the stirrup.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Go after it, you weatherbeaten old saw-buck,&quot; he yelled, just to
+make the play strong, before he was fairly in the saddle.</p>
+
+<p>Then it was that the Happy Family, heart and soul and pocket all for
+Andy Green and his wonderful skill in the saddle; with many dollars
+backing their belief in him and with voices ever ready to sing his
+praises; with the golden light of early sunset all about them and the
+tang of coming night-frost in the air, received a shock that made them
+turn white under their tan.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Mama!&quot; breathed Weary, in a horrified half-whisper.</p>
+
+<p>And Slim, goggle-eyed beside him, blurted, &quot;Well, by <i>golly</i>!&quot; in a
+voice that carried across the corral.</p>
+
+<p>For Andy Green, tamer of wild ones (forsooth!) broncho-twister with a
+fame that not the boundary of Chouteau County held, nor yet the
+counties beyond; Andy Green, erstwhile &quot;Andr&eacute; de Gr&eacute;no, champion
+bare-back rider of the Western Hemisphere,&quot; who had jumped through
+blazing hoops and over sagging bunting while he rode, turned
+handsprings and done other public-drawing feats, was prosaically,
+unequivocally &quot;piled&quot; at the fifth jump!</p>
+
+<p>That he landed lightly on his feet, with the cigarette still between
+his lips, the roosting twenty-five quite overlooked. They saw only the
+first jump, where Andy, riding loose and unguardedly, went up on the
+blue withers. The second, third and fourth jumps were not far enough
+apart to be seen and judged separately; as well may one hope to decide
+whether a whirling wheel had straight or crooked spokes. The fifth
+jump, however, was a masterpiece of rapid-fire contortion, and it was
+important because it left Andy on the ground, gazing, with an
+extremely grieved expression, at the uninterrupted convolutions of the
+&quot;dandy little cow-hoss.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The blue roan never stopped so much as to look back. He was
+busy&mdash;exceedingly busy. He was one of those perverted brutes which
+buck and bawl and so keep themselves wrought up to a high
+pitch&mdash;literally and figuratively. He set himself seriously to throw
+Andy's saddle over his head, and he was not a horse which easily
+accepts defeat. Andy walked around in the middle of the corral, quite
+aimlessly, and watched the roan contort. He could not understand in
+the least, and his amazement overshadowed, for the moment, the fact
+that he had been thrown and that in public and before men of the
+Diamond G.</p>
+
+<p>Then it was that the men of the Diamond G yelled shrill words of
+ironical sympathy. Then it was that the Happy Family looked at one
+another in shamed silence, and to the taunts of the Diamond Gs made no
+reply. It had never occurred to them that such a thing could happen.
+Had they not seen Andy ride, easily and often? Had they not heard from
+Pink how Andy had performed that difficult feat at the Rocking R&mdash;the
+feat of throwing his horse flat in the middle of a jump? They waited
+until the roan, leaving the big corral looking, in the fast deepening
+twilight, like a fresh-ploughed field, stopped dejectedly and stood
+with his nose against the closed gate, and then climbed slowly down
+from the top rail of the corral, still silent with the silence more
+eloquent than speech in any known language.</p>
+
+<p>Over by the gate, Andy was yanking savagely at the latigo; and he,
+also, had never a word to say. He was still wondering how it had
+happened. He looked the roan over critically and shook his head
+against the riddle; for he had known him to be a quiet, dependable,
+all-round good horse, with no bad traits and an easy-going disposition
+that fretted at nothing. A high-strung, nervous beast might, from
+rough usage and abuse, go &quot;bad&quot;; but the blue roan&mdash;they had called
+him Pardner&mdash;had never showed the slightest symptom of nerves. Andy
+knew horses as he knew himself. That a horse like Pardner should, in
+two years, become an evil-tempered past-master in such devilish
+pitching as that, was past belief.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I guess he'll do, all right,&quot; spoke Coleman at his elbow. &quot;I've seen
+horses pitch, and I will say that he's got some specialties that are
+worth exhibiting.&quot; Then, as a polite way of letting Andy down easy, he
+added, &quot;I don't wonder you couldn't connect.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Connect&mdash;<i>hell</i>!&quot; It was Andy's first realization of what his failure
+meant to the others. He left off wondering about the roan, and faced
+the fact that he had been thrown, fair and square, and that before an
+audience of twenty-five pairs of eyes which had seen rough riding
+before, and which had expected of him something better than they were
+accustomed to seeing.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I reckon Billy Roberts will have to work on that cayuse a while,&quot;
+fleered a Diamond G man, coming over to them. &quot;He'll gentle him down
+so that anybody&mdash;<i>even Green</i>, can ride him!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Andy faced him hotly, opened his mouth for sharp reply, and closed it.
+He had been &quot;piled.&quot; Nothing that he could say might alter that fact,
+nor explanations lighten the disgrace. He turned and went out the
+gate, carrying his saddle and bridle with him.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Aw&mdash;and you was goin' t' ride in that contest!&quot; wailed Happy Jack
+recriminatingly. &quot;And I've got forty dollars up on yuh!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Shut up!&quot; snapped Pink in his ear, heart-broken but loyal to the
+last. &quot;Yuh going to blat around and let them Diamond Gs give yuh the
+laugh? Hunt up something you can use for a backbone till they get out
+uh camp, for Heaven's sake! Andy's our man. So help me, Josephine, if
+anybody goes rubbing it in where I can hear, he'll get his face
+punched!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Say, I guess we ain't let down on our faces, or anything!&quot; sighed Cal
+Emmett, coming up to them. &quot;I thought Andy could ride! Gee whiz, but
+it was fierce! Why, <i>Happy</i> could make a better ride than that!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;By golly, I want t' have a talk with that there broncho-tamer,&quot; Slim
+growled behind them. &quot;I got money on him. Is he goin t' ride for that
+purse? 'Cause if he is, I ain't going a foot.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>These and other remarks of a like nature made up the clamor that
+surged in the ears of Andy as he went, disgraced and alone, up to the
+deserted bunk-house where he need not hear what they were saying. He
+knew, deep in his heart, that he could ride that horse. He had been
+thrown because of his own unpardonable carelessness&mdash;a carelessness
+which he could not well explain to the others. He himself had given
+the roan an evil reputation; a reputation that, so far as he knew, was
+libel pure and simple. To explain now that he was thrown simply
+because he never dreamed the horse would pitch, and so was taken
+unaware, would simply be to insult their intelligence. He was not
+supposed, after mounting a horse like that, to be taken unaware. He
+might, of course, say that he had lied all along&mdash;but he had no
+intention of making any confession like that. Even if he did, they
+would not believe him. Altogether, it was a very unhappy young man
+who slammed his spurs into a far corner and kicked viciously a box he
+had stumbled over in the dusk.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Trying to bust the furniture?&quot; it was the voice of the Old Man at the
+door.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;By gracious, it seems I can't bust <i>bronks</i> no more,&quot; Andy made
+rueful reply. &quot;I reckon I'll just about have to bust the furniture or
+nothing.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The Old Man chuckled and came inside, sought the box Andy had kicked,
+and sat down upon it. Through the open door came the jumble of many
+voices upraised in fruitless argument, and with it the chill of frost.
+The Old Man fumbled for his pipe, filled it and scratched a match
+sharply on the box. In the flare of it Andy watched his kind old face
+with its fringe of grayish hair and its deep-graven lines of whimsical
+humor.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Doggone them boys, they ain't got the stayin' qualities I give 'em
+credit for having,&quot; he remarked, holding up the match and looking
+across at Andy, humped disconsolately in the shadows. &quot;Them Diamond G
+men has just about got 'em on the run, right now. Yuh couldn't get a
+hundred-t'-one bet, down there.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Andy merely grunted.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Say,&quot; asked the Old Man suddenly. &quot;Didn't yuh kinda mistake that
+blue roan for his twin brother, Pardner? This here cayuse is called
+Weaver. I tried t' get hold of t'other one, but doggone 'em, they
+wouldn't loosen up. Pardner wasn't for sale at no price, but they
+talked me into buying the Weaver; they claimed he's just about as good
+a horse, once he's tamed down some&mdash;and I thought, seein' I've got
+some real <i>tamers</i> on my pay-roll, I'd take a chance on him. I thought
+yuh knew the horse&mdash;the way yuh read up his pedigree&mdash;till I seen yuh
+mount him. Why, doggone it, yuh straddled him like yuh was just
+climbing a fence! Maybe yuh know your own business best&mdash;but didn't
+yuh kinda mistake him for Pardner? They're as near alike as two
+bullets run in the same mold&mdash;as far as <i>looks</i> go.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Andy got up and went to the door, and stood looking down the
+dusk-muffled hill to the white blotch which was the camp; listened to
+the jumble of voices still upraised in fruitless argument, and turned
+to the Old Man.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;By gracious, that accounts for a whole lot,&quot; he said ambiguously.</p>
+
+<h3>II</h3>
+
+<p>&quot;I don't see,&quot; said Cal Emmett crossly, &quot;what's the use uh this whole
+outfit trailing up to that contest. If I was Chip, I'd call the deal
+off and start gathering calves. It ain't as if we had a man to ride
+for that belt and purse. Ain't your leg well enough to tackle it,
+Pink?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No,&quot; Pink answered shortly, &quot;it ain't.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Riding the rough bunch they've rounded up for that contest ain't
+going to be any picnic,&quot; Weary defended his chum. &quot;Cadwolloper would
+need two good legs to go up against that deal.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I wish Irish was here,&quot; Pink gloomed. &quot;I'd be willing to back him;
+all right. But it's too late now; he couldn't enter if he was here.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>A voice behind them spoke challengingly. &quot;I don't believe it would be
+etiquette for one outfit to enter <i>two</i> peelers. One's enough, ain't
+it?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The Happy Family turned coldly upon the speaker. It was Slim who
+answered for them all. &quot;I dunno as this outfit has got <i>any</i> peeler in
+that contest. By golly, it don't look like it since las' night!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Weary was gentle, as always, but he was firm. &quot;We kinda thought you'd
+want to withdraw,&quot; he added.</p>
+
+<p>Andy Green, tamer of wild ones, turned and eyed Weary curiously. One
+might guess, from telltale eyes and mouth, that his calmness did not
+go very deep. &quot;I don't recollect mentioning that I was busy penning
+any letter uh withdrawal,&quot; he said. &quot;I got my sights raised to that
+purse and that belt. I don't recollect saying anything about lowering
+'em.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Aw, gwan. I guess <i>I'll</i> try for that purse, too! I betche I got as
+good a show as&mdash;&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Sure. Help yourself, it don't cost nothing. I don't doubt but what
+you'd make a real pretty ride, Happy.&quot; Andy's tone was deceitfully
+hearty. He did not sound in the least as if he would like to choke
+Happy Jack, though that was his secret longing.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Aw, gwan. I betche I could make as purty a ride as we've
+saw&mdash;lately.&quot; Happy Jack did not quite like to make the thing too
+personal, for fear of what might happen after.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yuh mean last night, don't yuh?&quot; purred Andy.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, by golly, I wish you'd tell us what yuh done it for!&quot; Slim cut
+in disgustedly. &quot;It was nacherlay supposed you could ride; we got
+<i>money</i> up on yuh! And then, by golly, to go and make a fluke like
+that before them Diamond G men&mdash;to go and let that blue roan pile yuh
+up b'fore he'd got rightly started t' pitch&mdash;If yuh'd stayed with him
+till he got t' swappin' ends there, it wouldn't uh looked quite so
+bad. But t' go and git throwed down right in the start&mdash;By golly!&quot;
+Slim faced Andy accusingly. &quot;B'fore them Diamond G men&mdash;and I've got
+money up, by golly!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yuh ain't lost any money yet, have yuh?&quot; Andy inquired patiently.
+What Andy felt like doing was to &quot;wade into the bunch&quot;; reason,
+however, told him that he had it coming from them, and to take his
+medicine, since he could not well explain just how it had happened. He
+could not in reason wonder that the faith of the Happy Family was
+shattered and that they mourned as lost the money they had already
+rashly wagered on the outcome of the contest. The very completeness of
+their faith in him, their very loyalty, seemed to them their undoing,
+for to them the case was plain enough. If Andy could not ride the blue
+roan in their own corral, how was he to ride that same blue roan in
+Great Falls? Or, if he could ride him, how could any sane man hope
+that he could win the purse and the belt under the stringent rules of
+the contest, where &quot;riding on the spurs,&quot; &quot;pulling leather&quot; and a
+dozen other things were barred? So Andy, under the sting of their
+innuendoes and blunt reproaches, was so patient as to seem to them
+cowed.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No, I ain't lost any yet, but by golly, I can see it fixin' to fly,&quot;
+Slim retorted heavily.</p>
+
+<p>Andy looked around at the others, and smiled as sarcastically as was
+possible considering the mood he was in. &quot;It sure does amuse me,&quot; he
+observed, &quot;to see growed men cryin' before they're hurt! By gracious,
+I expect t' make a stake out uh that fall! I can get long odds from
+them Diamond Gs, and from anybody they get a chance to talk to. I'm
+kinda planning,&quot; he lied boldly, &quot;to winter in an orange grove and
+listen at the birds singing, after I'm through with the deal.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I reckon yuh can count on hearing the birds sing, all right,&quot; Pink
+snapped back. &quot;It'll be <i>tra-la-la</i> for yours, if last night's a fair
+sample uh what yuh expect to do with the blue roan.&quot; Pink walked
+abruptly away, looking very much like a sulky cherub.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I s'pose yuh're aiming to give us the impression that you're going
+to ride, just the same,&quot; said Cal Emmett.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I sure am,&quot; came brief reply. Andy was beginning to lose his temper.
+He had expected that the Happy Family would &quot;throw it into him,&quot; to a
+certain extent, and he had schooled himself to take their drubbing.
+What he had not expected was their unfriendly attitude, which went
+beyond mere disappointment and made his offence&mdash;if it could be called
+that&mdash;more serious than the occasion would seem to warrant. Perhaps
+Jack Bates unwittingly made plain the situation when he remarked:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I hate to turn down one of our bunch; we've kinda got in the habit uh
+hanging together and backing each other's play, regardless. But darn
+it, we ain't millionaires, none of us&mdash;and gambling, it is a sin. I've
+got enough up already to keep me broke for six months if I lose, and
+the rest are in about the same fix. I ain't raising no long howl,
+Andy, but you can see yourself where we're kinda bashful about sinking
+any more on yuh than what we have. Maybe you can ride; I've heard yuh
+can, and I've seen yuh make some fair rides, myself. But yuh sure
+fell down hard last night, and my faith in yuh got a jolt that fair
+broke its back. If yuh done it deliberate, for reasons we don't know,
+for Heaven's sake say so, and we'll take your word for it and forget
+your rep for lying. On the dead, Andy, did yuh fall off deliberate?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Andy bit his lip. His conscience had a theory of its own about
+truth-telling, and permitted him to make strange assertions at times.
+Still, there were limitations. The Happy Family was waiting for his
+answer, and he knew instinctively that they would believe him now. For
+a moment, temptation held him. Then he squared his shoulders and spoke
+truly.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;On the dead, I hit the ground unexpected and inadvertant. I&mdash;&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;If that's the case, then the farther yuh keep away from that contest
+the better&mdash;if yuh ask <i>me</i>.&quot; Jack turned on his heel and followed
+Pink.</p>
+
+<p>Andy stared after him moodily, then glanced at the rest. With one
+accord they avoided meeting his gaze. &quot;Damn a bunch uh quitters!&quot; he
+flared hotly, and left them, to hunt up the Old Man and Chip&mdash;one or
+both, it did not matter to him.</p>
+
+<p>Pink it was who observed the Old Man writing a check for Andy. He
+took it that Andy had called for his time, and when Andy rolled his
+bed and stowed it away in the bunk-house, saddled a horse and rode up
+the grade toward town, the whole outfit knew for a certainty that Andy
+had quit.</p>
+
+<p>Before many hours had passed they, too, saddled and rode away, with
+the wagons and the cavvy following after&mdash;and they were headed for
+Great Falls and the fair there to be held; or, more particularly, the
+rough-riding contest to which they had looked forward eagerly and with
+much enthusiasm, and which they were now approaching gloomily and in
+deep humiliation. Truly, it would be hard to find a situation more
+galling to the pride of the Happy Family.</p>
+
+<p>But Andy Green had not called for his time, and he had no intention of
+quitting; for Andy was also suffering from that uncomfortable malady
+which we call hurt pride, and for it he knew but one remedy&mdash;a remedy
+which he was impatient to apply. Because of the unfriendly attitude of
+the Happy Family, Andy had refused to take them into his confidence,
+or to ride with them to the fair. Instead, he had drawn what money was
+still placed to his credit on the pay-roll, had taken a horse and his
+riding outfit and gone away to Dry Lake, where he intended to take the
+train for Great Falls.</p>
+
+<p>In Dry Lake, however, he found that the story of his downfall had
+preceded him, thanks to the exultant men of the Diamond G, and that
+the tale had not shrunk in the telling. Dry Lake jeered him as openly
+as it dared, and part of it&mdash;that part which had believed in him&mdash;was
+quite as unfriendly as was the Happy Family. To a man they took it for
+granted that he would withdraw from the contest, and they were not
+careful to conceal what they thought. Andy found himself rather left
+alone, and he experienced more than once the unpleasant sensation of
+having conversation suddenly lag when he came near, and of seeing
+groups of men dissolve awkwardly at his approach. Andy, before he had
+been in town an hour, was in a mood to do violence.</p>
+
+<p>For that reason he kept his plans rigidly to himself. When someone
+asked him if he had quit the outfit, he had returned gruffly that the
+Flying U was not the only cow-outfit in the country, and let the
+questioner interpret it as he liked. When the train that had its nose
+pointed to the southwest slid into town, Andy did not step on, as had
+been his intention. He remained idly leaning over the bar in Rusty
+Brown's place, and gave no heed. Later, when the eastbound came
+schreeching through at midnight, it found Andy Green on the platform
+with his saddle, bridle, chaps, quirt and spurs neatly sacked, and
+with a ticket for Havre in his pocket. So the wise ones said that they
+knew Andy would never have the nerve to show up at the fair, after the
+fluke he had made at the Flying U ranch, and those whose pockets were
+not interested considered it a very good joke.</p>
+
+<p>At Havre, Andy bought another ticket and checked the sack which held
+his riding outfit; the ticket had Great Falls printed on it in bold,
+black lettering. So that he was twelve hours late in reaching his
+original destination, and to avoid unwelcome discovery and comment he
+took the sleeper and immediately ordered his berth made up, that he
+might pass through Dry Lake behind the sheltering folds of the berth
+curtains. Not that there was need of this elaborate subterfuge. He was
+simply mad clear through and did not want to see or hear the voice of
+any man he knew. Besides, the days when he had danced in spangled
+tights upon the broad, gray rump of a galloping horse while a
+sober-clothed man in the middle of the ring cracked a whip and yelped
+commands, had bred in him the unconscious love of a spectacular entry
+and a dramatic finish.</p>
+
+<p>That is why he sought out the most obscure rooming house that gave any
+promise of decency and comfort, and stayed off Central Avenue and away
+from its loitering groups of range dwellers who might know him. That
+is why he hired a horse and rode early and alone to the fair grounds
+on the opening day, and avoided, by a roundabout trail a certain
+splotch of gray-white against the brown of the prairie, which he knew
+instinctively to be the camp of the Flying U outfit, which had made
+good time and were located to their liking near the river. Andy felt a
+tightening of the chest when he saw the familiar tents, and kicked his
+hired horse ill-naturedly in the ribs. It was all so different from
+what he had thought it would be.</p>
+
+<p>In those last two weeks, he had pictured himself riding vaingloriously
+through town on his best horse, with a new Navajo saddle-blanket
+making a dab of bright color, and a new Stetson hat dimpled
+picturesquely as to crown and tilted rakishly over one eye, and with
+his silver-mounted spurs catching the light; around him would ride the
+Happy Family, also in gala attire and mounted upon the best horses in
+their several strings. The horses would not approve of the
+street-cars, and would circle and back&mdash;and it was quite possible,
+even probable, that there would be some pitching and some pretty
+riding before the gaping populace which did not often get a chance to
+view the real thing. People would stop and gaze while they went
+clattering by, and he, Andy Green, would be pointed out by the knowing
+ones as a fellow that was going to ride in the contest and that stood
+a good chance of winning. For Andy was but human, that he dreamed of
+these things; besides, does not the jumping through blazing hoops and
+over sagging bunting while one rides, whet insiduously one's appetite
+for the plaudits of the crowd?</p>
+
+<p>The reality was different. He was in Great Falls, but he had not
+ridden vaingloriously down Central Avenue surrounded by the Happy
+Family, and watched by the gaping populace. Instead, he had chosen a
+side street and he had ridden alone, and no one had seemed to know or
+care who he might be. His horse had not backed, wild-eyed, before an
+approaching car, and he had not done any pretty riding. Instead, his
+horse had scarce turned an eye toward the jangling bell when he
+crossed the track perilously close to the car, and he had gone
+&quot;side-wheeling&quot; decorously down the street&mdash;and Andy hated a pacing
+horse. The Happy Family was in town, but he did not know where. Andy
+kicked his horse into a gallop and swore bitterly that he did not
+care. He did not suppose that they gave him a thought, other than
+those impelled by their jeopardized pockets. And that, he assured
+himself pessimistically, is friendship!</p>
+
+<p>He tied the hired horse to the fence and went away to the stables and
+fraternized with a hump-backed jockey who knew a few things himself
+about riding and was inclined to talk unprofessionally. It was not at
+all as Andy had pictured the opening day, but he got through the time
+somehow until the crowd gathered and the racing began. Then he showed
+himself in the crowd of &quot;peelers&quot; and their friends, as unconcernedly
+as he might; and as unobtrusively. The Happy Family, he observed, was
+not there, though he met Chip face to face and had a short talk with
+him. Chip was the only one, aside from the Old Man, who really
+understood. Billy Roberts was there, and he greeted Andy
+commiseratingly, as one speaks to the sick or to one in mourning; the
+tone made Andy grind his teeth, though he knew in his heart that Billy
+Roberts wished him well&mdash;up to the point of losing the contest to him,
+which was beyond human nature. Billy Roberts was a rider and knew&mdash;or
+thought he knew&mdash;just how &quot;sore&quot; Andy must be feeling. Also, in the
+kindness of his heart he tried blunderingly to hide his knowledge.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Going up against the rough ones?&quot; he queried with careful
+carelessness, in the hope of concealing that he had heard the tale of
+Andy's disgrace.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I sure am,&quot; Andy returned laconically, with no attempt to conceal
+anything.</p>
+
+<p>Billy Roberts opened his eyes wide, and his mouth a little before he
+recovered from his surprise. &quot;Well, good luck to yuh,&quot; he managed to
+say, &quot;only so yuh don't beat me to it. I was kinda hoping yuh was too
+bashful to get out and ride before all the ladies.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Andy, remembering his days in the sawdust ring, smiled queerly; but
+his heart warmed to Billy Roberts amazingly.</p>
+
+<p>They were leaning elbows on the fence below the grand stand, watching
+desultorily the endless preparatory manoeuvres of three men astride
+the hind legs of three pacers in sulkies. &quot;This side-wheeling business
+gives me a pain,&quot; Billy remarked, as the pacers ambled by for the
+fourth or fifth time. &quot;I like <i>caballos</i> that don't take all day to
+wind 'em up before they go. I been looking over our bunch. They's
+horses in that corral that are sure going to do things to us twenty
+peelers!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;By gracious, yes!&quot; Andy was beginning to feel himself again. &quot;That
+blue hoss&mdash;uh course yuh heard how he got me, and heard it with
+trimmings&mdash;yuh may think he's a man-eater; but while he's a bad hoss,
+all right, he ain't the one that'll get yuh. Yuh want t' watch out,
+Billy, for that HS sorrel. He's plumb wicked. He's got a habit uh
+throwing himself backwards. They're keeping it quiet, maybe&mdash;but I've
+seen him do it three times in one summer.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;All right&mdash;thanks. I didn't know that. But the blue roan&mdash;&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The blue roan'll pitch and bawl and swap ends on yuh and raise hell
+all around, but he can be rode. That festive bunch up in the reserve
+seats'll think it's awful, and that the HS sorrel is a lady's hoss
+alongside him, but a real rider can wear him out. But that
+sorrel&mdash;when yuh think yuh got him beat, Billy, is when yuh want to
+watch out!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Billy turned his face away from a rolling dustcloud that came down the
+home stretch with the pacers, and looked curiously at Andy. Twice he
+started to speak and did not finish. Then: &quot;A man can be a sure-enough
+rider, and get careless and let a horse pile him off him when he ain't
+looking, just because he knows he can ride that horse,&quot; he said with a
+certain diffidence.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;By gracious, yes!&quot; Andy assented emphatically. And that was the
+nearest they came to discussing a delicate matter which was in the
+minds of both.</p>
+
+<p>Andy was growing more at ease and feeling more optimistic every
+minute. Three men still believed in him, which was much. Also, the
+crowd could not flurry him as it did some of the others who were not
+accustomed to so great an audience; rather, it acted as a tonic and
+brought back the poise, the easy self-confidence which had belonged to
+one Andr&eacute; de Gr&eacute;no, champion bareback rider. So that, when the
+rough-riding began, Andy's nerves were placidly asleep.</p>
+
+<p>At the corral in the infield, where the horses and men were
+foregathered, Andy met Slim and Happy Jack; but beyond his curt
+&quot;Hello&quot; and an amazed &quot;Well, by golly!&quot; from Slim, no words passed.
+Across the corral he glimpsed some of the others&mdash;Pink and Weary, and
+farther along, Cal Emmett and Jack Bates; but they made no sign if
+they saw him, and he did not go near them. He did not know when his
+turn would come to ride, and he had a horse to saddle at the command
+of the powers that were. Coleman, the man who had collected the
+horses, almost ran over him. He said &quot;Hello, Green,&quot; and passed on,
+for his haste was great.</p>
+
+<p>Horse after horse was saddled and led perforce out into the open of
+the infield; man after man mounted, with more or less trouble, and
+rode to triumph or defeat. Billy Roberts was given a white-eyed little
+bay, and did some great riding. The shouts and applause from the grand
+stand rolled out to them in a great wave of sound. Billy mastered the
+brute and rode him back to the corral white-faced and with beads of
+sweat standing thick on his forehead.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It ain't going to be such damn' easy money&mdash;that two hundred,&quot; he
+confided pantingly to Andy, who stood near. &quot;The fellow that gets it
+will sure have to earn it.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Andy nodded and moved out where he could get a better view. Then
+Coleman came and informed him hurriedly that he came next, and Andy
+went back to his place. The horse he was to ride he had never seen
+before that day. He was a long-legged brown, with scanty mane and a
+wicked, rolling eye. He looked capable of almost any deviltry, but
+Andy did not give much time to speculating upon what he would try to
+do. He was still all eyes to the infield where his predecessor was
+gyrating. Then a sudden jump loosened him so that he grabbed the
+horn&mdash;and it was all over with that particular applicant, so far as
+the purse and the championship belt were concerned. He was out of the
+contest, and presently he was also back at the corral, explaining
+volubly&mdash;and uselessly&mdash;just how it came about. He appeared to have a
+very good reason for &quot;pulling leather,&quot; but Andy was not listening and
+only thought absently that the fellow was a fool to make a talk for
+himself.</p>
+
+<p>Andy was clutching the stirrup and watching a chance to put his toe
+into it, and the tall brown horse was circling backwards with
+occasional little side-jumps. When it was quite clear that the horse
+did not mean to be mounted, Andy reached out his hand, got a rope from
+somebody&mdash;he did not know who, though, as a matter of fact, it was
+Pink who gave it&mdash;and snared a front foot; presently the brown was
+standing upon three legs instead of four, and the gaping populace
+wondered how it was done, and craned necks to see. After that, though
+the horse still circled backwards, Andy got the stirrup and put his
+toe in it and went up so easily that the ignorant might think anybody
+could do it. He dropped the rope and saw that it was Pink who picked
+it up.</p>
+
+<p>The brown at first did nothing at all. Then he gave a spring straight
+ahead and ran fifty yards or so, stopped and began to pitch. Three
+jumps and he ran again; stopped and reared. It was very pretty to look
+at, but Happy Jack could have ridden him, or Slim, or any other range
+rider. In two minutes the brown was sulking, and it took severe
+spurring to bring him back to the corral. Pitch he would not. The
+crowd applauded, but Andy felt cheated and looked as he felt.</p>
+
+<p>Pink edged toward him, but Andy was not in the mood for reconciliation
+and kept out of his way. Others of the Happy Family came near, at
+divers times and places, as if they would have speech with him, but he
+thought he knew about what they would say, and so was careful not to
+give them a chance. When the excitement was all over for that day he
+got his despised hired horse and went back to town with Billy Roberts,
+because it was good to have a friend and because they wanted to talk
+about the riding. Billy did not tell Andy, either, that he had had
+hard work getting away from his own crowd; for Billy was kind-hearted
+and had heard a good deal, because he had been talking with Happy
+Jack. His sympathy was not with the Happy Family, either.</p>
+
+<p>On the second afternoon, such is effect of rigid winnowing, there were
+but nine men to ride. The fellow who had grabbed the saddle horn,
+together with ten others, stood among the spectators and made caustic
+remarks about the management, the horses, the nine who were left and
+the whole business in general. Andy grinned a little and wondered if
+he would stand among them on the morrow and make remarks. He was not
+worrying about it, though. He said hello to Weary, Pink and Cal
+Emmett, and saddled a kicking, striking brute from up Sweetgrass way.</p>
+
+<p>On this day the horses were wickeder, and one man came near getting
+his neck broken. As it was, his collar-bone snapped and he was carried
+off the infield on a stretcher and hurried to the hospital; which did
+not tend to make the other riders feel more cheerful. Andy noted that
+it was the HS sorrel which did the mischief, and glanced meaningly
+across at Billy Roberts.</p>
+
+<p>Then it was his turn with the striking, kicking gray, and he mounted
+and prepared for what might come. The gray was an artist in his line,
+and pitched &quot;high, wide and crooked&quot; in the most approved fashion. But
+Andy, being also an artist of a sort, rode easily and with a grace
+that brought much hand-clapping from the crowd. Only the initiated
+reserved their praise till further trial; for though the gray was not
+to say gentle, and though it took skill to ride him, there were a
+dozen, probably twice as many, men in the crowd who could have done as
+well.</p>
+
+<p>The Happy Family, drawn together from habit and because they could
+speak their minds more freely, discussed Andy gravely among
+themselves. Betting was growing brisk, and if their faith had not
+been so shaken they could have got long odds on Andy.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I betche he don't win out,&quot; Happy Jack insisted with characteristic
+gloom. &quot;Yuh wait till he goes up agin that blue roan. They're savin'
+that roan till the las' day&mdash;and I betche Andy'll git him. If he hangs
+on till the las' day.&quot; Happy Jack laughed ironically as he made the
+provision.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Any you fellows got money yuh want to put up on this deal?&quot; came the
+voice of Andy behind them.</p>
+
+<p>They turned, a bit shamefaced, toward him.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Aw, I betche&mdash;&quot; began Happy.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;That's what I'm here for,&quot; cut in Andy. &quot;What I've got goes
+up&mdash;saddle, spurs&mdash;<i>all</i> I've got. You've done a lot uh mourning, now
+here's a chance to break even on <i>me</i>. Speak up.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The Happy Family hesitated.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I guess I'll stay out,&quot; dimpled Pink. &quot;I don't just savvy your play,
+Andy, and if I lose on yuh&mdash;why, it won't be the first time I ever
+went broke.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, by golly, <i>I'll</i> take a chance,&quot; bellowed Slim, whose voice was
+ever pitched to carry long distances in a high wind. &quot;I'll bet yuh
+fifty dollars yuh don't pull down that belt or purse. By golly,
+there's two or three men here that can <i>ride</i>.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;There's only one that'll be the real star,&quot; smiled Andy with
+unashamed egotism. &quot;Happy, how rich do <i>you</i> want to get off me?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Happy said a good deal and &quot;betche&quot; several things would
+happen&mdash;things utterly inconsistent with one another. In the end, Andy
+pinned him down to twenty dollars against Andy's silver-mounted
+spurs&mdash;which was almost a third more than the spurs were worth; but
+Andy had no sympathy for Happy Jack and stuck to the price doggedly
+until Happy gave in.</p>
+
+<p>Jack Bates advertised his lack of faith in Andy ten dollars worth, and
+Cal Emmett did the same. Irish, coming in on the afternoon train and
+drifting instinctively to the vicinity of the Happy Family, cursed
+them all impartially for a bunch of quitters, slapped Andy on the back
+and with characteristic impetuosity offered a hundred dollars to
+anybody who dared take him up, that Andy would win. And this after he
+had heard the tale of the blue roan and before they told him about the
+two rides already made in the contest.</p>
+
+<p>It is true that Happy Jack endeavored to expostulate, but Irish
+glared at him in a way to make Happy squirm and stammer incoherently.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I've heard all about it,&quot; Irish cut in, &quot;and I don't have to hear any
+more. I know a rider when I see one, and my money's on Andy from start
+to finish. You make me sick. Weary, have <i>you</i> gone against our man?&quot;
+The tone was a challenge in itself.</p>
+
+<p>Weary grinned goodnaturedly. &quot;I haven't pulled down any bets,&quot; he
+answered mildly, &quot;and I haven't put up my last cent and don't intend
+to. I'm an engaged young man.&quot; He shrugged his shoulders to point the
+moral. &quot;I sure do hope Andy'll win out,&quot; he added simply.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;<i>Hope</i>? Why, damn it, yuh <i>know</i> he'll win!&quot; stormed Irish.</p>
+
+<p>Men in their vicinity caught the belligerence of the tone and turned
+about, thinking there was trouble, and the Happy Family subsided into
+quieter discussion. In the end Irish, discovering that Andy had for
+the time being forsworn the shelter of the Flying U tents, stuck by
+him loyally and forswore it also, and went with Andy to share the
+doubtful comfort of the obscure lodging house. For Irish was all or
+nothing, and to find the Happy Family publicly opposed&mdash;or at most
+neutral&mdash;to a Flying U man in a rough-riding contest like this,
+incensed him much.</p>
+
+<p>The Happy Family began to feel less sure of themselves and a bit
+ashamed&mdash;though of just what, they were not quite clear, for surely
+they had reason a-plenty for doubting Andy Green.</p>
+
+<p>The last day found the Happy Family divided against itself and growing
+a bit venomous in its remarks. Andy had not as yet done anything
+remarkable, except perhaps keep in the running when the twenty had
+been culled to three: Billy Roberts, Andy and a man from the
+Yellowstone Valley, called Gopher by his acquaintances. Accident and
+untoward circumstances had thrown out the others&mdash;good riders all of
+them, or they would not have been there. Happy Jack proclaimed loudly
+in camp that Andy was still in because Andy had not had a real bad
+horse. &quot;I seen Coleman looking over the blue roan and talkin' to them
+guys that runs things; they're goin' t' put Andy on him t-day, I
+betche&mdash;and we seen how he can <i>ride</i> him! Piled in a heap&mdash;&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Not exactly,&quot; Pink interrupted. &quot;I seem to remember Andy lighting on
+his feet; and he was smoking when he started, and smoking when he
+quit. It didn't strike me at the time, but that's kinda funny, don't
+yuh think?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>So Pink went back to his first faith, and the Happy Family straightway
+became loud and excited over the question of whether Andy did really
+light upon his feet, or jumped up immediately, and whether he kept his
+cigarette or made a new one. The discussion carried them to the fair
+grounds and remained just where it started, so far as any amicable
+decision was concerned.</p>
+
+<p>Now this is a fair and true report of that last day's riding: There
+being but the three riders, and the excitement growing apace, the
+rough-riding was put first on the program and men struggled for the
+best places and the best view of the infield.</p>
+
+<p>In the beginning, Andy drew the HS sorrel and Billy Roberts the blue
+roan. Gopher, the Yellowstone man, got a sulky little buckskin that
+refused to add one whit to the excitement, so that he was put back and
+another one brought. This other proved to be the wicked-eyed brown
+which Andy had ridden the first day. Only this day the brown was in
+different mood and pitched so viciously that Gopher lost control in
+the rapid-fire changes, and rode wild, being all over the horse and
+everywhere but on the ground. He did not pull leather, however though
+he was accused by some of riding on his spurs at the last. At any
+rate, Andy and Billy Roberts felt that the belt lay between
+themselves, and admitted as much privately.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;You've sure got to ride like a wild man if yuh beat me to it,&quot;
+grinned Billy.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;By gracious, I'm after it like a wolf myself,&quot; Andy retorted. &quot;Yuh
+know how I'm fixed&mdash;I've just got to have it, Bill.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Billy, going out to ride, made no reply except a meaning head-shake.
+And Billy certainly rode, that day; for the blue roan did his worst
+and his best. To describe the performance, however, would be to invent
+many words to supply a dearth in the language. Billy rode the blue
+roan back to the corral, and he had broken none of the stringent rules
+of the contest&mdash;which is saying much for Billy.</p>
+
+<p>When Andy went out&mdash;shot out, one might say&mdash;on the sorrel, the Happy
+Family considered him already beaten because of the remarkable riding
+of Billy. When the sorrel began pitching the gaping populace, grown
+wise overnight in these things, said that he was <i>e-a-s-y</i>&mdash;which he
+was not. He fought as some men fight; with brain as well as muscle,
+cunningly, malignantly. He would stop and stand perfectly still for a
+few seconds, and then spring viciously whichever way would seem to him
+most unexpected; for he was not bucking from fright as most horses do
+but because he hated men and would do them injury if he could.</p>
+
+<p>When the crowd thought him worn out, so that he stood with head
+drooping all that Andy would permit, then it was that Andy grew most
+wary. It was as he had said. Of a sudden, straight into the air leaped
+the sorrel, reared and went backward in a flash of red. But as he
+went, his rider slipped to one side, and when he struck the ground
+Andy struck also&mdash;on his feet. &quot;Get up, darn yuh,&quot; he muttered, and
+when the sorrel gathered himself together and jumped up, he was much
+surprised to find Andy in the saddle again.</p>
+
+<p>Then it was that the HS sorrel went mad and pitched as he had never,
+even when building his record, pitched before. Then it was that Andy,
+his own temper a bit roughened by the murderous brute, rode as he had
+not ridden for many a day; down in the saddle, his quirt keeping time
+with the jumps. He was just settling himself to &quot;drag it out of him
+proper,&quot; when one of the judges, on horseback in the field, threw up
+his hand.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Get off!&quot; he shouted, galloping closer. &quot;That horse's got to be rode
+again to-day. You've done enough this time.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>So Andy, watching his chance, jumped off when the sorrel stopped for a
+few seconds of breath, and left him unconquered and more murderous
+than ever. A man with a megaphone was announcing that the contest was
+yet undecided, and that Green and Roberts would ride again later in
+the afternoon.</p>
+
+<p>Andy passed the Happy Family head in air, stopped a minute to exchange
+facetious threats with Billy Roberts, and went with Irish to roost
+upon the fence near the judge's stand to watch the races. The Happy
+Family kept sedulously away from the two and tried to grow interested
+in other things until the final test.</p>
+
+<p>It came, when Billy Roberts, again first, mounted the HS sorrel, still
+in murderous mood and but little the worse for his previous battle.
+What he had done with Andy he repeated, and added much venom to the
+repetition. Again he threw himself backward, which Billy expected and
+so got clear and remounted as he scrambled up. After that, the sorrel
+simply pitched so hard and so fast that he loosened Billy a bit; not
+much, but enough to &quot;show daylight&quot; between rider and saddle for two
+or three high, crooked jumps. One stirrup he lost, rode a jump without
+it and by good luck regained it as it flew against his foot. It was
+great riding, and a gratifying roar of applause swept out to him when
+it was over.</p>
+
+<p>Andy, saddling the blue roan, drew a long breath. This one ride would
+tell the tale, and he was human enough to feel a nervous strain such
+as had not before assailed him. It was so close, now! and it might
+soon be so far. A bit of bad luck such as may come to any man, however
+great his skill, and the belt would go to Billy. But not for long
+could doubt or questioning hold Andy Green. He led the Weaver out
+himself, and instinctively he felt that the horse remembered him and
+would try all that was in him. Also, he was somehow convinced that the
+blue roan held much in reserve, and that it would be a great fight
+between them for mastery.</p>
+
+<p>When he gathered up the reins, the roan eyed him wickedly sidelong and
+tightened his muscles, as it were, for the struggle. Andy turned the
+stirrup, put in his toe, and went up in a flash, warned by something
+in the blue roan's watchful eye. Like a flash the blue roan also went
+up&mdash;but Andy had been a fraction of a second quicker. There was a
+squeal that carried to the grand stand as the Weaver, wild-eyed and
+with red flaring nostrils, pounded the wind-baked sod with high,
+bone-racking jumps; changed and took to &quot;weaving&quot; till one wondered
+how he kept his footing&mdash;more particularly, how Andy contrived to sit
+there, loose-reined, firm-seated, riding easily. The roan, tiring of
+that, began &quot;swapping ends&quot; furiously and so fast one could scarce
+follow his jumps. Andy, with a whoop of pure defiance, yanked off his
+hat and beat the roan over the head with it, yelling taunting words
+and contemptuous; and for every shout the Weaver bucked harder and
+higher, bawling like a new-weaned calf.</p>
+
+<p>Men who knew good riding when they saw it went silly and yelled and
+yelled. Those who did not know anything about it caught the infection
+and roared. The judges galloped about, backing away from the living
+whirlwind and yelling with the rest. Came a lull when the roan stood
+still because he lacked breath to continue, and the judges shouted an
+uneven chorus.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Get down&mdash;the belt's yours&quot;&mdash;or words to that effect. It was
+unofficial, that verdict, but it was unanimous and voiced with
+enthusiasm.</p>
+
+<p>Andy turned his head and smiled acknowledgment. &quot;All right&mdash;but wait
+till I tame this hoss proper! Him and I've got a point to settle!&quot; He
+dug in his spurs and again the battle raged, and again the crowd, not
+having heard the unofficial decision, howled and yelled approval of
+the spectacle.</p>
+
+<p>Not till the roan gave up completely and owned obedience to rein and
+voiced command, did Andy take further thought of the reward. He
+satisfied himself beyond doubt that he was master and that the Weaver
+recognized him as such. He wheeled and turned, &quot;cutting out&quot; an
+imaginary animal from an imaginary herd; he loped and he walked,
+stopped dead still in two jumps and started in one. He leaned and ran
+his gloved hand forgivingly along the slatey blue neck, reached
+farther and pulled facetiously the roan's ears, and the roan meekly
+permitted the liberties. He half turned in the saddle and slapped the
+plump hips, and the Weaver never moved. &quot;Why, you're an all-right
+little hoss!&quot; praised Andy, slapping again and again.</p>
+
+<p>The decision was being bellowed from the megaphone and Andy, hearing
+it thus officially, trotted over to where a man was holding out the
+belt that proclaimed him champion of the state. Andy reached out a
+hand for the belt, buckled it around his middle and saluted the grand
+stand as he used to do from the circus ring when one Andr&eacute; de Gren&oacute;
+had performed his most difficult feat.</p>
+
+<p>The Happy Family crowded up, shamefaced and manfully willing to own
+themselves wrong.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;We're down and ready to be walked on by the Champion,&quot; Weary
+announced quizzically. &quot;Mama mine! but yuh sure can ride.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Andy looked at them, grinned and did an exceedingly foolish thing,
+just to humiliate Happy Jack, who, he afterwards said, still looked
+unconvinced. He coolly got upon his feet in the saddle, stood so while
+he saluted the Happy Family mockingly, lighted the cigarette he had
+just rolled, then, with another derisive salute, turned a double
+somersault in the air and lighted upon his feet&mdash;and the roan did
+nothing more belligerent than to turn his head and eye Andy
+suspiciously.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;By gracious, maybe you fellows'll some day own up yuh don't know it
+all!&quot; he cried, and led the Weaver back into the corral and away from
+the whooping maniacs across the track.</p>
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="ANDY_THE_LIAR"></a>ANDY, THE LIAR</h2>
+
+<p>Andy Green licked a cigarette into shape the while he watched with
+unfriendly eyes the shambling departure of their guest. &quot;I believe the
+darned old reprobate was lyin' to us,&quot; he remarked, when the horseman
+disappeared into a coulee.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;You sure ought to be qualified to recognize the symptoms,&quot; grunted
+Cal Emmett, kicking his foot out of somebody's carelessly coiled rope
+on the ground. &quot;That your rope, Happy? No wonder you're always on the
+bum for one. If you'd try tying it on your saddle&mdash;&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Aw, g'wan. That there's Andy's rope&mdash;&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;If you look at my saddle, you'll find my rope right where it
+belongs,&quot; Andy retorted. &quot;I ain't sheepherder enough to leave it
+kicking around under foot. That rope belongs to his nibs that just
+rode off. When he caught up his horse again after dinner, he throwed
+his rope down while he saddled up, and then went off and forgot it. He
+wasn't easy in his mind&mdash;that jasper wasn't. I don't go very high on
+that hard-luck tale he told. I know the boy he had wolfing with him
+last winter, and he wasn't the kind to pull out with all the stuff he
+could get his hands on. He was an all-right fellow, and if there's
+been any rusty work done down there in the breaks, this shifty-eyed
+mark done it. He was lying&mdash;&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Somebody laughed suddenly, and another chuckle helped to point the
+joke, until the whole outfit was in an uproar; for of all the men who
+had slept under Flying-U tents and eaten beside the mess-wagon, Andy
+Green was conceded to be the greatest, the most shameless and wholly
+incorrigible liar of the lot.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Aw, yuh don't want to get jealous of an old stiff like that,&quot; Pink
+soothed musically. &quot;There ain't one of us but what knows you could lie
+faster and farther and more of it in a minute, with your tongue
+half-hitched around your palate and the deaf-and-dumb language barred,
+than any three men in Chouteau County. Don't let it worry yuh, Andy.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I ain't letting it worry me,&quot; said Andy, getting a bit red with
+trying not to show that the shot hit him. &quot;When my imagination gets to
+soaring, I'm willing to bet all I got that it can fly higher than the
+rest of you, that have got brains about on a par with a sage-hen, can
+follow. When I let my fancy soar, I take notice the rest of yuh like
+to set in the front row, all right&mdash;and yuh never, to my knowledge,
+called it a punk show when the curtain rung down; yuh always got the
+worth uh your money, and then some.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;But if yuh'd taken notice of the load that old freak was trying to
+throw into the bunch, you'd suspicion there was something scaley about
+it; there was, all right. I'd gamble on it.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;From the symptoms,&quot; spoke Weary mildly, rising to an elbow, &quot;Andy's
+about to erupt one of those wide, hot, rushing streams of melted
+imagination that bursts forth from his think-works ever so often.
+Don't get us all worked up over it, Andy; what's it going to be this
+time? A murder in the Bad-lands?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Andy clicked his teeth together, thought better of his ill-humor and
+made reply, though he had intended to remain dignifiedly silent.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yuh rung the bell, m'son&mdash;but it ain't any josh. By gracious, I mean
+it!&quot; He glared at those who gurgled incredulously, and went on: &quot;No,
+sir, you bet it ain't any josh with me <i>this</i> time. That old gazabo
+had something heavy on his conscience&mdash;and knowing the fellow he had
+reference to, I sure believe he lied a whole lot when he said Dan
+pulled out with all the stuff they'd got together, and went down
+river. Maybe he went down river, all right&mdash;but if he did, it was most
+likely to be face-down. Dan was as honest a boy as there is in the
+country, and he had money on him that he got mining down in the little
+Rockies last summer. I know, because he showed me the stuff last fall
+when I met him in Benton, and he was fixing to winter with this fellow
+that just left.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Dan was kinda queer about some things, and one of 'em was about
+money. It never made any difference how much or how little he had, he
+always packed it in his clothes; said a bank had busted on him once
+and left him broke in the middle uh winter, and he wasn't going to let
+it happen again. He never gambled none, nor blowed his money any
+farther than a couple uh glasses uh beer once in a while. He was one
+uh these saving cusses&mdash;but he was honest; I know that for a fact.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;So he had all this money on him, and went down there with this
+jasper, that he'd got in with somehow and didn't know much about, and
+they wolfed all winter, according to all accounts, and must uh made
+quite a stake, the way the bounty runs up, these days. And here comes
+this darned Siwash, hiking out uh there fast as he can&mdash;and if he
+hadn't run slap onto us at this crossing, I'll gamble he'd never uh
+showed up at camp at all, but kept right on going. We didn't ask him
+no questions, did we? But he goes to all the pains uh telling us his
+tale uh woe, about how Dan had robbed him and pulled out down river.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;If that was the case, wouldn't he be apt to hike out after him and
+try and get back his stuff? And wouldn't&mdash;&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;How much money did this friend uh yours have?&quot; queried Jack Bates
+innocently.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, when I seen him in Benton, he had somewhere between six and
+seven hundred dollars. He got it all changed into fifty-dollar
+bills&mdash;&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Oh, golly!&quot; Jack Bates rolled over in disgust. &quot;Andy's losing his
+grip. Why, darn yuh, if you was in a normal, lying condition, you'd
+make it ten thousand, at the lowest&mdash;and I've seen the time when you'd
+uh said fifty thousand; and you'd uh made us swallow the load, too!
+Buck up and do a good stunt, Andy, or else keep still. Why, Happy
+Jack could tell that big a lie!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Aw, gwan!&quot; Happy Jack rose up to avenge the insult. &quot;Yuh needn't
+compare me to Andy Green. I ain't a liar, and I can lick the darned
+son-of-a-gun that calls me one. I ain't, and yuh can't say I am,
+unless yuh lie worse'n Andy.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Calm down,&quot; urged Weary pacifically. &quot;Jack said yuh <i>could</i> lie; he
+didn't say&mdash;&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;By gracious, you'd think I was necked up with a whole bunch uh George
+Washingtons!&quot; growled Andy, half-indignantly. &quot;And what gets me is,
+that I tell the truth as often as anybody in the outfit; oftener than
+some I could mention. But that ain't the point. I'm telling the truth
+now, when I say somebody ought to hike down to their camp and see what
+this old skunk has done with Dan. I'd bet money you'd find him sunk in
+the river, or cached under a cut-bank, or something like that. If he'd
+kept his face closed I wouldn't uh give it a second thought, but the
+more I think uh the story he put up, the more I believe there's
+something wrong. He's made way with Dan somehow, and&mdash;&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes. Sure thing,&quot; drawled Pink wickedly. &quot;Let's organize a searching
+party and go down there and investigate. It's only about a three or
+four days' trip, through the roughest country the Lord ever stood on
+end to cool and then forgot till it crumpled down in spots and got set
+that way, so He just left it go and mixed fresh mud for the job He was
+working on. Andy'd lead us down there, and we'd find&mdash;&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;His friend Dan buried in a tomato can, maybe,&quot; supplied Jack Bates.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;By golly, I'll bet yuh <i>could</i> put friend Dan into one,&quot; Slim burst
+out. &quot;By golly, <i>I</i> never met up with no Dan that packed fifty-dollar
+bills around in his gun-pocket&mdash;&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Andy's telling the truth. He says so,&quot; reproved Weary. &quot;And when Andy
+says a thing is the truth, yuh always know&mdash;&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It ain't.&quot; Cal Emmett finished the sentence, but Weary paid no
+attention.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;&mdash;what to expect. Cadwolloper's right, and we ought to go down there
+and make a hunt for friend Dan and his fifty-dollar bills. How many
+were there, did yuh say?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;You go to the devil,&quot; snapped Andy, getting up determinedly. &quot;Yuh
+bite quick enough when anybody throws a load at yuh that would choke a
+rhinoscerous, but plain truth seems to be too much for the weak heads
+of yuh. I guess I'll have to turn loose and <i>lie</i>, so yuh'll listen to
+me. There <i>is</i> something crooked about this deal&mdash;&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;We all thought it sounded that way,&quot; Weary remarked mildly.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;And if yuh did go down to where them two wintered, you'd find out I'm
+right. But yuh won't, and that old cutthroat will get off with the
+murder&mdash;and the money.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Don't he lie natural?&quot; queried Jack Bates solemnly.</p>
+
+<p>That was too much. Andy glared angrily at the group, picked up the
+wolfer's rope, turned on his heel and walked off to where his horse
+was tied; got on him and rode away without once looking back, though
+he knew quite well that they were watching every move he made. It did
+not help to smooth his temper that the sound of much laughing followed
+him as he swung into the trail taken by the man who had left not long
+before.</p>
+
+<p>Where he went, that afternoon when for some reason sufficient for the
+foreman&mdash;who was Chip Bennett&mdash;the Flying U roundup crew lay
+luxuriously snoring in the shade instead of riding hurriedly and
+hotly the high divides, no one but Andy himself knew. They talked
+about him after he left, and told one another how great a liar he was,
+and how he couldn't help it because he was born that way, and how you
+could hardly help believing him. They recalled joyously certain of his
+fabrications that had passed into the history of the Flying U, and
+wondered what josh he was trying to spring this time.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What we ought to do,&quot; advised Cal, &quot;is to lead him on and let him lie
+his darndest, and make out we believe him. And then we can give him
+the laugh good and plenty&mdash;and maybe cure him.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Cure nothing!&quot; exclaimed Jack Bates, getting up because the sun had
+discovered him, and going over to the mess-wagon where a bit of shade
+had been left unoccupied. &quot;About the only way to cure Andy of lying,
+is to kill him. He was working his way up to some big josh, and if yuh
+let him alone you'll find out what it is, all right. I wouldn't worry
+none about it, if I was you.&quot; To prove that he did not worry, Jack
+immediately went to sleep.</p>
+
+<p>Such being the attitude of the Happy Family, when Andy rode hurriedly
+into camp at sundown, his horse wet to the tips of his ears with
+sweat, they sat up, expectancy writ large upon their faces. No one
+said anything, however, while Andy unsaddled and came over to beg a
+belated supper from the cook; nor yet while he squatted on his heels
+beside the cook-tent and ate hungrily. He seemed somewhat absorbed in
+his thoughts, and they decided mentally that Andy was a sure-enough
+good actor, and that if they were not dead next to him and his
+particular weakness, they would swallow his yarn whole&mdash;whatever it
+was. A blood-red glow was in the sky to the west, and it lighted
+Andy's face queerly, like a vivid blush on the face of a girl.</p>
+
+<p>Andy scraped his plate thoughtfully with his knife, looked into his
+coffee-cup, stirred the dregs absently and dipped out half a spoonful
+of undissolved sugar, which he swallowed meditatively. He tossed
+plate, cup and spoon toward the dishpan, sent knife and fork after
+them and got out his smoking material. And the Happy Family, grouped
+rather closely together and watching unobtrusively, stirred to the
+listening point. The liar was about to lie.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Talk about a guilty conscience giving a man dead away,&quot; Andy began,
+quite unconscious of the mental attitude of his fellows, and
+forgetting also his anger of the afternoon, &quot;it sure does work out
+like that, sometimes. I followed that old devil, just out uh
+curiosity, to see if he headed for Dry Lake like he said he was going.
+<i>We</i> didn't have any reason for keeping cases on him, or suspicioning
+anything&mdash;but he acted like we was all out on his trail, the fool!</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I kinda had a hunch that if he had been up to any deviltry, it would
+show on him when he left here, and I was plumb right about it. He went
+all straight enough till he got down into Black Coulee; and right
+there it looked like he got kinda panicky and suspicious, for he
+turned square off the trail and headed up the coulee.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;He must uh had 'em,&quot; Weary commented, quite as if he believed.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yuh wait till I'm through,&quot; Andy advised, still wholly unconscious of
+their disbelief. &quot;Yuh was all kinda skeptical when I told yuh he had a
+guilty conscience, but I was right about it, and come mighty near
+laying out on the range to-night with my toes pointing straight up,
+just because you fellows wouldn't&mdash;&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Sun-stroke?&quot; asked Pink, coming closer, his eyes showing purple in
+the softened light.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No&mdash;yuh wait, now, till I tell yuh.&quot; Whereupon Andy smoked
+relishfully and in silence, and from the tail of his eye watched his
+audience squirm with impatience. &quot;A man gets along a whole lot better
+without any conscience,&quot; he began at last, irrelevantly, &quot;'specially
+if he wants to be mean. I trailed this jasper up the coulee and out on
+the bench, across that level strip between Black Coulee and Dry Spring
+Gulch, and down the gulch a mile or so. He was fogging right along,
+and seemed as if he looked back every ten rods&mdash;I know he spotted me
+just as I struck the level at the head uh Black Coulee, because he
+acted different then.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I could see he was making across country for the trail to Chinook,
+but I wanted to overhaul him and have a little casual talk about Dan.
+I don't suppose yuh noticed I took his rope along; I wanted some
+excuse for hazing after him like that, yuh see.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Uh course, such accommodating cusses as you wouldn't be none strange
+to him,&quot; fleered Cal.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, he never found out what I was after,&quot; sighed Andy. &quot;It wasn't
+my fault I didn't come up with him, and my intentions were peaceful
+and innocent. But do yuh know what happened? He got out uh sight down
+Dry Spring Gulch&mdash;yuh know where that elephant-head rock sticks out,
+and the trail makes a short turn around it&mdash;that's where I lost sight
+of him. But he wasn't very far in the lead, and I was dead anxious to
+give him his rope, so I loped on down&mdash;&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;You were taking long chances, old-timer; that's mighty rough going,
+along there,&quot; hinted Chip, gravely.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Sure, I was,&quot; Andy agreed easily. &quot;But yuh recollect, I was in a
+hurry. So I'd just rounded the elephant's head, when <i>bing!</i> something
+spats the rock, just over my right shoulder, and my horse squatted
+down on his rump and said he'd gone far enough. I kinda felt the same
+way about it, so when he wheeled and humped himself back up the trail,
+I didn't argue none with him.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>There was silence so deep one could hear the saddle-bunch cropping the
+thick grasses along the creek. If this were true&mdash;this tale that Andy
+was telling&mdash;The Happy Family, half tempted to believe, glanced
+furtively at one another.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Aw, gwan!&quot; It was the familiar, protesting croak of Happy Jack. &quot;What
+did yuh turn tail for? Why didn't yuh have it out with him?&quot; The
+Happy Family drew a long breath, and the temptation to believe was
+pushed aside.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Because my gun was rolled up in my bed,&quot; Andy replied simply. &quot;I
+ain't as brave as you are, Happy. I ain't got the nerve to ride right
+up on a man that's scared plumb silly and pumping lead my way fast as
+he can work the lever on his rifle, and lick him with my fists till he
+howls, and then throw him and walk up and down his person and flap my
+wings and crow. It's awful to have to confess it, but I'm willing to
+run from any man that's shooting at me when I can't shoot back. I'd
+give a lot to be as brave as you are, Happy.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Happy Jack growled and subsided.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, by golly, there's times when <i>we'd</i> be justified in shooting
+yuh, but I don't see what <i>he'd</i> want to do it for,&quot; objected Slim.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Guilty conscience, I told yuh,&quot; retorted Andy. &quot;He seen I was chasing
+him up, and I guess he thought it was somebody that had got next to
+what happened&mdash;Lord, I wish I knew what did happen, down there in the
+breaks! Boys,&quot; Andy got up and stood looking earnestly down at them in
+the twilight, &quot;you can't make me believe that there hasn't been a
+murder done! That fellow has been up to something, or he wouldn't be
+acting so damn' queer. And if it was just plain stealing, Dan would
+sure be hot on his trail&mdash;because Dan thought more of his money than
+most men do of their wives. It was about all he lived for, and he
+wasn't any coward. That old man never would get it off him without a
+big ruction, and if he did, Dan would be right after him bigger'n a
+wolf. There's something wrong, you take my word.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What do yuh want us to do about it?&quot; It was Chip who asked the
+question, and his tone was quite calm and impersonal.</p>
+
+<p>Andy looked at him reproachfully. &quot;Do? What is there to do, except go
+down there and see? If we can find that out, we can put the sheriff
+wise and let him do the rest. It sure does seem kinda tough, if a man
+can do a murder and robbery and get off with it, just because nobody
+cares enough about it to head him off.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The Happy Family stirred uneasily. Of course, it was all just a josh
+of Andy's&mdash;but he was such a convincing liar! Almost they felt guilty
+of criminal negligence that they did not at once saddle up and give
+chase to the murderer, who had tried to kill Andy for following him,
+and who was headed for Chinook after unnecessarily proclaiming
+himself bound for Dry Lake.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Do you want the whole outfit to turn out?&quot; asked Chip calmly at last.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No-o&mdash;&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Say, is it anywheres near that prehistoric castle you found once?&quot;
+Ping asked maliciously, unbelief getting strong hold of him again.</p>
+
+<p>Andy turned toward him, scowling. &quot;No, Angel-child, it ain't,&quot; he
+snapped. &quot;And you fellows can back up and snort all yuh darn please,
+and make idiots of yourselves. But yuh can't do any business making me
+out a hot-air peddler on <i>this</i> deal. I stand pat, just where I stood
+at first, and it'll take a lot uh cackling to make me back down. That
+old devil <i>did</i> lie about Dan, and he did take a shot at me&mdash;&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;He took yuh for a horse-thief, most likely,&quot; explained Jack Bates.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;He didn't need no field glass to see you was a suspicious character,
+by golly,&quot; chortled Slim.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;He thought yuh was after what little your friend Dan had overlooked,
+chances is,&quot; added Cal Emmett.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Did the fog roll down and hide the horrible sight?&quot; asked Jack
+Bates.</p>
+
+<p>That, and much more, brought about a distinct coldness between the
+Happy Family and one Andy Green, so that the sun went down upon Andy's
+wrath, and rose to find it still bubbling hotly in the outraged heart
+of him.</p>
+
+<p>It was Jack Bates who precipitated an open war by singing an adapted
+version of &quot;Massa's In the Cold, Cold Ground,&quot; just when they were
+eating breakfast. As an alleged musical effort it was bad enough, but
+as a personal insult it was worse. One hesitates to repeat the
+doggerel, even in an effort to be exact. However, the chorus, bellowed
+shamelessly by Jack, was this:</p>
+
+<div class="poem"><p>&quot;Down in the Bad-lands, hear that awful sound.<br />
+Andy Green is there a-weeping&mdash;&quot;</p></div>
+
+<p>Jack Bates got no further than that, for Andy first threw his plate at
+Jack and then landed upon him with much force and venom, so that Jack
+went backwards and waved long legs convulsively in the air, and the
+Happy Family stood around and howled their appreciation of the
+spectacle.</p>
+
+<p>When it dawned upon them that Andy was very much in earnest, and that
+his fist was landing with unpleasant frequency just where it was most
+painful to receive it, they separated the two by main strength and
+argued loudly for peace. But Andy was thoroughly roused and would have
+none of it, and hurled at them profanity and insulting epithets, so
+that more than Jack Bates looked upon him with unfriendly eyes and
+said things which were not calculated to smooth roughened tempers.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;That's a-plenty, now,&quot; quelled Chip, laying detaining hand upon the
+nearest, who happened to be Andy himself. &quot;You sound like a bunch of
+old women. What do you want to do the worst and quickest, Andy?&mdash;and I
+don't mean killing off any of these alleged joshers, either.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Andy clicked his teeth together, swallowed hard and slowly unclenched
+his hands and grinned; but the grin was not altogether a pleasant one,
+and the light of battle still shone in the big, gray eyes of him.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;You're the boss,&quot; he said, &quot;but if yuh don't like my plans you'll
+just have one less to pay wages to. What I'm going to do is throw my
+saddle on my private horse and ride down into the Bad-lands and see
+for myself how the cards lay. Maybe it's awful funny to the rest of
+yuh, but I'm takin' it kinda serious, myself, and I'm going to find
+out how about it before I'm through. I can't seem to think it's a josh
+when some old mark makes a play like that fellow did, and tries to put
+a bullet into my carcass for riding the same trail he took. It's me
+for the Bad-lands&mdash;and you can think what yuh damn' please about it.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Chip stood quite still till he was through, and eyed him sharply. &quot;You
+better take old Buck to pack your blankets and grub,&quot; he told him, in
+a matter-of-fact tone. &quot;We'll be swinging down that way in two or
+three days; by next Saturday you'll find us camped at the mouth of
+Jump-off Coulee, if nothing happens. That'll give you four days to
+prowl around. Come on, boys&mdash;we've got a big circle ahead of us this
+morning, and it's going to be hot enough to singe the tails off our
+cayuses by noon.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>That, of course, settled the disturbance and set the official seal of
+approval upon Andy's going; for Chip was too wise to permit the affair
+to grow serious, and perhaps lose a man as good as Andy; family
+quarrels had not been entirely unknown among the boys of the Flying
+U, and with tact they never had been more than a passing
+unpleasantness. So that, although Jack Bates swore vengeance and
+nursed sundry bruised spots on his face, and though Andy saddled,
+packed old Buck with his blankets and meager camp outfit and rode off
+sullenly with no word to anyone and only a scowling glance or two for
+farewell, Chip mounted and rode cheerfully away at the head of his
+Happy Family, worrying not at all over the outcome.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I've got half a notion that Andy was telling the truth, after all,&quot;
+he remarked to Weary when they were well away from camp. &quot;It's worth
+taking a chance on, anyhow&mdash;and when he comes back things will be
+smooth again.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>When Saturday came and brought no Andy to camp, the Happy Family began
+to speculate upon his absence. When Sunday's circle took them within
+twelve or fifteen miles of the camp in the Bad-lands, Pink suddenly
+proposed that they ride down there and see what was going on. &quot;He
+won't be looking for us,&quot; he explained, to hide a secret uneasiness.
+&quot;And if he's there we can find out what the josh is. If he ain't,
+we'll have it on him good and strong.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I betche Andy just wanted a lay-off, and took that way uh getting
+it,&quot; declared Happy Jack pessimistically. &quot;I betche he's in town right
+now, tearing things wide open and tickled to think he don't have to
+ride in this hot sun. Yuh can't never tell what Andy's got cached up
+his sleeve.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Chip thinks he was talking on the level,&quot; Weary mused. &quot;Maybe he was;
+as Happy says, yuh can't tell.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>As always before, this brought the Happy Family to argument which
+lasted till they neared the deep, lonely coulee where, according to
+Andy, &quot;friend Dan&quot; had wintered with the shifty-eyed old man.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Now, how the mischief do we get down?&quot; questioned Jack Bates
+complainingly. &quot;This is bound to be the right place&mdash;there's the cabin
+over there against the cottonwoods.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Aw, come on back,&quot; urged Happy Jack, viewing the steep bluff with
+disfavor. &quot;Chances is, Andy's in town right now. He ain't down&mdash;&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;There's old Buck, over there by the creek,&quot; Pink announced. &quot;I'd know
+him far as I could see him. Let's ride around that way. There's sure
+to be a trail down.&quot; He started off, and they followed him
+dispiritedly, for the heat was something to remember afterwards with a
+shudder.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Here's the place,&quot; Pink called back to them, after some minutes of
+riding. &quot;Andy's horse is down there, too, but I don't see Andy&mdash;&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Chances is&mdash;&quot; began Happy Jack, but found no one listening.</p>
+
+<p>It would be impossible to ride down, so they dismounted and prepared
+for the scramble. They could see Buck, packed as if for the homeward
+trail, and they could see Andy's horse, saddled and feeding with reins
+dragging. He looked up at them and whinnied, and the sound but
+accentuated the loneliness of the place. Buck, too, saw them and came
+toward them, whinnying wistfully; but, though they strained eyes in
+every direction, they could see nothing of the man they sought.</p>
+
+<p>It was significant of their apprehension that not even Happy Jack made
+open comment upon the strangeness of it. Instead, they dug bootheels
+deep where the slope was loose gravel, and watched that their horses
+did not slide down upon them; climbed over rocks where the way was
+barred, and prayed that horse and man might not break a leg. They had
+been over rough spots, and had climbed in and out of deep coulees,
+but never had they travelled a rougher trail than that.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;My God! boys, look down there!&quot; Pink cried, when yet fifty
+perpendicular feet lay between them and the level below.</p>
+
+<p>They looked, and drew breath sharply. Huddled at the very foot of the
+last and worst slope lay Andy, and they needed no words to explain
+what had happened. It was evident that he had started to climb the
+bluff and had slipped and fallen to the bottom, And from the way he
+was lying&mdash;The Happy Family shut out the horror of the thought and
+hurried recklessly to the place.</p>
+
+<p>It was Pink who, with a last slide and a stumbling recovery at the
+bottom, reached him first. It was Jack Bates who came a close second
+and helped to turn him&mdash;for he had fallen partly on his face. From the
+way one arm was crumpled back under him, they knew it to be broken.
+Further than that they could only guess and hope. While they were
+feeling for heart-beats, the others came down and crowded close. Pink
+looked up at them strainedly.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Oh, for God's sake, some of yuh get water,&quot; he cried sharply. &quot;What
+good do yuh think you're doing, just standing around?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;We ought to be hung for letting him come down here alone,&quot; Weary
+repented. &quot;It ain't safe for one man in this cursed country. Where's
+he hurt, Cadwolloper?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;How in hell do <i>I</i> know?&quot; Anxiety ever sharpened the tongue of Pink.
+&quot;If somebody'd bring some water&mdash;&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Happy's gone. And there ain't a drop uh whisky in the crowd! Can't we
+get him into the shade? This damned sun is enough to&mdash;&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Look out how yuh lift him, man! You ain't wrassling a calf, remember!
+You take his shoulder, Jack&mdash;<i>easy</i>, yuh damned, awkward&mdash;&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Here comes Happy, with his hat full. Don't slosh it all on at once! A
+little at a time's better. Get some on his head.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>So with much incoherence and with everybody giving orders and each
+acting independently, they bore him tenderly into the shade of a rock
+and worked over him feverishly, their faces paler than his. When he
+opened his eyes and stared at them dully, they could have shouted for
+very relief. When he closed them again they bent over him solicitously
+and dripped more water from the hat of Happy Jack. And not one of them
+but remembered remorsefully the things they had said of him, not an
+hour before; the things they had said even when he was lying there
+alone and hurt&mdash;hurt unto death, for all they knew.</p>
+
+<p>When he was roused enough to groan when they moved him, however
+gently, they began to consider the problem of getting him to camp, and
+they cursed the long, hot miles that lay between. They tried to
+question him, but if he understood what they were saying he could not
+reply except by moaning, which was not good to hear. All that they
+could gather was that when they moved his body in a certain way the
+pain of it was unbearable. Also, he would faint when his head was
+lowered, or even lifted above the level. They must guard against that
+if they meant to get him to camp alive.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;We'll have to carry him up this cussed hill, and then&mdash;If he could
+ride at all, we might make it.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The chances is he'll die on the road,&quot; croaked Happy Jack tactlessly,
+and they scowled at him for voicing the fear they were trying to
+ignore. They had been trying not to think that he might die on the
+road, and they had been careful not to mention the possibility. As it
+was, no one answered.</p>
+
+<p>How they ever got him to the top of that heartbreaking slope, not one
+of them ever knew. Twice he fainted outright. And Happy Jack,
+carefully bearing his hat full of water for just that emergency,
+slipped and spilled the whole of it just when they needed it most. At
+the last, it was as if they carried a dead man between them&mdash;Jack
+Bates and Cal Emmett it was who bore him up the last steep climb&mdash;and
+Pink and Weary, coming behind with all the horses, glanced fearfully
+into each other's eyes and dared not question.</p>
+
+<p>At the top they laid him down in the grass and swore at Happy Jack,
+because they must do something, and because they dared not face what
+might be before them. They avoided looking at one another while they
+stood helplessly beside the still figure of the man they had maligned.
+If he died, they would always have that bitter spot in their
+memory&mdash;and even with the fear of his dying they stood remorseful.</p>
+
+<p>Of a sudden Andy opened his eyes and looked at them with the light of
+recognition, and they bent eagerly toward him. &quot;If&mdash;yuh could&mdash;on&mdash;my
+horse&mdash;I&mdash;I&mdash;could ride&mdash;maybe.&quot; Much pain it cost him, they knew by
+the look on his face. But he was game to the last&mdash;just as they knew
+he would be.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yuh couldn't ride Twister, yuh know yuh couldn't,&quot; Pink objected
+gently. &quot;But&mdash;if yuh could ride Jack's horse&mdash;he's dead gentle, and
+we'd help hold yuh on. Do you think yuh could?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Andy moved his head uneasily. &quot;I&mdash;I've got to,&quot; he retorted weakly,
+and even essayed a smile to reassure them. &quot;I&mdash;ain't all&mdash;in yet,&quot; he
+added with an evident effort, and the Happy Family gulped
+sympathetically, and wondered secretly if they would have such nerve
+under like conditions.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It's going to be one hell of a trip for yuh,&quot; Weary murmured
+commiseratingly, when they were lifting him into the saddle. Of a
+truth, it did seem absolutely foolhardy to attempt it, but there was
+nothing else to do, unless they left him there. For no wagon could
+possibly be driven within miles of the place.</p>
+
+<p>Andy leaned limply over the saddle-horn, his face working with the
+agony he suffered. Somehow they had got him upon the horse of Jack
+Bates, but they had felt like torturers while they did it, and the
+perspiration on their faces was not all caused by heat.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;My God, I'd rather be hung than go through this again,&quot; muttered
+Cal, white under the tan. &quot;I&mdash;&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I'll tackle&mdash;it now,&quot; gasped Andy, with a pitiful attempt to sit
+straight in the saddle. &quot;Get on&mdash;boys&mdash;&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Reluctantly they started to obey, when the horse of Jack Bates gave a
+sudden leap ahead. Many hands reached out to grasp him by the bridle,
+but they were a shade too late, and he started to run, with Andy
+swaying in the saddle. While they gazed horrified, he straightened
+convulsively, turned his face toward them and raised a hand; caught
+his hat by the brim and swung it high above his head.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Much obliged, boys,&quot; he yelled derisively. &quot;I sure do appreciate
+being packed up that hill; it was too blamed hot to walk. Say! if
+you'd gone around that bend, you'd uh found a good trail down. Yuh
+struck about the worst place there is. So-long&mdash;I ain't all in yet!&quot;
+He galloped away, while the Happy Family stared after him with bulging
+eyes.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The son-of-a-gun!&quot; gasped Weary weakly, and started for his horse.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Darn yuh, you'll <i>be</i> all in when we get hold of yuh!&quot; screamed Jack
+Bates, and gave chase.</p>
+
+<p>It was when they were tearing headlong after him down the coulee's rim
+and into a shallow gully which seamed unexpectedly the level, that
+they saw his horse swerve suddenly and go bounding along the edge of
+the slope with Andy &quot;sawing&quot; energetically upon the bit.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What trick's he up to now?&quot; cried Cal Emmett resentfully, feeling
+that, in the light of what had gone before, Andy could not possibly
+make a single motion in good faith.</p>
+
+<p>Andy brought his horse under control and turned back to meet them, and
+the Happy Family watched him guardedly until they reached the gulley
+and their own horses took fright at a dark, shambling object that
+scuttled away down toward the coulee-head. Andy was almost upon them
+before they could give him any attention.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Did you see it?&quot; he called excitedly. &quot;It was a bear, and he was
+digging at something under that shelving rock. Come on and let's take
+a look.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Aw, gwan!&quot; Happy Jack adjured crossly. He was thinking of all the
+water he had carried painstakingly in his hat, for the relief of this
+conscienceless young reprobate, and he was patently suspicious of
+some new trick.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, by gracious!&quot; Andy rode quite close&mdash;dangerously close,
+considering the mood they were in&mdash;and eyed them queerly. &quot;I sure must
+have a horrible rep, when yuh won't believe your own eyes just because
+I happen to remark that a bear is a bear. I'll call it a pinto hog, if
+it'll make yuh feel any better. And I'll say it wasn't doing any
+digging; only, I'm going down there and take a look. There's an
+odor&mdash;&quot;</p>
+
+<p>There was, and they could not deny it, even though Andy did make the
+assertion. And though they had threatened much that was exceedingly
+unpleasant, and what they would surely do to Andy if they ever got him
+within reach, they followed him quite peaceably.</p>
+
+<p>They saw him get off his horse and stand looking down at
+something&mdash;and there was that in his attitude which made them jab
+spurs against their horses' flanks. A moment later they, too, were
+looking down at something, and they were not saying a word.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It's Dan, all right,&quot; said Andy at last, and his tone was hushed. &quot;I
+hunted the coulee over&mdash;every foot of it&mdash;and looked up some of the
+little draws, and went along the river; but I couldn't find any trace
+of him. I never thought about coming up here.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Look there. His head was smashed in with a rock or something&mdash;ugh!
+Here, let me away, boys.</p>
+
+<p>This thing&mdash;&quot; He walked uncertainly away and sat down upon a rock with
+his face in his hands, and what they could see of his face was as
+white as the tan would permit. Somehow, not a man of them doubted him
+then. And not a man of them but felt much the same. They backed away
+and stood close to where Andy was sitting.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;You wouldn't believe me when I told yuh,&quot; he reproached, when the
+sickness had passed and he could lift his head and look at them. &quot;You
+thought I was lying, and yuh made yourselves pretty blamed obnoxious
+to me&mdash;but I got even for <i>that</i>.&quot; There was much satisfaction in his
+tone, and the Happy Family squirmed. &quot;Yuh see, I was telling the
+truth, all right&mdash;and now I'm going to get even some more. I'm going
+to take&mdash;er&mdash;Pink along for a witness, and notify the outfit that yuh
+won't be back for a day or two, and send word to the sheriff. And you
+jaspers can have the pleasure uh standing guard over&mdash;<i>that</i>.&quot; He
+shivered a little and turned his glance quickly away. &quot;And I hope,&quot; he
+added maliciously, as he mounted his own horse, &quot;you'll make Jack
+Bates stand an all-night guard by his high lonesome. He's sure got it
+coming to him!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>With Pink following close at his heels he rode away up the ridge.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Say, there's grub enough on old Buck to do yuh to-night,&quot; he called
+down to them, &quot;in case Chip don't send yuh any till to-morrow.&quot; He
+waved a subdued farewell and turned his face again up the ridge, and
+before they had quite decided what to do about it, he was gone.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="WOLF_WOLF"></a>&quot;WOLF! WOLF!&quot;</h2>
+
+
+<p>Andy Green, of the Flying U, loped over the grassy level and hummed a
+tune as he rode. The sun shone just warm enough to make a man feel
+that the world was good enough for him, and the wind was just a lazy,
+whispering element to keep the air from growing absolutely still and
+stagnant. There was blue sky with white, fluffy bits of cloud like
+torn cotton drifting as lazily as the wind, and there were
+meadow-larks singing and swaying, and slow-moving range cattle with
+their calves midway to weaning time. Not often may one ride leisurely
+afar on so perfect a day, and while Andy was a sunny-natured fellow at
+all times, on such a day he owned not a care.</p>
+
+<p>A mile farther, and he rode over a low shoulder of the butte he was
+passing, ambled down the long slope on the far side, crossed another
+rounded hill, followed down a dry creek-bed at the foot of it, sought
+with his eye for a practicable crossing and went headlong down a
+steep, twenty-foot bank; rattled the loose rocks in the dry, narrow
+channel and went forging up a bank steeper than the first, with
+creaking saddle-leather and grunting horse, and struck again easy
+going.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;She slipped on me,&quot; he murmured easily, meaning the saddle. &quot;I'm
+riding on your tail, just about; but I guess we can stand it the rest
+uh the why, all right.&quot; If he had not been so lazy and self-satisfied
+he would have stopped right there and reset the saddle. But if he had,
+he might have missed something which he liked to live over o' nights.</p>
+
+<p>He went up a gentle rise, riding slowly because of the saddle, passed
+over the ridge and went down another short slope. At the foot of the
+slope, cuddled against another hill, stood a low, sod-roofed cabin
+with rusty stove-pipe rising aslant from one corner. This was the spot
+he had been aiming for, and he neared it slowly.</p>
+
+<p>It was like a dozen other log cabins tucked away here and there among
+the foothills of the Bear Paws. It had an air of rakish hominess, as
+if it would be a fine, snuggy place in winter, when the snow and the
+wind swept the barren land around. In the summer, it stood open-doored
+and open-windowed, with all the litter of bachelor belongings
+scattered about or hanging from pegs on the wall outside. There was a
+faint trail of smoke from the rusty pipe, and it brought a grunt of
+satisfaction from Andy.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;He's home, all right. And if he don't throw together some uh them
+sour-dough biscuits uh his, there'll be something happen! Hope the
+bean-pot's full. G'wan, yuh lazy old skate.&quot; He slapped the rein-ends
+lightly down the flanks of his horse and went at a trot around the end
+of the cabin. And there he was so utterly taken by surprise that he
+almost pulled his mount into a sitting posture.</p>
+
+<p>A young woman was stooping before the open door, and she was pouring
+something from a white earthen bowl into a battered tin pan. Two
+waggle-tailed lambs&mdash;a black one and a white&mdash;were standing on their
+knees in their absorption, and were noisily drinking of the stuff as
+fast as it came within reach.</p>
+
+<p>Andy had half a minute in which to gaze before the young woman looked
+up, said &quot;Oh!&quot; in a breathless sort of way and retreated to the
+doorstep, where she stood regarding him inquiringly.</p>
+
+<p>Andy, feeling his face go unreasonably red, lifted his hat. He knew
+that she was waiting for him to speak, but he could not well say any
+of the things he thought, and blurted out an utterly idiotic question.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What are yuh feeding 'em?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The girl looked down at the bowl in her hands and laughed a little.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Rolled oats,&quot; she answered, &quot;boiled very thin and with condensed
+cream added to taste. Good morning.&quot; She seemed about to disappear,
+and that brought Andy to his senses. He was not, as a rule, a bashful
+young man.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Good morning. Is&mdash;er&mdash;Mr. Johnson at home?&quot; He came near saying
+&quot;Take-Notice,&quot; but caught himself in time. Take-Notice Johnson was
+what men called the man whom Andy had ridden over to see upon a more
+or less trivial matter.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;He isn't, but he will be back&mdash;if you care to wait.&quot; She spoke with a
+certain preciseness which might be natural or artificial, and she
+stood in the doorway with no symptoms of immediate disappearance.</p>
+
+<p>Andy slid over a bit in the saddle, readjusted his hat so that its
+brim would shield his eyes from the sunlight, and prepared to be
+friendly. &quot;Oh, I'll wait,&quot; he said easily. &quot;I've got all the time
+there is. Would you mind if I smoked a cigarette?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Indeed, I was wishing you would,&quot; she told him, with surprising
+frankness. &quot;I've so longed to see a dashing young cowboy roll a
+cigarette with deft, white fingers.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Andy, glancing at her startled, spilled much tobacco down the front of
+him, stopped to brush it away and let the lazy breeze snatch the tiny
+oblong of paper from between his unwatchful fingers. Of course, she
+was joshing him, he thought uneasily, as he separated the leaves of
+his cigarette book by blowing gently upon them, and singled out
+another paper. &quot;Are yuh so new to the country that it's anything of a
+treat?&quot; he asked guardedly.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes, I'm new. I'm what you people call a pilgrim. Don't you do it
+with one hand? I thought&mdash;oh, yes! You hold the reins between your
+firm, white teeth while you roll&mdash;&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Lady, I never travelled with no show,&quot; Andy protested mildly and
+untruthfully. <i>Was</i> she just joshing? Or didn't she know any better?
+She looked sober as anything, but somehow her eyes kind of&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;You see, I know some things about you. Those are chaps&quot; (Heavens!
+She called them the way they are spelled, without the soft sound of
+s!) &quot;That you're wearing for&mdash;trousers&quot; (Andy blushed modestly. He was
+not wearing them &quot;for trousers&quot;.), &quot;and you've got jingling rowels at
+your heels, and those are taps&mdash;&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;You're going to be shy a yard or two of calico if that black
+lamb-critter has his say-so,&quot; Andy cut in remorselessly, and hastily
+made and lighted his cigarette while she was rescuing her blue calico
+skirt from the jaws of the black lamb and puckering her eyebrows over
+the chewed place. When her attention was once more given to him, he
+was smoking as unobtrusively as possible, and he was gazing at her
+with a good deal of speculative admiration. He looked hastily down at
+the lambs. &quot;Mary had <i>two</i> little lambs,&quot; he murmured inanely.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;They're not mine,&quot; she informed him, taking him seriously&mdash;or seeming
+to do so. Andy had some trouble deciding just how much of her was
+sincere. &quot;They were here when I came, and I can't take them back with
+me, so there's no use in claiming them. They'd be such a nuisance on
+the train&mdash;&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I reckon they would,&quot; Andy agreed, &quot;if yuh had far to go.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, you can't call San Jose <i>close</i>,&quot; she observed, meditatively.
+&quot;It takes four days to come.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;You're a long way from home. Does it&mdash;are yuh homesick, ever?&quot; Andy
+was playing for information without asking directly how long she
+intended to stay&mdash;a question which had suddenly seemed quite
+important. Also, why was she stopping here with Take-Notice Johnson,
+away off from everybody?</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Seeing I've only been here four days, the novelty hasn't worn off
+yet,&quot; she replied. &quot;But it does seem more like four weeks; and how
+I'll ever stand two months of it, not ever seeing a soul but father&mdash;&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Andy looked reproachful, and also glad. Didn't she consider him a
+soul? And Take-Notice was her dad! To be sure, Take-Notice had never
+mentioned having a daughter, but then, in the range-land, men don't go
+around yawping their personal affairs.</p>
+
+<p>Before Take-Notice returned, Andy felt that he had accomplished much.
+He had learned that the young woman's name really was Mary, and that
+she was a stenographer in a real-estate office in San Jose, where her
+mother lived; that the confinement of office-work had threatened her
+with pulmonary tuberculosis (Andy failed, at the moment, to recognize
+the disease which had once threatened him also, and wondered vaguely)
+and that the doctor had advised her coming to Montana for a couple of
+months; that she had written to her father (it seemed queer to have
+anyone speak of old Take-Notice as &quot;father&quot;) and that he had told her
+to &quot;come a-running.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>She told Andy that she had not seen her father for five years (Andy
+knew that Take-Notice had disappeared for a whole winter, about that
+long ago, and that no one had discovered where he went) because he and
+her mother were &quot;not congenial.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>He had dismounted, at her invitation, and had gone clanking to the
+doorstep and sat down&mdash;giving a furtive kick now and then at the black
+lamb, which developed a fondness for the leathern fringe on his
+chaps&mdash;and had eaten an orange which she had brought in her trunk all
+the way from San Jose, and which she had picked from a tree which
+stood by her mother's front gate. He had nibbled a ripe olive&mdash;eating
+it with what Andy himself would term &quot;long teeth&quot;&mdash;and had tried hard
+not to show how vile he found it. He had inspected two star-fishes
+which she had found last Fourth-of-July at Monterey and had dried; and
+had crumpled a withered leaf of bay in his hands and had smelled and
+nearly sneezed his head off; and had cracked and eaten four
+walnuts&mdash;also gathered from her mother's yard&mdash;and three almonds from
+the same source, and had stared admiringly at a note-book filled with
+funny marks which she called shorthand.</p>
+
+<p>Between-whiles Andy had told her his name and the name of the outfit
+he worked for; had explained what he meant by &quot;outfit,&quot; and had drawn
+a large U in the dirt to show her what a Flying U was, and had wanted
+to murder the black lamb which kept getting in his way and trying to
+eat the stick Andy used for a pencil; had confessed that he did
+sometimes play cards for money, as do the cowboys in Western stories,
+but assured her that he had never killed off any of his friends during
+any little disagreement. He had owned to drinking a glass of whisky
+now and then, but declared that it was only for snake bite and did not
+happen oftener than once in six months or so. Yes, he had often had
+rattlers in his bed, but not to hurt. This is where he began to
+inspect the star-fishes, and so turned the conversation safely back to
+California and himself away from the temptation to revel in fiction.</p>
+
+<p>All of which took time, so that Take-Notice came before they quite
+felt a longing for his presence; and though the sun shone straight in
+the cabin door and so proved that it was full noon, there was no fire
+left in the stove and nothing in sight that was eatable save another
+ripe olive&mdash;which Andy had politely declined&mdash;and two more almonds and
+an orange.</p>
+
+<p>A stenographer, with a fluffy pompadour that dipped distractingly at
+one side, and a gold watch suspended around the neck like a locket,
+and with sleeves that came no farther than the elbow and heels higher
+than any riding boot Andy ever owned in his life, and with teeth that
+were very white and showed a glint of gold here and there, and eyes
+that looked at one with insincere gravity, and fingers with nails that
+shone&mdash;fingers that pinched red lips together meditatively&mdash;a
+stenographer who has all these entrancing attributes, Andy discovered,
+may yet lack those housewifely accomplishments that make a man dream
+of a little home for two. So far as Andy could see, her knowledge of
+cookery extended no farther than rolled oat porridge for the two
+lambs.</p>
+
+<p>Take-Notice it was who whittled shavings and started the fire without
+any comment upon the hour or his appetite; who went to the spring and
+brought water, half-filled the enameled teakettle which had large,
+bare patches where the enamel had been chipped off in the stress of
+baching, and sliced the bacon and mixed the &quot;sour-dough&quot; biscuits. To
+be sure, he had done those things for years and thought nothing of it;
+Andy, also, had done those things, many's the time, and had thought
+nothing of it, either. But to do them while a young woman sits calmly
+by and makes no offer of help, but talks of many things, unconscious
+even of her world-old, feminine duties and privileges, that struck
+Andy with a cold breath of disillusionment.</p>
+
+<p>He watched her unobtrusively while she talked. She never once seemed
+to feel that cooking belonged to woman, and as far as he could see
+Take-Notice did not feel so either. So Andy mentally adjusted himself
+to the novelty and joyed in her presence.</p>
+
+<p>To show how successful was his mental adjustment, it is necessary
+merely to state one fact: Where he had intended to stop an hour or so,
+he stayed the afternoon; ate supper there and rode home at sundown,
+his mind a jumble of sunny Californian days where one may gather
+star-fishes and oranges, bay leaves and ripe olives at will, and of
+black and white lambs which always obtrude themselves at the wrong
+moment and break off little, intimate confidences about life in a
+real-estate office, perhaps; and of polished finger-nails that never
+dip themselves in dishwater&mdash;Andy had come to believe that it would be
+neither right or just to expect them to do so common a thing.</p>
+
+<p>The season was what the range calls &quot;between roundups,&quot; so that Andy
+went straight to the ranch and found the Happy Family in or around the
+bunk-house, peacefully enjoying their before-bedtime smoke. Andy,
+among other positive faults and virtues, did not lack a certain degree
+of guile. Men there were at the Flying U who would ride in haste if
+they guessed that a pompadoured young woman from California was at the
+end of the trail, and Andy, knowing well the reputation he bore among
+them, set that reputation at work to keep the trail empty of all
+riders save himself. When someone asked him idly what had kept him so
+long, he gazed around at them with his big, innocent gray eyes.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why, I was just getting acquainted with the new girl,&quot; he answered
+simply and truthfully.</p>
+
+<p>Truth being something which the Happy Family was unaccustomed to from
+the lips of Andy Green, they sniffed scornfully.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What girl?&quot; demanded Irish bluntly.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why, Take-Notice's girl. His young lady daughter that is visiting
+him. She's mighty nice, and she's got style about her, and she was
+feeding two lambs. Her name,&quot; he added softly, &quot;is Mary.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Since no one had ever heard that Take-Notice had a daughter, the Happy
+Family could not be blamed for doubting Andy. They did doubt,
+profanely and volubly.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Say, did any of you fellows ever eat a ripe olive?&quot; Andy broke in,
+when he could make himself heard. &quot;Well,&quot; he explained mildly, when
+came another rift of silence in the storm-cloud of words, &quot;When yuh
+ride over there, she'll likely give yuh one to try; but yuh take my
+advice and pass it up. I went up against one, and I ain't got the
+taste out uh my mouth yet. It's sure fierce.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>More words, from which Andy gathered that they did not believe
+anything he said; that he was wasting time and breath, and that his
+imagination was weak and his lies idiotic. He'd better not let
+Take-Notice hear how he was taking his name in vain and giving him a
+daughter&mdash;and so on.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Say, did yuh ever see a star-fish? Funniest thing yuh ever saw, all
+pimply, and pink, and with five points to 'em. She's got two. When yuh
+go over, you ask her to let yuh see 'em.&quot; Andy was in bed, then, and
+he spoke through the dusk toward the voices. What those voices had
+just then been saying seemed to have absolutely no effect upon him.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Oh, dry up!&quot; Irish commanded impatiently. &quot;Nobody's thinking uh
+riding over there, yuh chump. What kind of easy marks do yuh think we
+are?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Andy laughed audibly in his corner next the window. &quot;Say, you fellows
+do amuse me a lot. By gracious, I'll bet five dollars some of yuh take
+the trail over there, soon or late. I&mdash;I'll bet five dollars to <i>one</i>
+that yuh do! The bet to hold good for &mdash;well, say six weeks. But yuh
+better not take me up, boys&mdash;especially Irish, that ain't got a girl
+at present. Yes, or <i>any</i> of yuh, by gracious! It'll be a case for
+breach-uh-promise for any one uh yuh. Say, she's a bird! Got goldy
+hair, and a dimple in her chin and eyes that'd make a man&mdash;&quot;</p>
+
+<p>With much reviling they accepted the wager, and after that Andy went
+peacefully to sleep, quite satisfied for the time with the effect
+produced by his absolute truthfulness; it did not matter much, he told
+himself complacently, what a man's reputation might be, so long as he
+recognized its possibilities and shaped his actions properly.</p>
+
+<p>It is true that when he returned from Dry Lake, not many days after,
+with a package containing four new ties and a large, lustrous silk
+handkerchief of the proper, creamy tint, the Happy Family seemed to
+waver a bit. When he took to shaving every other day, and became
+extremely fastidious about his finger-nails and his boots and the knot
+in his tie, and when he polished the rowels of his spurs with Patsy's
+scouring brick (which Patsy never used) and was careful to dent his
+hat-crown into four mathematically correct dimples before ever he
+would ride away from the ranch, the Happy Family looked thoughtful
+and discussed him privately in low tones.</p>
+
+<p>But when Andy smilingly assured them that he was going over to call on
+Take-Notice's girl, and asked them if they wouldn't like to come along
+and be introduced, and taste a ripe olive, and look at the
+star-fishes, and smell a crumpled leaf of bay, they backed
+figuratively from the wiles of him and asserted more or less
+emphatically he couldn't work <i>them</i>. Then Andy would grin and ride
+gaily away, and Flying U Coulee would see him no more for several
+hours. It was mere good fortune&mdash;from Andy's viewpoint&mdash;that duty did
+not immediately call the Happy Family, singly or as a whole, to ride
+across the hills toward the cabin of Take-Notice Johnson. Without a
+legitimate excuse, he felt sure of their absence from the place, and
+he also counted optimistically upon their refusing to ask any one whom
+they might meet, if Take-Notice Johnson had a daughter visiting him.</p>
+
+<p>Four weeks do not take much space in a calendar, nor much time to
+live; yet in the four that came just after Andy's discovery, he
+accomplished much, even in his own modest reckoning. He had taught the
+girl to watch for his coming and to stand pensively in the door with
+many good-bye messages when he said he must hit the trail. He had
+formed definite plans for the future and had promised her quite
+seriously that he would cut out gambling, and never touch liquor in
+any form&mdash;unless the snake was a <i>very</i> big one and sunk his fangs in
+a vital spot, in which dire contingency Mary absolved him from his
+vow. He had learned the funny marks that meant his name and hers in
+shorthand and had watched with inner satisfaction her efforts to learn
+how to fry canned corn in bacon grease, and to mix sour-dough biscuits
+that were neither yellow with too much soda nor distressfully &quot;soggy&quot;
+with too little, and had sat a whole, blissful afternoon in his
+shirtsleeves, while Mary bent her blond pompadour domestically over
+his coat, sewing in the sleeve-linings that are prone to come loose
+and torment a man. To go back to the first statement, which includes
+all these things and much more, Andy had, in those four weeks,
+accomplished much.</p>
+
+<p>But a girl may not live forever in that lonely land with only Andy
+Green to discover her presence, and the rumors which at first buzzed
+unheeded in the ears of the Happy Family, stung them at last to the
+point of investigation; so that on a Sunday&mdash;the last Sunday before
+the Flying U wagons took again to the trailless range-land, Irish and
+Jack Bates rode surreptitiously up the coulee half an hour after Andy,
+blithe in his fancied security, had galloped that way to spend a long
+half-day with Mary. If he discovered them they would lose a dollar
+each&mdash;but if they discovered a girl such as Andy had pictured, they
+felt that it would be a dollar well lost.</p>
+
+<p>In the range-land many strange things may happen. Irish and Jack
+pulled up short when, off to their right, in a particularly, lonely
+part of that country, broken into seamed coulees and deep-scarred
+hills, they heard a faint halloo. With spurs pricking deep and
+frequent they hurried to the spot; looked down a grassy swale and saw
+Andy lying full length upon the ground in rather a peculiar pose,
+while his horse fed calmly a rein-length away.</p>
+
+<p>They stopped and looked at him, and at each other; rode cautiously to
+within easy rifle shot and stopped again.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Ain't yuh getting tired feelings kinda unseasonable in the day?&quot; Jack
+Bates called out guardedly.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I&mdash;I'm hurt, boys,&quot; Andy lifted his head to say, strainedly. &quot;My
+hoss stepped in a hole, and I wasn't looking for it. I guess&mdash;my leg's
+broke.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Jack snorted. &quot;That so? Sure it ain't your neck, now? Seems to me your
+head sets kinda crooked. Better feel it and find out, while we go on
+where we're going.&quot; He half turned his horse up the hill again,
+resenting the impulse which had betrayed him a hand's breadth from the
+trail.</p>
+
+<p>Andy waited a moment. Then: &quot;On the dead, boys, my leg's broke&mdash;like
+you'd bust a dry stick. Come and see&mdash;for yourselves.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Maybe&mdash;&quot; Irish began, uncertainly, in an undertone. Andy's voice had
+in it a note of pain that was rather convincing.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Aw, he's just trying to head us off. Didn't I help pack him up that
+ungodly bluff, last spring, thinking he was going to die before we got
+him to the top&mdash;and him riding off and giving us the horse-laugh to
+pay for it? You can bite, if yuh want to; I'm going on. I sure savvy
+Andy Green.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Come and look,&quot; Andy begged from below. &quot;If I'm joshing&mdash;&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;You can josh and be darned,&quot; finished Jack for him. &quot;I don't pack you
+up hill more than once, old-timer. We're going to call on your
+Mary-girl. When yuh get good and refreshed up, you can come and look
+on at me and Irish acting pretty and getting a stand-in. So-long!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Irish, looking back over his shoulder, saw Andy raise his head and
+gaze after them; saw it drop upon his arms just before they went quite
+over the hill. The sight stuck persistently and unpleasantly in his
+memory.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yuh know, he <i>might</i> be hurt,&quot; he began tentatively when they had
+ridden slowly a hundred yards or so.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;He might. But he ain't. He's up to some game again, and he wouldn't
+like anything better than to have us ride down there and feel his
+bones. If you'd been along, that day in the Bad-lands, you'd know the
+kind of bluff he can put up. Why, we all thought sure he was going to
+die. He acted that natural we felt like we was packing a corpse at a
+funeral&mdash;and him tickled to death all the while at the load he was
+throwing! No sir, yuh don't see me swallowing no such dope as <i>that</i>,
+any more. When he gets tired uh laying there, he'll recover rapid and
+come on. Don't yuh worry none about Andy Green; why, man, do yuh
+reckon any horse-critter could break <i>his</i> leg&mdash;a rider like him? He
+knows more ways uh falling off a horse without losing the ashes off
+his cigarette than most men know how to&mdash;how to punish grub! Andy
+Green <i>couldn't</i> get hurt with a horse! If he could, he'd uh been dead
+and playing his little harp long ago.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Such an argument was more convincing than the note of pain in the
+voice of Andy, so that Irish shook off his uneasiness and laughed at
+the narrow escape he'd had from being made a fool. And speedily they
+forgot the incident.</p>
+
+<p>It was Take-Notice who made them remember, when they had been an hour
+or so basking themselves, so to speak, in the smiles of Mary. They had
+fancied all along that she had a curiously expectant air, and that she
+went very often to the door to see what the lambs were up to&mdash;and
+always lifted her eyes to the prairie slope down which they had ridden
+and gazed as long as she dared. They were not dull; they understood
+quite well what &quot;lamb&quot; it was that held half the mind of her, and they
+were piqued because of their understanding, and not disposed to
+further the cause of the absent. Therefore, when Take-Notice asked
+casually what had become of Andy, Jack Bates moved his feet
+impatiently, shot a sidelong glance at the girl (who was at that
+moment standing where she could look out of the window) and laughed
+unpleasantly.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Oh, Andy's been took again with an attack uh bluff,&quot; he answered
+lightly. &quot;He gets that way, ever so often, you know. We left him
+laying in a sunny spot, a few miles back, trying to make somebody
+think he was hurt, so they'd pack him home and he'd have the laugh on
+them for all summer.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Wasn't he hurt?&quot; The girl turned suddenly and her voice told how much
+it meant to her. But Jack was not sympathetic.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No, he wasn't hurt. He was just playing off. He got us once, that
+way, and he's never given up the notion that he could do it again. We
+may be easy, but&mdash;&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I don't understand,&quot; the girl broke in sharply. &quot;Do you mean that he
+would deliberately try to deceive you into believing he was hurt, when
+he wasn't?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Miss Johnson,&quot; Jack replied sorrowfully, &quot;he would. He would lose
+valuable sleep for a month, studying up the smoothest way to deceive.
+I guess,&quot; he added artfully, and as if the subject was nearly
+exhausted, &quot;yuh don't know Mr. Green very well.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I remember hearing about that job he put up on yuh,&quot; Take-Notice
+remarked, not noticing that the girl's lips were opened for speech,
+&quot;Yuh made a stretcher, didn't yuh, and&mdash;&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No&mdash;he told it that way, but he's such a liar he couldn't tell the
+truth if he wanted to. We found him lying at the bottom of a steep
+bluff, and he appeared to be about dead. It looked as if he'd slipped
+and fallen down part way. So we packed water and sloshed in his face,
+and he kinda come to, and then we packed him up the bluff&mdash;and yuh
+know what the Bad-lands is like, Take-Notice. It was unmerciful hot,
+too, and we like to died getting him up. At the top we laid him down
+and worked over him till we got him to open his eyes, and he could
+talk a little and said maybe he could ride if we could get him on a
+horse. The&mdash;he made us <i>lift</i> him into the saddle&mdash;and considering the
+size of him, it was something of a contract&mdash;and then he made as if he
+couldn't stay on, even. But first we knew he digs in the spurs, yanks
+off his hat and lets a yell out of him you could hear a mile, and
+says: 'Much obliged, boys, it was too blamed hot to walk up that
+hill,' and off he goes.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Take-Notice stretched his legs out before him, pushed his hands deep
+down in his trousers' pockets, and laughed and laughed. &quot;That was sure
+one on you,&quot; he chuckled. &quot;Andy's a hard case, all right.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>But the girl stood before him, a little pale and with her chin high.
+&quot;Father, how can you think it's funny?&quot; she cried impatiently. &quot;It
+seems to me&mdash;er&mdash;I think it's perfectly horrid for a man to act like
+that. And you say, Mr. Bates, that he's out there <i>now</i>&quot;&mdash;she swept a
+very pretty hand and arm toward the window&mdash;&quot;acting the same silly
+sort of falsehood?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I don't know where he is <i>now</i>,&quot; Jack answered judicially. &quot;That's
+what he was doing when we came past.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>She went to the door and stood looking vaguely out at nothing in
+particular, and Irish took the opportunity to kick Jack on the
+ankle-bone and viciously whisper, &quot;Yuh damned chump!&quot; But Jack smiled
+serenely. Irish, he reflected, had not been with them that day in the
+Bad-lands, and so had not the same cause for vengeance. He remembered
+that Irish had laughed, just as Take-Notice was laughing, when they
+told him about it; but Jack had never been able to see the joke, and
+his conscience did not trouble him now.</p>
+
+<p>More they said about Andy Green&mdash;he and Take-Notice, with Irish
+mostly silent and with the girl extremely indignant at times and at
+others slightly incredulous, but always eager to hear more. More they
+said, not with malice, perhaps, for they liked Andy Green, but with
+the spirit of reminiscence strong upon them. Many things that he had
+said and done they recalled and laughed over&mdash;but the girl did not
+laugh. At sundown, when they rode away, she scribbled a hasty note,
+put it in an envelope and entrusted it to Irish for immediate delivery
+to the absent and erring one. Then they rode home, promising each
+other that they would sure devil Andy to death when they saw him, and
+wishing that they had ridden long ago to the cabin of Take-Notice. It
+was not pleasant to know that Andy Green had again fooled them
+completely.</p>
+
+<p>None at the ranch had seen Andy, and they speculated much upon the
+nature of the game he was playing. Happy Jack wanted to bet that Andy
+really had broken his leg&mdash;but that was because he had a present
+grievance against Irish and hated to agree with anything he said. But
+when they went to bed, the Happy Family had settled unanimously upon
+the theory that Andy had ridden to Dry Lake, and would come loping
+serenely down the trail next day.</p>
+
+<p>Irish did not know what time it was when he found himself sitting up
+in bed listening, but he discovered Pink getting quietly into his
+clothes. Irish hesitated a moment, and then felt under his pillow for
+his own garments&mdash;long habit had made him put them there&mdash;and began to
+dress. &quot;I guess I'll go along with yuh,&quot; he whispered.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yuh can if yuh want to,&quot; Pink answered ungraciously. &quot;But yuh needn't
+raise the long howl if&mdash;&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Hold on, boys; my ante's on the table,&quot; came guardedly from Weary's
+bunk, and there was a soft, shuffling sound as of moving blankets; the
+subdued scrape of boots pulled from under bunks, and the quiet
+searching for hats and gloves. There was a clank of spur-chains, the
+faint squeal of a hinge gone rusty, a creak of a loose board, and then
+the three stood together outside under the star-sprinkle and avoided
+looking at one another. Without a word they went down the deep-worn
+path to the big gate, swung it open and headed for the corral where
+slept their horses.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;If them bone-heads don't wake up, nobody'll be any the wiser&mdash;and
+it's a lovely night for a ramble,&quot; murmured Weary, consoling himself.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, I couldn't sleep,&quot; Irish confessed, half defiantly. &quot;I expect
+it's just a big josh, but&mdash;it won't do any hurt to make sure.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yuh all think Andy Green lives to tell lies,&quot; snapped Pink, throwing
+the saddle on his horse with a grunt at the weight of it. The horse
+flinched away from its impact, and Pink swore at it viciously. &quot;Yuh
+might uh gone down and made sure, anyhow,&quot; he criticised.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, I was going to; but Jack said&mdash;&quot; Irish stooped to pick up the
+latigo and did not finish. &quot;But I can't get over the way his head
+dropped down on his arms, when we were riding out uh sight. As if&mdash;oh,
+hell! If it was a josh, I'll just about beat the head off him for
+spoiling my sleep this way. Get your foot off that rein, yuh damned,
+clumsy bench!&quot; This last to his horse.</p>
+
+<p>They rode slowly away from the ranch and made the greater haste when
+the sound of their galloping could not reach the dulled ears of those
+who slept. They did not talk much, and when they did it was to tell
+one another what great fools they were&mdash;but even in the telling they
+urged their horses to greater speed.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well,&quot; Pink summed up at last, &quot;if he's hurt, out here, we're doing
+the right thing; and if he ain't, he won't be there to have the laugh
+on us; so it's all right either way.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>There was black shadow in the grassy swale where they found him. His
+horse had wandered off and it was only the sure instinct of Irish that
+led them to the spot where he lay, a blacker shadow in the darkness
+that a passing cloud had made. Just at first they thought him dead,
+but when they lifted him he groaned and then spoke.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It's one on me, this time,&quot; he said, and the throat of Irish pinched
+achingly together at the sound of his voice, which had in it the note
+of pain he had been trying to forget.</p>
+
+<p>After that he said nothing at all, because he was a senseless weight
+in their arms.</p>
+
+<p>At daylight Irish was pounding vehemently the door of the White House
+and calling for the Little Doctor. Andy lay stretched unconscious upon
+the porch beside him, and down in the bunk-house the Happy Family was
+rubbing eyes and exclaiming profanely at the story Pink was telling.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;And here,&quot; finished Irish a couple of hours later, when he was
+talking the thing over with the Little Doctor, &quot;here's a note
+Take-Notice's girl gave me for him. I don't reckon there's any good
+news in it, so maybe yuh better hold it out on him till he's got over
+the fever. I guess we queered Andy a lot&mdash;but I'll ride over, soon as
+I can, and fix it up with her and tell her he broke his leg, all
+right. Maybe,&quot; he finished optimistically, &quot;she'll come over to see
+him.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Irish kept his word, though he delayed until the next day; and the
+next day it was too late. For the cabin of Take-Notice was closed and
+empty, and the black lamb and the white were nosing unhappily their
+over-turned pan of mush, and bleating lonesomely. Irish waited a while
+and started home again; rode into the trail and met Bert Rogers, who
+explained:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Take-Notice was hauling his girl, trunk and all, to the depot,&quot; he
+told Irish. &quot;I met 'em just this side the lane. They aimed to catch
+the afternoon train, I reckon. She was going home, Take-Notice told
+me.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>So Irish rode thoughtfully back to the ranch and went straight to the
+White House where Andy lay, meaning to break the news as carefully as
+he knew how.</p>
+
+<p>Andy was lying in bed looking big-eyed at the ceiling, and in his hand
+was the note. He turned his head and glanced indifferently at Irish.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yuh sure made a good job of it, didn't yuh?&quot; he began calmly, though
+it was not the calm which meant peace. &quot;I was just about engaged to
+that girl. If it'll do yuh any good to know how nice and thorough yuh
+busted everything up for me, read that.&quot; He held out the paper, and
+Irish turned a guilty red when he took it.</p>
+
+<div class="blkquot"><p>&quot;Mr. Green: I have just been greatly entertained with the history
+  of your very peculiar deeds and adventures, and I wish to say that
+  I have discovered myself wholly lacking the sense of humor which
+  is necessary to appreciate you.</p>
+
+<p>  &quot;As I am going home to-morrow, this is my only opportunity of
+  letting you know how thoroughly I detest falsehood in <i>any</i> form.
+  Yours truly,</p>
+
+<p><span style="margin-left: 25%">&quot;MARY EDITH JOHNSON.&quot;</span></p></div>
+
+<p>&quot;Ain't yuh proud?&quot; Andy inquired in a peculiar, tired voice. &quot;Maybe
+I'm a horrible liar, all right&mdash;but I never done anybody a dirty trick
+like that.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Irish might have said it was Jack Bates who did the mischief, but he
+did not. &quot;We never knew it was anything serious,&quot; he explained
+contritely. &quot;On the dead, I'm sorry&mdash;&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;And that does a damned lot uh good&mdash;if she's gone!&quot; Andy cut in,
+miserably.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Oh, she's gone, all right. She went to-day,&quot; murmured Irish, and went
+out and shut the door softly behind him.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="FOOLS_GOLD"></a>FOOL'S GOLD.</h2>
+
+
+<p>Andy Green, unshaven as to face and haggard as to eyes, leaned upon
+his stout, willow stick and looked gloomily away to the west. He was a
+good deal given to looking to the west, these days when a leg
+new-healed kept him at the ranch, though habit and inclination would
+have sent him riding fast and far over prairies untamed. Inaction
+comes hard when a man has lived his life mostly in the open, doing
+those things which keep brain and muscle keyed alike to alertness and
+leave no time for brooding.</p>
+
+<p>If Andy had not broken his leg but had gone with the others on
+roundup, he would never have spent the days glooming unavailingly
+because a girl with a blond pompadour and teasing eyes had gone away
+and taken with her a false impression of his morals, and left behind
+her the sting of a harsh judgment against which there seemed no
+appeal. As it was, he spent the time going carefully over his past in
+self-justification, and in remembering every moment that he had spent
+with Mary Johnson in those four weeks when she stayed with her father
+and petted the black lamb and the white.</p>
+
+<p>In his prejudiced view, he had never done anything to make a girl hate
+him. He had not always told the truth&mdash;he would admit that with
+candid, gray eyes looking straight into your own&mdash;but he had never
+lied to harm a man, which, it seemed to him, makes all the difference
+in the world.</p>
+
+<p>If he could once have told her how he felt about it, and showed her
+how the wide West breeds wider morals&mdash;he did not quite know how you
+would put these things, but he felt them very keenly. He wanted to
+make her feel the difference; to see that little things do not count
+in a man's life, after all, except when they affect him as a man when
+big things are wanted of him. A little cowardice would count, for
+instance, because it would show that the man would fail at the test;
+but a little lie? just a harmless sort of lie that was only a &quot;josh&quot;
+and was taken as such by one's fellows? Andy was not analytic by
+nature, and he would have stumbled vaguely among words to explain his
+views, but he felt very strongly the injustice of the girl's
+condemnation, and he would scarcely speak to Jack Bates and Irish
+when they came around making overtures for peace and goodwill.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;If she hadn't gone home so sudden, I could uh squared it all right,&quot;
+he told the Little Doctor, whenever her sympathetic attitude won him
+to speech upon the subject.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes, I believe you could,&quot; she would agree cheeringly. &quot;If she's the
+right sort, and cared, you could.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;She's the right sort&mdash;I know that,&quot; Andy would assert with much
+decision, though modesty forbade his telling the Little Doctor that he
+was also sure she cared. She did care, if a girl's actions count for
+anything, or her looks and smiles. Of course she cared! Else why did
+she rush off home like that, a good month before she had intended to
+go? They had planned that Andy would get a &quot;lay-off&quot; and go with her
+as far as Butte, because she would have to wait there several hours,
+and Andy wanted to take her out to the Columbia Gardens and see if she
+didn't think they were almost as nice as anything California could
+show. Then she had gone off without any warning because Jack Bates and
+Irish had told her a lot of stuff about him, Andy; if that didn't
+prove she cared, argued Andy to himself, what the dickens would you
+want for proof?</p>
+
+<p>It was from thinking these things over and over while he lay in bed,
+that Andy formed the habit of looking often towards the west when his
+hurt permitted him to hobble around the house. And when a man looks
+often enough in any direction, his feet will, unless hindered by fate
+itself, surely follow his gaze if you give them time enough.</p>
+
+<p>It was the excursion rates advertised in a Great Falls paper that
+first put the idea consciously into the brain of Andy. They seemed
+very cheap, and the time-limit was generous, and&mdash;San Jose was not
+very far from San Francisco, the place named in the advertisement; and
+if he could only see the girl and explain&mdash;It would be another month
+before he would be able to work, anyway, and&mdash;A man might as well get
+rid of a hundred or so travelling, as to sit in a poker game and watch
+it fade away, and he would really get more out of it. Anyhow, nobody
+need know where he had gone. They could think he was just going to
+Butte. And he didn't give a darn if they did find it out!</p>
+
+<p>He limped back into the house and began inspecting, with much
+dissatisfaction, his wardrobe. He would have to stake himself to new
+clothes&mdash;but he needed clothes, anyway, that fall. He could get what
+he wanted in Butte, while he waited for the train to Ogden. Now that
+Andy had made up his mind to go, he was in a great hurry and grudged
+the days, even the hours, that must pass before he could see Mary
+Edith Johnson.</p>
+
+<p>Not even the Little Doctor knew the truth, when Andy appeared next
+morning dressed for his journey, ate a hasty and unsatisfactory
+breakfast and took the Old Man to one side with elaborate carelessness
+and asked for a sum that made the Old Man blink. But no man might have
+charge of the Happy Family for long without attaining that state of
+mental insulation which renders a shock scientifically impossible. The
+Old Man wrote a check, twisted his mouth into a whimsical knot and
+inquired mildly: &quot;What's the brand of devilment this time, and how
+long's it going to take yuh?&quot; With a perceptible emphasis on the word
+<i>this</i>.</p>
+
+<p>For probably the first time in his life Andy blushed and stammered
+over a lie, and before he had got out more than two words, the Old Man
+seemed to understand the situation quite thoroughly. He said &quot;Oh, I
+see. Well, git a round-trip ticket and be dead sure yuh don't out-stay
+the limit.&quot; He took out his pipe and filled it meditatively.</p>
+
+<p>Andy blushed again&mdash;six weeks indoors had lightened the tan on his
+face so that his blushes showed very plainly&mdash;and made desperate
+denial. &quot;I'm only going up to Butte. But a fellow can't have any kind
+of a time there without a fair-sized roll, and&mdash;I'll be back in two or
+three weeks&mdash;soon as my leg's mended thorough. I&mdash;&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Get along with yuh!&quot; growled the Old Man, though his eyes twinkled.
+&quot;Doggone it, don't yuh lie to <i>me</i>. Think I was shipped in on the last
+train? A man don't git red in the face when he's just merely headed
+for Butte. Why, doggone yuh&mdash;&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The last words had to serve for a farewell, because Andy was limping
+away as fast as he could, and did not come back to the house again. He
+did not even tell the Little Doctor good-by, though it was fifteen
+minutes before John Wedum, the ranchhand, had the team ready to drive
+Andy to town, and he was one of the Little Doctor's most loyal
+subjects.</p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p>Andy walked haltingly down a palm-shaded street in San Jose and
+wondered just what would be the best and quickest way in which to find
+Mary Edith Johnson. Three ways were open to him: He could hunt up all
+the Johnsons in town&mdash;there were three full pages of them in the
+directory, as he remembered with a sigh&mdash;and find out which one was
+the right one; but San Jose, as he had already discovered, was not a
+village, and he doubted if he could stand the walking. He could visit
+all the real estate offices in town&mdash;and he was just beginning to
+realize that there were almost as many real estate offices as there
+were Johnsons. And he could promenade the streets in the hope of
+meeting her. But always there was the important fact to face&mdash;the fact
+that San Jose is not a village.</p>
+
+<p>He came upon a particularly shady spot and a bench placed invitingly.
+Andy sat down, eased the new-healed leg out before him and rolled a
+cigarette. &quot;This is going to be some different from hunting a stray on
+the range,&quot; he told himself, with an air of deliberate cheerfulness.
+&quot;If I could get out and scurrup around on a hoss, and round her up
+that way&mdash;but this footing it all over town is what grinds me.&quot; He
+drew a match along the under side of the bench and held the blaze
+absently to the cigarette. &quot;There was one thing&mdash;she told about an
+orange tree right beside her mother's front gate, Maybe&mdash;&quot; He looked
+around him hopefully. Just across the street was a front gate, and
+beside it an orange tree; he knew because there were ripe oranges
+hanging upon it. He started to rise, his blood jumping queerly, sat
+down again and swore. &quot;Every darned gate in town, just about, has got
+an orange tree stuck somewhere handy by. I remember 'em now, damn
+'em!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Three cigarettes he smoked while he sat there. When he started on
+again his face was grimly set toward the nearest business street. At
+the first real-estate sign he stopped, pulled together his courage,
+and went in. A girl sat in a corner of the room before a typewriter.
+Andy saw at a glance that her hair was too dark; murmured something
+and backed out. At the next place, a man was crumpled into a big
+chair, reading a paper. Behind a high desk a typewriter clicked, but
+Andy could not see the operator without going behind the railing, and
+he hesitated.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Looking for a snap?&quot; asked the man briskly, coming up from his
+crumpled state like a spring.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, I was looking&mdash;&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Now, here. It may not be what you want, but I'm just going to show
+you this proposition and see what you think of it. It ain't going to
+last&mdash;somebody's goin' to snap it up before you know it. Now, here&mdash;&quot;</p>
+
+<p>It was half an hour before Andy got away from that office, and he had
+not seen who was running the machine behind the desk, even then. He
+had, however, spoken rather loudly and had informed the man that he
+was from Montana, with no effect whatever upon the clicking. He had
+listened patiently to the glowing description of several &quot;good buys,&quot;
+and had escaped with difficulty within ten minutes after hearing the
+unseen typist addressed as &quot;Fern.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>At the third place he merely looked in at the door and retreated
+hastily when the agent, like a spider on the watch, started forward.</p>
+
+<p>When he limped into the office of his hotel at six o'clock, Andy was
+ready to swear that every foot of land in California was for sale, and
+that every man in San Jose was trying his best to sell it and looked
+upon him, Andy Green, as a weak-minded millionaire who might be
+induced to purchase. He had not visited all the places where they
+kept bulletin-boards covered with yellowed placards abounding in large
+type and many fat exclamation points and the word ONLY with a dollar
+mark immediately after. All? He had not visited half of them, or a
+third!</p>
+
+<p>That night he dreamed feverishly of &quot;five-room, modern cottages with
+bath,&quot; and of ONLY $500.00 down and balance payable monthly,&quot; and of
+ten-acre &quot;ranches&quot; and five-acre &quot;ranches&quot;&mdash;he who had been used to
+numbering acres by the thousand and to whom the word &quot;ranch&quot; meant
+miles of wire fencing and beyond that miles of open!</p>
+
+<p>It took all the longing he felt for Mary Johnson to drive him out the
+next morning and to turn his face toward those placarded places which
+infested every street, but he went. He went with eyes that glared
+hostility at every man who said &quot;buy,&quot; and with chin set to stubborn
+purpose. He meant to find Mary Edith Johnson, and he meant to find her
+without all California knowing that he was looking for her. Not once
+had he mentioned her name, or showed that he cared whether there was a
+typewriter in the office or whether it was a girl, man or Chinaman who
+clicked the keys; and yet he knew exactly how every girl typist had
+her hair dressed, and what was the color of her eyes.</p>
+
+<p>At two o'clock, Andy stopped suddenly and stared down at a crack in
+the pavement, and his lips moved in muttered speech. &quot;She's worked
+three years in one of them places&mdash;and she 'thoroughly detests
+falsehood in <i>any</i> form'! Hell!&quot; Is exactly what he was saying out
+loud, on one of the busiest streets in San Jose.</p>
+
+<p>A policeman glanced at him, looked again and came slowly toward him.
+Andy took the hint and moved on decorously to the next bulletin-board,
+but the revelation that had come to him there in the street dulled
+somewhat his alertness, so that he came near committing himself to the
+purchase of one of those ubiquitous &quot;five-room, modern cottages with
+bath&quot; before he realized what he was doing and fled to the street
+again, on the pretense that he had to catch the car which was just
+slowing down for that crossing.</p>
+
+<p>He boarded the car, though he had no idea of where it was going, and
+fished in his pocket for a nickel. And just when he was reaching up
+from the step where he stood clinging&mdash;reaching over the flower-piled
+hat of a girl, to place the nickel in the outstretched palm of the
+conductor, he heard for the first time in many weeks the name of Mary
+Johnson. A girl at his elbow was asking the other: &quot;What'n the world's
+become of Mary Johnson? She wasn't to the dance last night, and it's
+the first one&mdash;&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Andy held his breath.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Oh, Mame quit her place with Kelly and Gray, two weeks ago. She's
+gone to Santa Cruz and got a place for the summer. Her and Lola
+Parsons went together, and&mdash;&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Andy took advantage of another crossing, and dropped off. He wanted to
+find out when the next train left for Santa Cruz. It never occurred to
+him that there might be two Mary Johnsons in the world, which was
+fortunate, perhaps; he wasted no time in hesitation, and so, within
+twenty minutes, he was hearing the wheels of a fast train go
+<i>clickety-click, clickety-click</i> over the switches in the suburbs of
+San Jose, and he was asking the conductor what time the train would
+reach Santa Cruz, and was getting snubbed for his anxiety.</p>
+
+<p>Santa Cruz, when he did reach it, seemed, on a superficial
+examination, to be almost as large as San Jose, and the real-estate
+offices closer together and even more plentifully supplied with
+modern cottages and bath&mdash;and the heart of him sank prophetically. For
+the first time since he dropped off the street-car in San Jose, it
+seemed to him that Mary Johnson was quite as far off, quite as
+unattainable as she had ever been.</p>
+
+<p>He walked slowly up Pacific Avenue and watched the hurrying crowds,
+and wondered if chance would be kind to him; if he should meet her on
+the street, perhaps. He did not want to canvass all the real-estate
+offices in town. &quot;It would take me till snow flies,&quot; he murmured
+dispiritedly, forgetting that here was a place where snow never flew,
+and sought a hotel where they were not &quot;full to the eaves&quot; as two
+complacent clerks had already told him.</p>
+
+<p>At supper, he made friends with a genial-voiced insurance agent&mdash;the
+kind who does not insist upon insuring your life whether you want it
+insured or not. The agent told Andy to call him Jack and use him good
+and plenty&mdash;perhaps because something wistful and lonely in the gray
+eyes of Andy appealed to him&mdash;and Andy took him at his word and was
+grateful. He discovered what day of the week it was: Saturday, and
+that on the next day Santa Cruz would be &quot;wide-open&quot; because of an
+excursion from Sacramento. Jack offered to help him lose himself in
+the crowd, and again Andy was grateful. For the first time since
+leaving the Flying U he went to bed feeling not utterly alone and
+friendless, and awoke pleasantly expectant. Friend Jack was to pilot
+him down to the Casino at eleven, and he had incidentally made one
+prediction which stuck closely to Andy, even in his sleep. Jack had
+assured him that the whole town would be at the beach; and if the
+whole town were at the beach, why then, Mary would surely be somewhere
+in the crowd. And if she were in the crowd&mdash;&quot;If she's there, I'll sure
+get a line on her before night,&quot; Andy told himself, with much
+assurance. &quot;A fellow that's been in the habit of cutting any certain
+brand of critter out of a big herd ought to be able to spot his girl
+in a crowd&quot;&mdash;and he hummed softly while he dressed.</p>
+
+<p>The excursion train was already in town, and the esplanade was,
+looking down from Beach Hill, a slow-moving river of hats, with
+splotches of bright colors and with an outer fringe of men and women.
+&quot;That's a good-sized trail-herd uh humans,&quot; Andy remarked, and the
+insurance agent laughed appreciatively.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;You wait till you see them milling around on the board walk,&quot; he
+advised impressively. &quot;If you happen to be looking for anybody, you'll
+realize that there's some people scattered around in your vicinity. I
+had a date with a girl, down here one Sunday during the season, and we
+hunted each other from ten in the morning till ten at night and never
+got sight of each other.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Andy gave him a sidelong, suspicious glance, but friend Jack was
+evidently as innocent as he looked, and so Andy limped silently down
+the hill to the Casino and wondered if fate were going to cheat him at
+the last moment.</p>
+
+<p>Once in the crowd, it was as Jack had told him it would be. He could
+not regard the moving mass of humanity as individuals, though long
+living where men are few had fixed upon him the habit. Now, although
+he observed far more than did Jack, he felt somewhat at a loss; the
+realization that Mary Johnson might pass him unrecognized troubled him
+greatly. It did not once occur to him that he, with his gray Stetson
+hat and his brown face and keen eyes and tall, straight-backed figure,
+looked not at all like the thousands of men all around him, so that
+many eyes turned to give him another glance when he passed. Mary
+Johnson must be unobserving in the extreme if she failed to know him,
+once she glimpsed him in the crowd.</p>
+
+<p>Somewhere near one o'clock he lost Jack completely, and drifted
+aimlessly alone. Jack had been hailed by a friend, had stopped for a
+minute to talk, and several hundred men, women and children had come
+between him and Andy, pushing and crowding and surging, because a band
+had started playing somewhere. Andy got down the steps and out upon
+the sand, and Jack was thereafter but a memory. He found the loose
+sand hard walking with his lame leg, and almost as crowded as the
+promenade, and as he stood for a minute looking up at the board walk
+above him, it occurred to him that if he could get somewhere and stay
+there long enough, every human being at the Casino would eventually
+pass by him. He went up the steps again and worked his way along the
+edge of the walk until he found a vacant spot on the railing and sat
+grimly down upon it to wait.</p>
+
+<p>Many cigarettes he smoked while he roosted there, watching until the
+eyes of him ached with the eternal panorama of faces that were
+strange. Many times he started eagerly because he glimpsed a fluffy,
+blond pompadour with blue eyes beneath, and fancied for an instant
+that it was Mary.</p>
+
+<p>Then, when he was speculating upon the advisability of following the
+stream of people that flowed out upon the pleasure pier, Mary passed
+by so close that her skirt brushed his toes; passed him by, and he sat
+there like a paralytic and let her go. And in the heart of him was a
+queer, heavy throb that he did not in the least understand.</p>
+
+<p>She was dressed in blue linen with heavy, white lace in patches here
+and there, and she had a big, white hat tilted back from her face and
+a long white plume drooping to one shoulder. Another girl was with
+her, and a man&mdash;a man with dented panama hat and pink cheeks and a
+white waistcoat and tan shoes; a man whom Andy suddenly hated most
+unreasonably.</p>
+
+<p>When they were all but lost in the crowd, Andy got down, gripped his
+cane vindictively and followed. After all, the man was walking beside
+the other girl, and not beside Mary&mdash;and the reflection brought much
+solace. With the nodding, white feather to guide him, he followed them
+down the walk, lost them for a second, saw them turn in at the
+wide-open doors of the natatorium, saw them pause there, just inside.
+Then a huge woman pushed before him, stood there and narrowed his
+range of vision down to her own generous hat with its huge roses, and
+when he had edged past her the three were gone.</p>
+
+<p>Andy waited, comforted by the knowledge that they had not come out,
+until the minutes passed his patience and he went in, searched the
+gallery unavailingly, came out again and wandered on dispiritedly to
+the pleasure pier. There, leaning over the rail, he saw her again
+almost beneath him in the sand, scantily clad in a bathing suit. The
+man, still more scantily clad, was trying to coax her into the water
+and she was hanging back and laughing a good deal, with an occasional
+squeal.</p>
+
+<p>Andy leaned rather heavily upon the railing and watched her
+gloweringly, incredulously. Custom has much to do with a man's (or a
+woman's) idea of propriety, and one Andrew Green had for long been
+unaccustomed to the sight of nice young women disporting themselves
+thus in so public a place. He could not reconcile it with the girl as
+he had known her in her father's cabin, and he was not at all sure
+that he wanted to do so.</p>
+
+<p>He was just turning gloomily away when she glanced up, saw him and
+waved her hand. &quot;Hello, Andy,&quot; she called gaily. &quot;Come on down and
+take a swim, why don't you?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Andy, looking reproachfully into her upturned face, shook his head. &quot;I
+can't,&quot; he told her. &quot;I'm lame yet.&quot; It was not at all what he had
+meant to say, any more than this was the meeting he had dreamed about.
+He resented both with inner rage.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Oh. When did you come?&quot; she asked casually, and was whisked away by
+the man before Andy could tell her. The other girl was there also, and
+the three ran gleefully down to meet a roller larger than the others
+had been; met it, were washed, with much screaming and laughter, back
+to shore and stood there dripping. Andy glared down upon them and
+longed for the privilege of drowning the fellow.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;We're going up into the plunge,&quot; called Mary. &quot;Come on. I'll see you,
+when I come out.&quot; They scampered away, and he, calling himself many
+kinds of fool, followed.</p>
+
+<p>In the plunge, Andy was still more at a disadvantage, for since he
+was a spectator, a huge sign informed him that he must go up stairs.
+He went up with much difficulty into the gallery, found himself a seat
+next the rail and searched long for Mary among the bathers below. He
+would never have believed that he would fail to know her at sight, but
+with fifty women, more or less, dressed exactly alike and with ugly
+rubber caps pulled down to eyebrows and ears, recognition must
+necessarily be slow.</p>
+
+<p>While he leaned and stared, an avalanche of squeals came precipitately
+down the great slide; struck the water and was transformed to gurgling
+screams, and then heads came bobbing to the surface&mdash;three heads, and
+one of them was Mary's. She swept the water from her eyes, looked up
+and saw him, waved her hand and scrambled rather ungracefully over the
+rail in her wet, clinging suit. The others followed, the man trotting
+at her heels and calling something after her.</p>
+
+<p>Andy, his brows pulled down over unhappy eyes, glared fixedly up at
+the top of the slide. In a minute they appeared, held gesticulating
+counsel, wavered and came down together, upon their stomachs. The
+strange girl was in the lead, with Mary next holding to the girl's
+feet. Behind her slid the man, gripping tightly the ankles of Mary.
+Andy's teeth set savagely together, though he saw that others were
+doing exactly the same; old women, young women, girls, men and boys
+came hurtling down the big slide, singly, in couples, in three and
+fours.</p>
+
+<p>The spectacle began to fascinate him, so that for a minute or two he
+could forget Mary and the man. There was a roar of voices, the barking
+as of seals, screams, laughter and much splashing. Men and women dove
+from the sides like startled frogs into a pond; they swam, floated and
+stood panting along the walls; swung from the trapeze (Andy,
+remembering his career with the circus, when he was &quot;Andr&eacute; de Gr&eacute;no,&quot;
+Champion Bareback Rider of the Western Hemisphere, wished that his leg
+was well so that he could show them a few things about that trapeze
+business) and troubled the waters with much splashing. He could not
+keep Mary always in view, but when he did get sight of her she seemed
+to be having a very good time, and not to be worrying in the least
+about him and his sins.</p>
+
+<p>Twice Andy Green half rose from his seat, meaning to leave the plunge,
+the Casino and the whole merry-making crowd; but each time he settled
+back, telling himself that he hated a quitter, and that he guessed
+he'd buy a few more chips and stay in the game.</p>
+
+<p>It seemed a long time before Mary finally emerged in the blue linen
+and the white hat, but Andy was waiting doggedly at the entrance and
+took his place beside her, forcing the man to walk beside the girl
+whom Mary introduced as Lola Parsons. The man's name was Roberts, but
+the girls called him Freddie, and he seemed composed mostly of a
+self-satisfied smile and the latest fad in male attire. Andy set
+himself to the task of &quot;cutting Mary out of the main herd&quot; so that he
+might talk with her. Thus it happened that, failing a secluded spot in
+the immediate neighborhood of the Casino, which buzzed like a
+disturbed hive of gigantic bees, Mary presently found herself on a car
+that was clanging its signal of departure, and there was no sign of
+Freddie and Lola Parsons.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;We lost 'em, back there,&quot; Andy told her calmly when she inquired.
+&quot;And as to where we're going, I don't know; as far as this
+lightning-wagon will take us.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;This car goes clear out to the Cliffs,&quot; Mary said discouragingly.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;All right. We're going out to the cliffs, then,&quot; Andy smiled blandly
+down upon the nodding, white feather in her hat.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;But I promised Lola and Freddie&mdash;&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Oh, that's all right. I'll take the blame. Were yuh surprised to see
+me here?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why should I be? Everybody comes to Santa Cruz, sooner or later.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I came sooner,&quot; said Andy, trying to meet her eye. He wanted to bring
+the conversation to themselves, so that he might explain and justify
+himself, and win forgiveness for his sins.</p>
+
+<p>While they walked along the cliffs he tried, and going home he had not
+given up the attempt. But afterward, when he could sit down quietly
+and think, he was forced to admit that he had not succeeded very well.
+It seemed to him that, while Mary still liked him and was quite ready
+to be friends, she had forgotten just why she had so suddenly left
+Montana. She was sorry he had broken his leg, but in the same breath,
+almost, she told him of such a narrow escape that Freddie had last
+week, when an auto nearly ran him down. Andy regretted keenly that it
+had not.</p>
+
+<p>He had mentioned Irish and Jack Bates, meaning to refute the tales
+they had told of him, and she had asked about the black lamb and the
+white, and then had told him that he must go out to the whistling buoy
+and see the real whale they had anchored out there, and related with
+much detail how Freddie had taken her and Lola out, and how the water
+was so rough she got seasick, and a wave splashed over and ruined
+Freddie's new summer suit, that spotted dreadfully; it wasn't, she
+remarked, a durable color. She hoped Andy would stay a month or two,
+though the &quot;season&quot; was about over. She knew he would just love the
+plunge and the surf-bathing, and there was going to be a boomers'
+barbacue up at the Big Trees in two weeks&mdash;and it would seem like home
+to him, seeing a cow roasted whole! She did love Montana, and she
+hoped he brought his chaps and spurs along, for she had told Lola so
+much about him, and she wanted Lola to see him in his Wild West
+clothes.</p>
+
+<p>All this should have pleased Andy very much. She had not grown cold,
+and her eyes were quite as teasing and her smiles as luring as before.
+She did not even lay personal claim to Freddie, that he should be
+jealous. When she spoke of Freddie, his name was linked with Lola
+Parsons, and Andy could not glean that she had ever gone anywhere
+alone with him. She had seemed anxious that he should enjoy his
+vacation to the limit, and had mentioned three or four places that he
+must surely see, and informed him three times that she was &quot;off&quot; at
+five every evening, and could show him around.</p>
+
+<p>They had dined together at a caf&eacute;, and had gone back to the Casino for
+the band concert, and they had not been interrupted by meeting Lola
+Parsons and Freddie, and she had given him a very cordial good-night
+when they parted on the steps of her boarding house at eleven.</p>
+
+<p>So there was absolutely no reason for the mood Andy was in when he
+accepted his key from the hotel clerk and went up to his room. For a
+man who has traveled more than a thousand miles in search of the girl
+he had dreamed of o'nights, and who had found her and had been
+properly welcomed, he was distinctly gloomy. He sat down by the open
+window and smoked four cigarettes, said &quot;Damn Freddy!&quot; three times and
+with added emphasis each time, though he knew very well that Freddie
+had nothing to do with it, and then went to bed.</p>
+
+<p>In the morning he felt better, and went out by himself to the cliffs
+where they had been before, and sat down on a hummock covered with
+short grass, and watched the great unrest of the ocean, and wondered
+where the Flying U wagons would be camping, that night. Somehow, the
+wide reach of water reminded him of the prairie; the rolling billows
+were like many, many cattle milling restlessly in a vast herd and
+tossing white heads and horns upward. Below him, the pounding surf was
+to him the bellowing of a thirsty herd corralled.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;This is sure all right,&quot; he approved, rousing a little. &quot;It's almost
+as good as sitting up on a pinnacle and looking out over the range. If
+I had a good hoss, and my riding outfit, and could get out there and
+go to work cutting-out them white-caps and hazing 'em up here on a
+run, it wouldn't be so poor. By gracious, this is worth the trip, all
+right.&quot; It never occurred to Andy that there was anything strange in
+the remark, or that he sat there because it dulled the heavy ache that
+had been his since yesterday&mdash;the ache of finding what he had sought,
+and finding with it disillusionment.</p>
+
+<p>Till hunger drove him away he stayed, and his dreams were of the wide
+land he had left. When he again walked down Pacific Avenue the hall
+clock struck four, and after he had eaten he looked up at it and saw
+that it lacked but fifteen minutes of five.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I'm supposed to meet her when she quits work,&quot; he remembered, &quot;and
+Lola and Freddie will go to the plunge with us.&quot; He stopped and stared
+in at the window of a curio store. &quot;Say, that's a dandy Navajo
+blanket,&quot; he murmured. &quot;It would be out-uh-sight for a saddle
+blanket.&quot; He started on, hesitated and went back. &quot;I've got time
+enough to get it,&quot; he explained to himself. He went in, bought the
+blanket and two Mexican <i>serapes</i> that caught his fancy, tucked the
+bundle under his arm and started down the street toward the office
+where Mary worked. It was just two minutes <i>to five</i>.</p>
+
+<p>He got almost to the door&mdash;so near that his toe struck against a
+corner of the belabelled bulletin board&mdash;when a sudden revulsion swept
+his desires back like a huge wave. He stood a second irresolutely and
+then turned back. &quot;Aw&mdash;hell! What's the use?&quot; he muttered.</p>
+
+<p>The clock was just on the last stroke of five when he went up to the
+clerk in his hotel. &quot;Say, when does the next train pull out?&mdash;I don't
+give a darn in what direction,&quot; he wanted to know. When the clerk
+told him seven-thirty, he grinned and became undignifiedly loquacious.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I want to show yuh a couple of dandy <i>serapes</i> I just glommed, down
+street,&quot; he said, and rolled the bundle open upon the desk. &quot;Ain't
+they a couple uh beauts? I got 'em for two uh my friends; they done me
+a big favor, a month or two ago, and I wanted to kinda square the
+deal. That's why I got 'em just alike. Yes, you bet they're peaches;
+yuh can't get 'em like this in Montana. The boys'll sure appreciate
+'em.&quot; He retied the bundle, took his room-key from the hand of the
+smiling clerk and started up the stairway, humming a tune under his
+breath as he went.</p>
+
+<p>At the first turn he stopped and looked back. &quot;Send the bell-hop up to
+wake me at seven,&quot; he called down to the clerk. &quot;I'm going to take a
+much-needed nap&mdash;and it'll be all your life's worth to let me miss
+that train!&quot;</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="LORDS_OF_THE_POTS_AND_PANS"></a>LORDS OF THE POTS AND PANS</h2>
+
+<p>The camp of the Flying U, snuggled just within the wide-flung arms of
+an unnamed coulee with a pebbly-bottomed creek running across its
+front, looked picturesque and peaceful&mdash;from a distance.
+Disenchantment lay in wait for him who strayed close enough to hear
+the wrangling in the cook-tent, however, or who followed Slim to where
+he slumped bulkily down into the shade of a willow fifty yards or so
+from camp&mdash;a willow where Pink, Weary, Andy Green and Irish were lying
+sprawled and smoking comfortably.</p>
+
+<p>Slim grunted and moved away from a grass-hidden rock that was gouging
+him in the back. &quot;By golly, things is getting pretty raw around this
+camp,&quot; he growled, by way of lifting the safety-valve of his anger.
+&quot;I'd like to know when that darned grub-spoiler bought into the
+outfit, anyhow. He's been trying to run it to suit himself all
+spring&mdash;and if he keeps on, by golly, he'll be firing the wagon-boss
+and giving all the orders himself!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>It would seem that sympathy should be offered him; as if the pause he
+made plainly hinted that it was expected. Andy Green rolled over and
+sent him a friendly glance just to hearten him a bit.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;We were listening to the noise of battle,&quot; he observed, &quot;and we were
+going over, in a minute, to carry off the dead. You had a kinda
+animated discussion over something, didn't yuh?&quot; Andy was on his good
+behavior, as he had been for a month. His treatment of his fellows
+lately was little short of angelic. His tone soothed Slim to the point
+where he could voice his woe.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, by golly, I guess he knows what I think of him, or pretty near.
+I've stood a lot from Patsy, off and on, and I've took just about all
+I'm going to. It's got so yuh can't get nothing to eat, hardly, when
+yuh ride in late, unless yuh fight for it. Why, by golly, I caught him
+just as he was going to empty out the coffee-boiler&mdash;and he knew
+blamed well I hadn't eat. He'd left everything go cold, and he was
+packing away the grub like he was late breaking camp and had a forty
+mile drive before dinner, by golly! I just did save myself some
+coffee, and that was all&mdash;but it was cold as that creek, and&mdash;&quot; Habit
+impelled him to stop there long enough to run his tongue along the
+edge of a half-rolled cigarette, and accident caused his eyes to catch
+the amused quirk on the lips of Pink and Irish, and the laughing
+glance they exchanged. Possibly if he could have looked in all
+directions at the same time he would have been able to detect signs of
+mirth on the faces of the others as well; for Slim's grievances never
+seemed to be taken seriously by his companions&mdash;which is the price
+which one must pay for having a body shaped like Santa Claus and a
+face copied after our old friend in the moon.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, by golly, maybe it's funny&mdash;but I took notice yuh done some
+yowling, both uh yuh, the other day when yuh didn't get no pie,&quot; he
+snorted, lighting his cigarette with unsteady fingers.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;We wasn't laughing at that,&quot; lied Pink pacifically.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;And then, by golly, the old devil lied to me and said there wasn't no
+pie left,&quot; went on Slim complainingly, his memory stirred by the taunt
+he had himself given. &quot;But I wouldn't take his word for a thing if I
+knew it was so; I went on a still-hunt around that tent on my own
+hook, and I found a pie&mdash;a <i>whole pie</i>, by golly!&mdash;cached away under
+an empty flour-sack behind the stove! That,&quot; he added, staring,
+round-eyed, at the group, &quot;that there was right where me and Patsy
+mixed. The lying old devil said he never knew a thing about it being
+there at all.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Pink turned his head cautiously so that his eyes met the eyes of Andy
+Green. The two had been at some pains to place that pie in a safe
+place so that they might be sure of something appetizing when they
+came in from standing guard that night, but neither seemed to think it
+necessary to proclaim the fact and clear Patsy.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I'll bet yuh didn't do a thing to the pie when yuh did find it?&quot; Pink
+half questioned, more anxious than he would have owned.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;By golly, I eat the whole thing and I cussed Patsy between every
+mouthful!&quot; boasted Slim, almost in a good-humor again. &quot;I sure got the
+old boy stirred up; I left him swearin' Dutch cuss-words that sounded
+like he was peevish. But I'll betche he won't throw out the coffee
+till I've had what I want after this, by golly!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Happy Jack is out yet,&quot; Weary observed after a sympathetic silence.
+&quot;You oughtn't to have put Patsy on the fight till everybody was filled
+up, Slim. Happy's liable to go to bed with an empty tummy, if yuh
+don't ride out and warn him to approach easy. Listen over there!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>From where they lay, so still was the air and so incensed was Patsy,
+they could hear plainly the rumbling of his wrath while he talked to
+himself over the dishwashing. When he appeared at the corner of the
+tent or plodded out toward the front of the wagon, his heavy tread and
+stiff neck proclaimed eloquently the mood he was in. They watched and
+listened and were secretly rather glad they were fed and so need not
+face the storm which Slim had raised; for Patsy thoroughly roused was
+very much like an angry bull: till his rage cooled he would charge
+whoever approached him, absolutely blind to consequences.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, I ain't going to put nobody next,&quot; Slim asserted. &quot;Happy's got
+to take chances, same as I did. And while we're on the subject, Patsy
+was on the prod before I struck camp, or he wouldn't uh acted the way
+he done. Somebody else riled him up, by golly&mdash;I never.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, you sure did put the finishing touches to him,&quot; contended
+Irish, guiltily aware that he himself was originally responsible; for
+Patsy never had liked Irish very well because of certain incidents
+connected with his introduction to Weary's double. Patsy never could
+quite forget, though he might forgive, and resentment lay always close
+to the surface of his mood when Irish was near.</p>
+
+<p>Happy Jack, hungry and quite unconscious that he was riding straight
+into the trail of trouble, galloped around a ragged point of
+service-berry bushes, stopped with a lurch at the prostrate corral and
+unsaddled hastily. Those in the shade of the willow watched him, their
+very silence proclaiming loudly their interest. They might have warned
+him by a word, but they did not; for Happy Jack was never eager to
+heed warnings or to take advice, preferring always to abide by the
+rule of opposites. Stiff-legged from long riding, the knees of his
+old, leather chaps bulging out in transient simulation of bowed limbs,
+he came clanking down upon the cook-tent with no thought but to ease
+his hunger.</p>
+
+<p>Those who watched saw him stoop and thrust his head into the tent,
+heard a bellow and saw him back out hastily. They chuckled unfeelingly
+and strained ears to miss no word of what would follow.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Aw, gwan!&quot; Happy Jack expostulated, not yet angry. &quot;I got here quick
+as I could&mdash;and <i>I</i> ain't heard nothing about no new laws uh getting
+here when the whistle blows. Gimme what there is, anyhow.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Some sentences followed which, because of guttural tones and German
+accent emphasized by excitement, were not quite coherent to the
+listeners. However, they did not feel at all mystified as to his
+meaning&mdash;knowing Patsy as they did.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Aw, come off! Somebody must uh slipped yuh a two-gallon jug uh
+something. I've rode the range about as long as you've cooked on it,
+and I never knowed a man to go without his supper yet, just because he
+come in late. I betche yuh dassent stand and say that before Chip, yuh
+blamed old Dutch&mdash;&quot; Just there, Happy Jack dodged and escaped getting
+more than a third of the basin of water which came splashing out of
+the tent.</p>
+
+<p>The group under the willows could no longer lie at ease while they
+listened; they jumped up and moved closer, just as a crowd always does
+surge nearer and nearer to an exciting centre. They did not, however,
+interfere by word or deed.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;If yuh wasn't just about ready t' die of old age and general
+cussedness,&quot; stormed Happy Jack, &quot;I'd just about kill yuh for that.&quot;
+This, however, is a revised version and not intended to be exact. &quot;I
+want my supper, and I want it blame quick, too, or there'll be a dead
+Dutchman in camp. No, yuh don't! You git out uh that tent and lemme
+git in, or&mdash;&quot; Happy Jack had the axe in his hand by then, and he swung
+it fearsomely and permitted the gesture to round out his sentence.</p>
+
+<p>Perhaps there would have been something more than words between them,
+for even a Happy Jack may be goaded too far when he is hungry; but
+Chip, who had been washing out some handkerchiefs down by the creek,
+heard the row and came up, squeezing a ball of wet muslin on the way.
+He did not say much when he arrived, and he did not do anything more
+threatening than hang the handkerchiefs over the guy-ropes to dry,
+tying the corners to keep the wind from whipping them away up the
+coulee, but the result was satisfying&mdash;to Happy Jack, at least. He ate
+and was filled, and Patsy retired from the fray, sullenly owning
+defeat for that time at least. He went up the creek out of sight from
+camp, and he stayed there until the dusk was so thick that his big,
+white-aproned form was barely distinguishable in the gloom when he
+returned.</p>
+
+<p>At daylight he was his old self, except that he was perhaps a trifle
+gruff when he spoke and a good deal inclined to silence, and harmony
+came and abode for a season with the Flying U.</p>
+
+<p>Patsy had for years cooked for Jim Whitmore and his &quot;outfit&quot;; so many
+years it was that memory of the number was never exact, and even the
+Old Man would have been compelled to preface the number with a few
+minutes of meditation and a &quot;Lemme see, now; Patsy's been cooking for
+me&mdash;eighty-six was that hard winter, and he come the spring&mdash;no, the
+fall before that. I know because he like to froze before we got the
+mess-house chinked up good&mdash;I'll be doggoned if Patsy ain't gitting
+<i>old</i>!&quot; That was it, perhaps: Patsy was getting old. And old age does
+not often sweeten one's temper, if you notice. Those angelic old men
+and old ladies have nearly all been immortalized in stories and songs,
+and the unsung remainder have nerves and notions and rheumatism and
+tongues sharpened by all the disappointments and sorrows of their long
+lives.</p>
+
+<p>Patsy never had been angelic; he had always been the victim of more
+or less ill-timed humor on the part of the Happy Family, and the
+victim of hunger-sharpened tempers as well. He had always grumbled and
+rumbled Dutch profanity when they goaded him too hard, and his
+amiability had ever expressed itself in juicy pies and puddings rather
+than in words. On this roundup, however, he was not often amiable and
+he was nearly always rumbling to himself. More than that, he was
+becoming resentful of extra work and bother and he sometimes permitted
+his resentment to carry him farther than was wise.</p>
+
+<p>To quarrel with Patsy was rapidly becoming the fashion, and to gossip
+about him and his faults was already a habit; a habit indulged in too
+freely, perhaps, for the good of the camp. Isolation from the world
+brings small things into greater prominence than is normally their
+due, and large troubles are born of very small irritations.</p>
+
+<p>For two days there was peace of a sort, and then Big Medicine, having
+eaten no dinner because of a headache, rode into camp about three
+o'clock and headed straight for the mess-wagon, quite as if he had a
+right that must not be questioned. Custom did indeed warrant him in
+lunching without the ceremony of asking leave of the cook, for Patsy
+even in his most unpleasant moods had never until lately tried to stop
+anyone from eating when he was hungry.</p>
+
+<p>On this day, however, Big Medicine unthinkingly cut into a fresh-baked
+pie set out to cool. There were other pies, and in cutting one Big
+Medicine was supported by precedent; but Patsy chose to consider it an
+affront and snatched the pie from under Big Medicine's very nose.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;You fellers vot iss always gobbling yet, you iss quit it alreatty!&quot;
+rumbled Patsy, bearing the pie into the tent with Big Medicine's knife
+still lying buried in the lately released juice. &quot;I vork und vork mine
+head off keeping you fellers filled oop tree times a day alreatty; I
+not vork und vork to feed you effery hour, py cosh. You go mitout till
+supper iss reaty for you yet.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Big Medicine, his frog-like eyes standing out from his sun-reddened
+face, stared agape. &quot;Well, by cripes!&quot; He hesitated, looking about
+him; but whether his search was for more pie or for moral support he
+did not say. Truth to tell, there was plenty of both. He reached for
+another pie and another knife, and he grinned his wide grin at Irish,
+who had just come up. &quot;Dutchy's trying to run a whizzer,&quot; he remarked,
+cutting a defiant gash clean across the second pie. &quot;What do yuh know
+about that?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;He's often took that way,&quot; said Irish soothingly. &quot;You don't want all
+that pie&mdash;give me about half of it.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Big Medicine, his mouth too full for coherent utterance, waved his
+hand and his knife toward the shelf at the back of the mess-wagon
+where three more pies sat steaming in the shade. &quot;Help yourself,&quot; he
+invited juicily when he could speak.</p>
+
+<p>Those familiar with camp life in the summer have perhaps observed the
+miraculous manner in which a million or so &quot;yellow-jackets&quot; will come
+swarming around when one opens a can of fruit or uncovers the sugar
+jar. It was like that. Irish helped himself without any hesitation
+whatever, and he had not taken a mouthful before Happy Jack, Weary and
+Pink were buzzing around for all the world like the &quot;yellow-jackets&quot;
+mentioned before. Patsy buzzed also, but no one paid the slightest
+attention until the last mouthful of the last pie was placed in
+retirement where it would be most appreciated. Then Weary became
+aware of Patsy and his wrath, and turned to him pacifically.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Oh, yuh don't want to worry none about the pie,&quot; he smiled winningly
+at him. &quot;Mamma! How do you expect to keep pies around this camp when
+yuh go right on making such good ones? Yuh hadn't ought to be such a
+crackajack of a cook, Patsy, if you don't want folks to eat themselves
+sick.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>If any man among them could have soothed Patsy, Weary would certainly
+have been the man; for next to Chip he was Patsy's favorite. To say
+that he failed is only one way of making plain how great was Patsy's
+indignation.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Aw, yuh made 'em to be eat, didn't yuh?&quot; argued Happy Jack. &quot;What
+difference does it make whether we eat 'em now or two hours from now?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Patsy tried to tell them the difference. He called his hands and his
+head to help his rage-tangled tongue and he managed to make himself
+very well understood. They did not argue the fine point of gastronomic
+ethics which he raised, though they felt that his position was not
+unassailable and his ultimate victory not assured.</p>
+
+<p>Instead, they peered into boxes and cans which were covered, gleaned
+a whole box of seeded raisins and some shredded cocoanut just to tease
+him and retired to wrangle ostentatiously over their treasure trove in
+the shade of the bed-tent, leaving Patsy to his anger and his empty
+tins.</p>
+
+<p>Other men straggled in, drifted with the tide of their appetites to
+the cook-tent, hovered there briefly and retired vanquished and still
+hungry. They invariably came over to the little group which was
+munching raisins and cocoanut and asked accusing questions. What was
+the matter with Patsy? Who had put him on the fight like that? and
+other inquiries upon the same subject.</p>
+
+<p>Just because they were all lying around camp with nothing to do but
+eat, Patsy was late with his supper that night. It would seem that he
+dallied purposely and revengefully, and though the Happy Family flung
+at him taunts and hurry-up orders, it is significant that they shouted
+from a distance and avoided coming to close quarters.</p>
+
+<p>Just how and when they began their foolish little game of imitation
+broncho-fighting does not matter. When work did not press and red
+blood bubbled they frequently indulged in &quot;rough-riding&quot; one another
+to the tune of much taunting and many a &quot;Bet yuh can't pitch <i>me</i>
+off!&quot; Before supper was called they were hard at it and they quite
+forgot Patsy.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I'll give any man a dollar that can ride me straight up, by cripes!&quot;
+bellowed Big Medicine, going down upon all fours by way of invitation.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Easy money, and mine from the start!&quot; retorted Irish and immediately
+straddled Big Medicine's back. Horses and riders pantingly gave over
+their own exertions and got out of the way, for Big Medicine played
+bronk as he did everything else: with all his heart and soul and
+muscles, and since he was strong as a bull, riding him promised much
+in the way of excitement.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yuh can hold on by my collar, but if yuh choke me down I'll murder
+yuh in cold blood,&quot; he warned Irish before he started. &quot;And don't yuh
+dig your heels in my ribs neither, or I'm liable to bust every bone
+yuh got to your name. I'm ticklish, by cripes!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I'll ride yuh with my arms folded if yuh say so,&quot; Irish offered
+generously. &quot;Move, you snail!&quot; He struck Big Medicine spectacularly
+with his hat, yelled at the top of his voice and the riding began
+immediately and tumultuously.</p>
+
+<p>It is very difficult to describe accurately and effectively the
+evolutions of a horse when he &quot;pitches&quot; his worst and hardest. It is
+still more difficult to set down in words the gyrations of a man when
+he is playing that he is a broncho and is trying to dislodge the
+fellow upon his back. Big Medicine reared and kicked and bellowed and
+snorted. He came down upon a small &quot;pin-cushion&quot; cactus and was
+obliged to call a recess while he extracted three cactus spines from
+his knee with his smallest knife-blade and some profanity.</p>
+
+<p>He rolled down his trousers' leg, closed his knife and tossed it to
+Pink for fear he might lose it, examined critically a patch of grass
+to make sure there were no more cacti hidden there and bawled: &quot;Come
+on, now, I'll sure give yuh a run for your money <i>this</i> time, by
+cripes!&quot; and began all over again.</p>
+
+<p>How human muscles can bear the strain he put upon his own must be
+always something of a mystery. He described curves in the air which
+would sound incredible; he &quot;swapped ends&quot; with all the ease of a real
+fighting broncho and came near sending Irish off more than once.
+Insensibly he neared the cook-tent, where Patsy so far forgot himself
+as to stand just without the lifted flap and watch the fun with sour
+interest.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Ah-h <i>want</i> yuh!&quot; yelled Big Medicine, quite purple but far from
+surrender, and gave a leap.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Go <i>get</i> me!&quot; shouted Irish, whipping down the sides of his mount
+with his hat.</p>
+
+<p>Big Medicine answered the taunt by a queer, twisted plunge which he
+had saved for the last. It brought Irish spread-eagling over his head,
+and it landed him fairly in the middle of Patsy's great pan of soft
+bread &quot;sponge&quot;&mdash;and landed him upon his head into the bargain. Irish
+wriggled there a moment and came up absolutely unrecognizable and a
+good deal dazed. Big Medicine rolled helplessly in the grass, laughing
+his big, bellowing laugh.</p>
+
+<p>It was straight into that laugh and the great mouth from where it
+issued, that Patsy, beside himself with rage at the accident,
+deposited all the soft dough which was not clinging to the head and
+face of Irish. He was not content with that. While the Happy Family
+roared appreciation of the spectacle, Patsy returned with a kettle of
+meat and tried to land that neatly upon the dough.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Py cosh, if dat iss der vay you wants your grub, py cosh, dat iss der
+vay you gets it alreatty!&quot; he brought the coffee-boiler and threw
+that also at the two, and followed it with a big basin of stewed corn.</p>
+
+<p>Irish, all dough as he was, went for him blindly and grappled with
+him, and it was upon this turbulent scene which Chip looked first when
+he rode up. The Happy Family crowded around him gasping and tried to
+explain.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;They were doing some rough-riding&mdash;&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;By golly, Patsy no business to set his bread dough on the ground!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;He's throwed away all the supper there is, and I betche&mdash;&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Mamma! Yuh sure missed it, Chip. You ought&mdash;&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;By cripes, if that Dutch&mdash;&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Break away there, Irish!&quot; shouted Chip, dismounting hurriedly. &quot;Has
+it got so you must fight an old man like that?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Py cosh, <i>I'll</i> fight mit him alreatty! I'll fight mit any mans vat
+shpoils mine bread. Maybe I'm old yet but I ain't dead yet und I could
+fight&mdash;&quot; The words came disjointedly, mere punctuation points to his
+wild sparring.</p>
+
+<p>It was plain that Irish, furious though he was, was trying not to
+hurt Patsy very much; but it took four men to separate them for all
+that. When they had dragged Irish perforce down to the creek by which
+they had camped, and had yelled to Big Medicine to come on and feed
+the fish, quiet should have been restored&mdash;but it was not.</p>
+
+<p>Patsy was, in American parlance, running amuck. He was jumbling three
+languages together into an indistinguishable tumult of sound and he
+was emptying the cook-tent of everything which his stout, German
+muscles could fling from it. Not a thing did he leave that was eatable
+and the dishes within his reach he scattered recklessly to all the
+winds of heaven. When one venturesome soul after another approached to
+calm him, he found it expedient to duck and run to cover. Patsy's aim
+was terribly exact.</p>
+
+<p>The Happy Family, under cover or at a safe distance from the hurtling
+pans, cans and stove wood, caressed sundry bumps and waited meekly.
+Irish and Big Medicine, once more disclosing the features God had
+given them, returned by a circuitous route and joined their fellows.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Look at 'em over there&mdash;he's emptying every grain uh rolled oats on
+the ground!&quot; Happy Jack was a &quot;mush-fiend.&quot; &quot;Somebody better go over
+and stop 'im&mdash;&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;You ain't tied down,&quot; suggested Cal Emmett rather pointedly, and
+Happy Jack said no more.</p>
+
+<p>Chip, usually so incisively clear as to his intentions and his duties,
+waited irresolutely and dodged missiles along with the rest of them.
+When Patsy subsided for the very good reason that there was nothing
+else which he could throw out, Chip took the matter up with him and
+told him quite plainly some of the duties of a cook, a few of his
+privileges and all of his limitations. The result, however, was not
+quite what he expected. Patsy would not even listen.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Py cosh, I not stand for dose poys no more,&quot; he declared, wagging his
+head with its shiny crown and the fringe of grizzled hair around the
+back. &quot;I not cook grub for dat Irish und dat Big Medicine und Happy
+Jack und all dose vat cooms und eats mine pies und shpoils mine pread
+und makes deirselves fools all der time. If dose fellers shtay on dis
+camp I quits him alreatty.&quot; To make the bluff convincing he untied his
+apron, threw it spitefully upon the ground and stamped upon it
+clumsily, like a maddened elephant.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, quit then!&quot; Chip was fast losing his own temper, what with the
+heat and his hunger and a general distaste for camp troubles. &quot;This
+jangling has got to stop right here. We've had about enough of it in
+the last month. If you can't cook for the outfit peaceably&mdash;&quot; He did
+not finish the sentence, or if he did the distance muffled the words,
+for he was leading his horse back to the vicinity of the rope corral
+that he might unsaddle and turn him loose.</p>
+
+<p>He heard several voices muttering angrily, but his wrath was ever of
+the stiff-necked variety so that he would not look around to see what
+was the matter. The tumult grew, however, until when he did turn he
+saw Patsy stalking off across the prairie with his hat on and his coat
+folded neatly over his arm, and Irish and Big Medicine fighting
+wickedly in the open space between the two tents. He finished
+unsaddling and then went stalking over to quell this latest
+development.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;They're trying to find out who was to blame,&quot; Weary informed him when
+he was quite close. &quot;Bud hasn't got much tact: he called Irish a
+dough-head. Irish didn't think it was true humor, and he hit Bud on
+the nose. He claims that Bud pitched him into that dishpan uh dough
+with malice aforethought. Better let 'em argue the point to a finish,
+now they're started. It's black eyes for the peacemaker&mdash;you believe
+<i>me</i>.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>While the dusk folded them close and the nighthawks swooped from afar,
+the Happy Family gathered round and watched them fight. Chip and Weary
+thoughtfully went into the bed-tent and got the guns which were stowed
+away in the beds of the combatants, so that when their anger reached
+the killing point they must let it bubble harmlessly until the fires
+which fed it went cold. Which was exceeding wise of the two, for Big
+Medicine and Irish did get to that very point and raged all over the
+camp because they could not shoot each other.</p>
+
+<p>The hottest battle must perforce end sometime, and so the camp of the
+Flying U did at last settle into some semblance of calm. Irish rolled
+his bed, saddled a horse and rode off toward town, quite as if he were
+going for good and all. Big Medicine went down to the creek for the
+second time that evening to wash away the marks of strife, and when he
+returned he went straight to bed without a word to anyone. Patsy was
+gone, no man knew whither, and the cook-tent was as nearly wrecked as
+might be.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Makes me think uh that time we had the ringtailed tiger in camp,&quot;
+sighed Andy Green, shaking sand out of the teakettle so that it could
+be refilled.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;By golly, I'd ruther have a whole band uh tagers than this fighting
+bunch,&quot; Slim affirmed earnestly. Slim was laboring sootily with the
+stove-pipe which Patsy had struck askew with a stick of wood.</p>
+
+<p>Outside, Happy Jack was protesting in what he believed to be an
+undertone against being installed in Patsy's place. &quot;Aw, that's always
+the way! Anything comes up, it's 'Happy, you git in and rustle some
+chuck.' <i>I</i> ain't no cook&mdash;or if I be they might pay me cook's wages.
+I betche there ain't another man in camp would stand for it.
+Somebody's got to take that bacon down to the creek and wash it off,
+if yuh want any meat for supper. There ain't no time to boil beef. If
+I'd a been boss uh this outfit, I betche no blame cook on earth would
+uh made rough-house like Patsy done.&quot; But no one paid the slightest
+attention to Happy Jack, having plenty to think of and to do before
+they slept.</p>
+
+<p>Not even the sun, when it shone again, could warm their hearts to a
+joy in living. Happy Jack cooked the breakfast, but his coffee was
+weak and his biscuits &quot;soggy,&quot; and Patsy had managed to make the
+butter absolutely uneatable with sand; also they were late and Chip
+was surly over the double loss of cook and cowboy. Happy Jack packed
+food and dishes in much the same spirit which Patsy had shown the
+night before, climbed sullenly to the high seat, gathered up the reins
+of the four restive horses, released the brake and let out a yell
+surcharged with all the bitterness bottled within his soul. <i>He</i> had
+not done anything to precipitate the trouble. Beyond eating half a pie
+he had been an innocent spectator, not even taking part in the
+rough-riding. Yet here he was, condemned to the mess-wagon quite as if
+he were to blame for Patsy's leaving. The eyes of Happy Jack gazed
+gloomily upon the world, and his driving seemed a reckless invitation
+to disaster. &quot;I betche I'll make 'em good and sick uh <i>my</i> cooking!&quot;
+he plotted while he went rattling and bumping over the untrailed
+prairie.</p>
+
+<p>He succeeded so well that two days later Chip gave a curt order or two
+and headed his wagons, horses and his lean-stomached bunch of riders
+for Dry Lake, passing by even the Flying U coulee in his haste. Just
+outside the town, upon the creek which saves the inhabitants from
+dying of thirst or <i>delirium tremens</i>, he left the wagons with Happy
+Jack, Slim and one alien to set up camp and rode dust-dogged to the
+little, red depot.</p>
+
+<p>The telegram which went speeding to Great Falls and to a friend there
+was brief, but it was eloquent and not quite flattering to Happy Jack.
+It read like this:</p>
+
+<div class="blkquot"><p>&quot;JOHN G. SCOTT,</p>
+
+<p>  &quot;The Palace, Great Falls.</p>
+
+<p>  &quot;For God's sake send me a cook by return train; must deliver goods
+  or die hard.</p>
+
+<p>  &quot;BENNETT, Flying U.&quot;</p></div>
+
+<p>Whether the cook must die hard, or whether he meant the friend, Chip
+did not trouble to make plain. Telegrams are bound by such rigid
+limitations, and he had gone over the ten-word rate as it was. But he
+told Weary to receive the cook, be he white or black, have him restock
+the mess-wagon to his liking and then bring the outfit to the ranch,
+when Chip would again take it in hand. He said that he was going home
+to get a square meal, and he mentioned Happy Jack along with several
+profane words. &quot;Johnny Scott will send a cook, and a good one,&quot;; he
+added hopefully. &quot;Johnny never threw down a friend in his life and he
+never will. And say, Weary, if he wires, you collect the message and
+act accordingly. I'm going to have a decent supper, to-night!&quot; He was
+riding a good horse and there was no reason why he should be late in
+arriving, especially if he kept the gait at which he left town.</p>
+
+<p>In two hours Weary, Pink and Andy Green were touching hat-brims over a
+telegram from Johnny Scott&mdash;a telegram which was brief as Chip's, and
+more illuminating:</p>
+
+<div class="blkquot"><p>&quot;CHIP BENNETT,</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Dry Lake.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Kidnaped Park hotel chef best cook in town will be on next train.<br />
+J.G. SCOTT.&quot;</p></div>
+
+<p>&quot;Sounds good,&quot; mused Andy, reading it for the fourth time. &quot;But
+there's thirteen words in that telegram, if yuh notice.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I wish yuh wouldn't try to butt in on Happy Jack's specialty,&quot; Weary
+remonstrated, folding the message and slipping it inside the yellow
+envelope. &quot;If this is the same jasper that cooked there a month ago,
+we're going to eat ourselves plumb to death; a better meal I never
+laid away inside me than the one I got at the Park Hotel when I was up
+there last time. Come on over to the hotel and eat; their chuck isn't
+the best in the world, but it could be a lot worse and still beat
+Happy Jack to a jelly.&quot;</p>
+
+<hr />
+<h3>PART TWO</h3>
+
+<p>The whole Happy Family&mdash;barring Happy Jack, who was sulking in camp
+because of certain things which had been said of his cooking and which
+he had overheard&mdash;clanked spurs impatiently upon the platform and
+waited for the arrival of the train from the West. When at last it
+snorted into town and nosed its way up to the platform they bunched
+instinctively and gazed eagerly at the steps which led down from the
+smoker.</p>
+
+<p>A slim little man in blue serge, a man with the complexion of a strip
+of rawhide and the mustache of a third-rate orchestra leader, felt his
+way gingerly down by the light of the brakeman's lantern, hesitated
+and then came questioningly toward them, carrying with some difficulty
+a bulky suitcase.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It's him, all right,&quot; muttered Pink while they waited.</p>
+
+<p>The little man stopped apologetically before the group, indistinct in
+the faint light from the office window. Already the train was sliding
+away into the dark. &quot;Pardon,&quot; he apologized. &quot;I am looking for the U
+fich flies.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;This is it,&quot; Weary assured him gravely. &quot;We'll take yuh right on out
+to camp. Pretty dark, isn't it? Let me take your grip&mdash;I know the way
+better than you do.&quot; Weary was not in the habit of making himself a
+porter for any man's accommodation, but the way back to where they had
+left the horses was dark, and the new cook was very small and slight.
+They filed silently back to Rusty Brown's place, invited the cook in
+for a drink and were refused with soft-voiced regret and the gracious
+assurance that he would wait outside for them.</p>
+
+<p>Weary it was, and Pink to bear him company, who piloted the stranger
+out to camp and showed him where he might sleep in Patsy's bed. Patsy
+had left town, the Happy Family had been informed, with the
+declaration often repeated that he was &quot;neffer cooming back alreatty.&quot;
+He had even left behind him his bed and his clothes rather than meet
+again any member of the Flying U outfit.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;We'd like breakfast somewhere near sunrise,&quot; Weary told the cook at
+parting. &quot;Soon as the store opens in the morning, we'll drive in and
+you can stock up the wagon; we're pretty near down to</p>
+
+<p>cases, judging from the meals we have been getting lately. Hope yuh
+make out all right.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I will do very nicely, I thank you,&quot; smiled the new cook in the light
+of the lantern which stood upon the fireless cook-stove. &quot;I wish you
+good-night, gentlemen, and sweet dreams of loved ones.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Say, he's a polite son-of-a-gun,&quot; Pink commented when they were
+riding back to town. &quot;'The U fich flies'&mdash;that's a good one! What is
+he, do you thing? French?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;He's liable to be most anything, and I'll gamble he can build a good
+dinner for a hungry man. That's the main point,&quot; said Weary.</p>
+
+<p>At daybreak Weary woke and heard him humming a little tune while he
+moved softly about the cook-tent and the mess-wagon, evidently
+searching mostly for the things which were not there, to judge from
+stray remarks which interrupted the love song. &quot;Rolled oat&mdash;I do not
+find him,&quot; he heard once. And again: &quot;Where the clean towels they are,
+that I do not discover.&quot; Weary smiled sleepily and took another nap.</p>
+
+<p>The cook's manner of announcing breakfast was such that it awoke even
+Jack Bates, notoriously a sleepy-head, and Cal Emmett who was almost
+as bad. Instead of pounding upon a pan and lustily roaring
+&quot;<i>Grub-pi-i-ile!</i>&quot; in the time-honored manner of roundup cooks, he
+came softly up to the bed-tent, lifted a flap deprecatingly and
+announced in a velvet voice:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Breakfast is served, gentlemen.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Andy Green, whose experiences had been varied, sat up and blinked at
+the gently swaying flap where the cook had been standing. &quot;Say, what
+we got in camp?&quot; he asked curiously. &quot;A butler?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;By golly, that's the way a cook <i>oughta</i> be!&quot; vowed Slim, and reached
+for his hat.</p>
+
+<p>They dressed hastily and trooped down to the creek for their morning
+ablutions, and hurried back to the breakfast which waited. The new
+cook was smiling and apologetic and anxious to please. The Happy
+Family felt almost as if there were a woman in camp and became very
+polite without in the least realizing that they were not behaving in
+the usual manner, or dreaming that they were unconsciously trying to
+live up to their chef.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The breakfast, it is of a lacking in many things fich I shall
+endeavor to remedy,&quot; he assured them, pouring coffee as if he were
+serving royalty. He was dressed immaculately in white cap and apron,
+and his mustache was waxed to a degree which made it resemble a cat's
+whiskers. The Happy Family tasted the coffee and glanced eloquently at
+one another. It was better than Patsy's coffee, even; and as for Happy
+Jack&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>There were biscuits, the like of which they never had tasted before.
+The bacon was crisp and delicately brown and delicious, the potatoes
+cooked in a new and enticing way. The Happy Family showed its
+appreciation as seemed to them most convincing: They left not a scrap
+of anything and they drank two cups of coffee apiece when that was not
+their habit.</p>
+
+<p>Later, they hitched the four horses to the mess-wagon, learned that
+the new cook, though he deeply regretted his inefficiency, did not
+drive anything. &quot;The small burro,&quot; he explained, &quot;I ride him, yes, and
+also the automobile drive I when the way is smooth. But the horses I
+make not acquainted with him. I could ride upon the elevated seat,
+yes, but to drive the quartet I would not presume.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Happy, you'll have to drive,&quot; said Weary, his tone a command.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Aw, gwan!&quot; Happy Jack objected, &quot;He rode out here all right last
+night&mdash;unless somebody took him up in front on the saddle, which I
+hain't heard about nobody doing. A cook's supposed to do his own
+driving. I betche&mdash;&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Weary went close and pointed a finger impressively. &quot;Happy, you
+<i>drive</i>,&quot; he said, and Happy Jack turned without a word and climbed
+glumly up to the seat of the mess-wagon.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, are yuh coming or ain't yuh?&quot; he inquired of the cook in a tone
+surcharged with disgust.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;If you will so kindly permit, it give me great pleasure to ride with
+you and to make better friendship. It now occurs to me that I have not
+yet introduce. Gentlemen, Jacques I have the honor to be name. I am
+delighted to meet you and I hope for pleasant association.&quot; The bow he
+gave the group was of the old school.</p>
+
+<p>Big Medicine grinned suddenly and came forward. &quot;Honest to grandma,
+I'm happy to know yuh!&quot; he bellowed, and caught the cook's hand in a
+grip that sent him squirming upon his toes. &quot;These here are my
+friends: Happy Jack up there on the wagon, and Slim and Weary and Pink
+and Cal and Jack Bates and Andy Green&mdash;and there's more scattered
+around here, that don't reely count except when it comes to eating.
+We like you, by cripes, and we like your cookin' fine! Now, you amble
+along to town and load up with the best there is&mdash;huh?&quot; It occurred to
+him that his final remarks might be construed as giving orders, and he
+glanced at Weary and winked to show that he meant nothing serious. &quot;So
+long, Jakie,&quot;he added over his shoulder and went to where his horse
+waited.</p>
+
+<p>Jacques&mdash;ever afterward he was known as &quot;Jakie&quot; to the Flying
+U&mdash;clambered up the front wheel and perched ingratiatingly beside
+Happy Jack, and they started off behind the riders for the short mile
+to Dry Lake. Immediately he proceeded to win Happy from his glum
+aloofness.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I would say, Mr. Happy, that I should like exceeding well to be
+friends together,&quot; he began purringly. &quot;So superior a gentleman must
+win the admiration of the onlooker and so I could presume to question
+for advisement. I am experience much dexterity for cooking, yes, but I
+am yet so ignorant concerning the duties pertaining to camp. If the
+driving of these several horses transpire to pertain, I will so gladly
+receive the necessary instruction and endeavor to fulfil the
+accomplishment. Yes?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Happy Jack, more in stupefaction at the cook's vocabulary than
+anything else, turned his head and took a good look at him. And the
+trustful smile of Jakie went straight to the big, soft heart of him
+and won him completely. &quot;Aw, gwan,&quot; he adjured gruffly to hide his
+surrender. &quot;I don't mind driving for yuh. It ain't that I was kicking
+about.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I thank you for the so gracious assurement. If I transgress not too
+greatly, I should like for inquire what is the chuck for which I am
+told to fill the wagon. I do not,&quot; he added humbly, &quot;understand yet
+all the language of your so glorious country, for fich I have so
+diligently study the books. Words I have not yet assimilated
+completely, and the word chuck have yet escape my knowledge.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Chuck,&quot; grinned Happy Jack, &quot;is grub.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Chuck, it is grub,&quot; repeated Jakie thoughtfully. &quot;And grub, that
+is&mdash;Yes?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Happy Jack struggled mentally with the problem. &quot;Well, grub is grub;
+all the stuff yuh eat is grub. Meat and flour and coffee and&mdash;&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Ah, the light it dawns!&quot; exclaimed Jakie joyously. &quot;Grub it is the
+supply of provision fich I must obtain for camping, yes? I thank you
+so graciously for the information; because,&quot; he added a bit wistfully,
+&quot;that little word chuck she annoy me exceeding and make me for not
+sleep that I must grasp the meaning fich elude. I am now happy that I
+do not make the extensive blunder for one small word fich I apprehend
+must be a food fich I must buy and perhaps not to understand the
+preparation of it. Yes? It is the excellent jest at the expense of
+me.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;There ain't much chuck in camp,&quot; Happy observed helpfully, &quot;so yuh
+might as well start in and get anything yuh want to cook. The outfit
+is good about one thing They don't never kick on the stuff yuh eat.
+The cook always loads up to suit himself, and nobody don't ask
+questions or make a holler&mdash;so long as there's plenty and it's good.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Jakie listened attentively, twisting his mustache ends absently. &quot;It
+is simply that I purchase the supplies fich I shall choose for my
+judgment,&quot; he observed, to make quite sure that he understood. &quot;I am
+to have <i>carte blanche</i>, yes?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Sure, if yuh want it,&quot; said Happy Jack. &quot;Only they might not keep it
+here. Yuh can't get <i>everything</i> in a little place like this.&quot; It is
+only fair to Happy Jack to state that he would have understood the
+term if he had seen it in print. It was the pronunciation which made
+the words strange to him.</p>
+
+<p>Jakie looked puzzled, but being the soul of politeness he made no
+comment&mdash;perhaps because Happy Jack was at that moment bringing his
+four horses to a reluctant stand at the wide side-door of the store.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The horses, they are of the vivacious temperament, yes?&quot; Jakie had
+scrambled from the seat to within the door and was standing there
+smiling appreciatively at the team.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Aw, they're all right. You go on in&mdash;I guess Weary's there. If he
+ain't, you go ahead and get what yuh want. I'll be back after awhile.&quot;
+Thirst was calling Happy Jack; he heeded the summons and disappeared,
+leaving the new cook to his own devices.</p>
+
+<p>So, it would seem, did every other member of the Flying U. Weary had
+been told that Miss Satterly was in town, and he forgot all about
+Jakie in his haste to find her. No one else seemed to feel any
+responsibility in the matter, and the store clerks did not care what
+the Flying U outfit had to eat. For that reason the chuck-wagon
+contained in an hour many articles which were strange to it, and
+lacked a few things which might justly be called necessities.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Say, you fellows are sure going to live swell,&quot; one of the clerks
+remarked, when Happy Jack finally returned. &quot;Where did yuh pick his
+nibs? Ain't he a little bit new and shiny?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Aw, he's all right,&quot; Happy Jack defended jealously. &quot;He's a real
+<i>chaff</i>, and he can build the swellest meals yuh ever eat. Patsy can't
+cook within a mile uh him. And <i>clean</i>&mdash;I betche <i>he</i> don't keep his
+bread-dough setting around on the ground for folks to tromp on.&quot; Which
+proves how completely Jakie had subjugated Happy Jack.</p>
+
+<p>That night&mdash;nobody but the horse-wrangler and Happy Jack had shown up
+at dinner-time&mdash;the boys of the Flying U dined luxuriously at their
+new-made camp upon the creek-bank at the home ranch, and ate things
+which they could not name but which pleased wonderfully their palates.
+There was a salad to tempt an epicure, and there was a pudding the
+like of which they had never tasted. It had a French name which left
+them no wiser than before asking for it, and it looked, as Pink
+remarked, like a snowbank with the sun shining on it, and it tasted
+like going to heaven.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It makes me plumb sore when I think of all the years I've stood for
+Patsy's slops,&quot; sighed Cal Emmett, rolling over upon his back because
+he was too full for any other position&mdash;putting it plainly.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;By golly, I never knowed there was such cookin' in the world,&quot; echoed
+Slim. &quot;Why, even Mis' Bixby can't cook that good.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The Countess had ought to come down and take a few lessons,&quot; declared
+Jack Bates emphatically. &quot;I'm going to take up some uh that pudding
+and ask her what she thinks of it.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yuh can't,&quot; mourned Happy Jack. &quot;There ain't any left&mdash;and I never
+got more'n a taste. Next time, I'm going to tell Jakie to make it in a
+wash tub, and make it full; with some uh you gobblers in camp&mdash;&quot;</p>
+
+<p>He looked up and discovered the Little Doctor approaching with Chip.
+She was smiling a friendly welcome, and she was curious about the new
+cook. By the time she had greeted them all and had asked all the
+questions she could think of and had gone over to meet Jakie and to
+taste, at the urgent behest of the Happy Family, a tiny morsel of
+salad which had been overlooked, it would seem that the triumph of the
+new cook was complete and that no one could possibly give a thought to
+old Patsy.</p>
+
+<p>The Little Doctor, however, seemed to regret his loss&mdash;and that in the
+face of the delectable salad and the smile of Jakie. &quot;I do think it's
+a shame that Patsy left the way he did,&quot; she remarked to the Happy
+Family in general, being especially careful not to look toward Big
+Medicine. &quot;The poor old fellow <i>walked</i> every step of the way to the
+ranch, and Claude&quot;&mdash;that was Chip's real name&mdash;&quot;says it was
+twenty-five or six miles. He was so lame and he looked so old and
+so&mdash;well, friendless, that I could have <i>cried</i> when he came limping
+up to the house! He had walked all night, and he got here just at
+breakfast time and was too tired to eat.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I dosed him and doctored his poor feet and made him go to bed, and he
+slept all that day. He wanted to start that night for Dry Lake, but of
+course we wouldn't let him do that. He was wild to leave, however, so
+J.G. had to drive him in the next day. He went off without a word to
+any of us, and he looked so utterly dejected and so&mdash;so <i>old</i>. Claude
+says he acted perfectly awful in camp, but I'm sure he was sorry for
+it afterwards. J.G. hasn't got over it yet; I believe he has taken it
+to heart as much as Patsy seemed to do. He's had Patsy with him for so
+long, you see&mdash;he was like one of the family.&quot; She stopped and
+regarded the Happy Family a bit anxiously. &quot;This new cook is a very
+nice little man,&quot; she added after a minute, &quot;but after all, he isn't
+Patsy.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The Happy Family did not answer, and they refrained from looking at
+one another or at the Little Doctor.</p>
+
+<p>At last Big Medicine brought his big voice into the awkward silence.
+&quot;Honest to grandma, Mrs. Chip,&quot; he said earnestly, &quot;I'd give a lot
+right now to have old Patsy back&mdash;er&mdash;just to have <i>around</i>, if it
+made him feel bad to leave. I reckon maybe that was my fault: I hadn't
+oughta pitched quite so hard, and I had oughta looked where I was
+throwin' m' rider. I reelize that no cook likes to have a fellow
+standin' on his head in a big pan uh bread-sponge, on general
+principles if not on account uh the bread. Uh course, we've all knowed
+old Patsy to take just about as great liberties himself with his
+sponge&mdash;but we've got to recollect that it was <i>his</i> dough, by cripes,
+and that pipe ashes ain't the same as a fellow takin' a shampoo in
+the pan. No, I reelize that I done wrong, and I'm willin' to apologize
+for it right here and now. At the same time,&quot; he ended dryly, &quot;I will
+own that I'm dead stuck on little Jakie, and I'd ruther ride for the
+Flying U and eat Jakie's grub than any other fate I can think of right
+now. Whilst I'm sorry for what I done, yuh couldn't pry me loose from
+Jakie with a stick uh dynamite&mdash;and that's a fact, Mrs. Chip.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The Little Doctor laughed, pushed back her hair in the way she had,
+glanced again at the unresponsive faces of the original members of the
+Happy Family and gave up as gracefully as possible.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Oh, of course Patsy's an old crank, and Jakie's a waxed angel,&quot; she
+surrendered with a little grimace. &quot;You think so now, but that's
+because you are being led astray by your appetites, like all men. You
+just wait: You'll be <i>homesick</i> for a sight of that fat, bald-headed,
+cranky old Patsy bouncing along on the mess-wagon and swearing in
+Dutch at his horses, before you're through. If you're not so
+completely gone over to Jakie that you will eat nothing but what he
+has cooked, come on up to the house. The Countess is making a
+twogallon freezer of ice-cream for you, and she has a big pan of
+angel cake to go with it! You don't deserve it&mdash;but come along
+anyway.&quot; Which was another endearing way of the Little Doctor's&mdash;the
+way of sweetening all her lectures with something very nice at the
+end.</p>
+
+<p>The Happy Family felt very much ashamed and very sorry that they could
+not feel kindly toward Patsy, even to please the Little Doctor. They
+sincerely wanted to please her and to have her unqualified approval;
+but wanting Patsy back, or feeling even the slightest regret that he
+was gone, seemed to them a great deal too much to ask of them. Since
+this is a story of cooks and of eating, one may with propriety add,
+however, that the invitation to ice cream and angel cake, coming
+though it did immediately after that wonderful supper of Jakie's, was
+accepted with alacrity and their usual thoroughness of accomplishment;
+not for the world would they have offended the Little Doctor by
+declining so gracious an invitation&mdash;the graciousness being manifested
+in her smile and her voice rather than in the words she spoke&mdash;leaving
+out the enchantment which hovers over the very name of angel cake and
+ice cream. The Happy Family went to bed that night as complacently
+uncomfortable as children after a Christmas dinner.</p>
+
+<p>Not often does it fall to the lot of a cowboy to have served to him
+stuffed olives and lobster salad with mayonnaise dressing, French
+fried potatoes and cream puffs from the mess-tent of a roundup outfit.
+During the next week it fell to the lot of the Happy Family, however.
+When the salads and the cream puffs disappeared suddenly and the smile
+of Jakie became pensive and contrite, the Happy Family, acting
+individually but unanimously, made inquiries.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It is that I no more possess the fresh vegetables, nor the eggs,
+gentlemen,&quot; purred Jakie. &quot;Many things of a deliciousness must I now
+abstain because of the absence of two, three small eggs! But see, one
+brief arrival in the small town would quickly remedy, yes? It is that
+we return with haste that I may buy more of the several articles for
+fich I require?&quot; He spread his small hands appealingly.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;By golly, <i>Patsy</i> never had no eggs&mdash;&quot; began Slim traitorously.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Aw, gwan! Patsy never fed yuh like Jakie does, neither!&quot; Happy Jack
+was heart and soul the slave of the chef. &quot;If Chip don't care, I'll
+ride over to Nelson's and git some eggs. Jakie said he'd make some
+more uh that pudding if he had some. It ain't but six or seven miles.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Should you but obtain the juvenile hen, yes, I should be delighted to
+serve the chicken salad for luncheon. It is the great misfortune that
+the fresh vegetable are not obtain, but I will do the best and
+substitute with a cleverness fich will conceal the defect&mdash;yes?&quot;
+Jakie's caps and aprons had lost their first immaculate freshness, but
+his manner was as royally perfect as ever and his smile as wistfully
+friendly.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, I'll ask Chip about it,&quot; Happy Jack yielded.</p>
+
+<p>Eggs and young chickens were of a truth strange to a roundup in full
+blast, but so was a chef like Jakie, and so were the salads, stuffed
+olives and cream puffs; and the white caps and the waxed mustache and
+the beautiful flow of words and the smile. The Happy Family was in no
+condition, mentally or digestively, to judge impartially. A month ago
+they would have whooped derision at the suggestion of riding anywhere
+after fresh eggs and &quot;juvenile hens,&quot; but now it seemed to them very
+natural and very necessary. So much for the demoralization of expert
+cookery and white caps and a smile.</p>
+
+<p>Chip also seemed to have fallen under the spell. It may have been that
+the heavenly peace which wrapped the Flying U was, in his mind, too
+precious to be lightly disturbed. At any rate he told Happy Jack
+briefly to &quot;Go ahead, if you want to,&quot; and so left unobstructed the
+path to the chicken salad and cream puffs. Happy Jack wiped his hands
+upon an empty flour sack, rolled down his shirtsleeves and hurried off
+to saddle a horse.</p>
+
+<p>Happy Jack did not realize that he was doing two thirds of the work
+about the cook-tent, but that was a fact. Because Jakie could not
+drive the mess-wagon team, Happy Jack had been appointed his
+assistant. As assistant he drove the wagon from one camping place to
+another, &quot;rustled&quot; the wood, peeled the potatoes, tended fires and
+washed dishes, and did the thousand things which do not require expert
+hands, and which, in time of stress, usually falls to the
+horse-wrangler. Jakie was ever smiling and always promising, in his
+purring voice, to cook something new and delicious, and left with the
+leisure which Happy's industry gave him, he usually kept his promise.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Now, Mr. Happy,&quot; he would smile, &quot;I am agreeable to place the
+confidence in your so gracious person that you prepare the potatoes,
+yes? And that you attend to the boiling of meat and the unpacking and
+arrangement of those necessary furnishings for fich you possess the
+great understanding. And I shall prepare the so delicious dessert of
+the floating island, what you call in America. Yes? Our friends will
+have the so delightful astonishment when they arrive. They shall
+exclaim and partake joyously, is it not? And for your reward, Mr.
+Happy, I shall be so pleased to set aside a very extensive portion of
+the delicious floating island, so that you can eat no more except you
+endanger your handsome person from the bursting. Yes?&quot; And oh, the
+smile of him!</p>
+
+<p>A man of sterner stuff than Happy Jack would have fallen before such
+guile and would have labored willingly&mdash;nay, gladly in the service of
+so delightful a diplomat as Jakie. Except for that willing service,
+Jakie would have been quite overwhelmed by the many and peculiar
+duties of a roundup cook. He would have been perfectly helpess before
+the morning and noon packing of dishes and food, and the skilful haste
+necessary to unpack and prepare a meal for fifteen ravenous appetites
+within the time limit would have been utterly impossible. Jakie was a
+chef, trained to his profession in well-appointed kitchens and with
+assistance always at hand; which is a trade apart from cooking for a
+roundup crew.</p>
+
+<p>Happy Jack, in the fulness of time, returned with the eggs. That is,
+he returned with six eggs and a quart or two of a yellowish mixture
+thickly powdered with shell. He took the pail to Jakie and he saw the
+seraphic smile fade from his face and an unpleasant glitter creep into
+his eyes.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It is the omelet fich you furnish, yes? The six eggs, they will not
+make the pudding. The omelet&mdash;I do not perceive yet the desirableness
+of the omelet. And the juvenile hen&mdash;yes?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Aw, they wouldn't sell no chickens.&quot; Happy Jack's face had gone long
+and scarlet before the patent displeasure of the other. &quot;And my horse
+was scared uh the bucket and pitched with me.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Jackie looked again into the pail, felt gingerly the yellow mess and
+discovered one more egg which retained some semblance of its original
+form. &quot;The misfortune distresses me,&quot; he murmured. &quot;It is that you
+return hastily, Mr. Happy, and procure other eggs fich you will place
+unbroken in my waiting hands, yes?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Happy Jack mopped his forehead and glanced at the sun, burning hotly
+down upon the prairie. They had made a short move that day and it was
+still early. But the way to Nelson's and back had been hot and
+tumultuous and he was tired. For the first time since his abject
+surrender to the waxed smile, Happy Jack chafed a bit under the yoke
+of voluntary servitude. &quot;Aw, can't yuh cook something that don't take
+so many eggs?&quot; he asked in something like his old, argumentative tone.</p>
+
+<p>The unpleasant glitter in the eyes of Jakie grew more pronounced; grew
+even snaky, in the opinion of Happy Jack. &quot;It is that I am no more
+permitted the privilege of preparing the food for fich I have the
+judgment, yes?&quot; His voice purred too much to be convincing. &quot;It is
+that I am no more the chef to be obeyed by my servant?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Aw, gwan! I ain't anybody's servant that I ever heard of!&quot; Happy Jack
+felt himself bewilderedly slipping from his loyalty. What had come
+over Jakie, to act like this? He walked away to where there was some
+shade and sat down sullenly. Jakie's servant, was he? Well! &quot;The
+darned little greasy-faced runt,&quot; he mumbled rebelliously, and
+immediately felt the better for it.</p>
+
+<p>Two cigarettes brought coolness and calm. Happy Jack wanted very much
+to lie there and take a nap, but his conscience stirred uneasily. The
+boys were making a long circle that day and would come in with the
+appetites&mdash;and the tempers&mdash;of wolves. It occurred to Happy Jack that
+their appetites were much keener than they had ever been before, and
+he sat there a little longer while he thought about it; for Happy
+Jack's mind was slow and tenacious, and he hated to leave a new idea
+until he had squeezed it dry of all mystery. He watched Jakie moving
+in desultory fashion about the tent&mdash;but most of the time Jakie stayed
+inside.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I betche the boys ain't gitting enough old stand-by-yuh chuck,&quot; he
+decided at length. &quot;Floatin' island and stuffed olives&mdash;for them that
+likes stuffed olives&mdash;and salad and all that junk <i>tastes</i> good&mdash;but I
+betche the boys need a good feed uh beans!&quot; Which certainly was
+brilliant of Happy Jack, even if it did take him a full hour to arrive
+at that conclusion. He got up immediately and started for the
+cook-tent.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Say, Jakie,&quot; he began before he was inside, &quot;ain't there time enough
+to boil a pot uh beans if I make yuh a good fire? I betche the boys
+would like a good feed&mdash;&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;A-a-hh!&quot; Happy Jack insisted afterward that it sounded like the
+snarling of a wolf over a bone. &quot;Is it that you come here to give the
+orders? Is it that you <i>insult</i>?&quot; Followed a torrent of molten French,
+as it were. Followed also Jakie, with the eyes of a snake and the
+toothy grin of a wild animal and with a knife which Happy Jack had
+never seen before; a knife which caught the sunlight and glittered
+horridly.</p>
+
+<p>Happy Jack backed out as if he had inadvertently stirred a nest of
+hornets. Jakie almost caught him before he took to his heels. Happy
+never waited to discover what the new cook was saying, or whether he
+was following or remaining at the tent. He headed straight for the
+protection of the horse-wrangler, who watched his cavvy not far away,
+and his face was the color of stale putty.</p>
+
+<p>The horse-wrangler saw him coming and came loping up to meet him.
+&quot;What's eating yuh, Happy?&quot; he inquired inelegantly.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Jakie&mdash;he's gone nutty! He come at me with a knife, and he'd uh
+killed me if I'd stayed!&quot; Happy Jack pantingly recovered himself. &quot;I
+didn't have no time ta git my gun,&quot; he added in a more natural tone,
+&quot;or I'd uh settled him pretty blame quick. So I come out to borrow
+yourn. I betche <i>I'll</i> have the next move.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The horse-wrangler grinned heartlessly. &quot;I reckon he's about half
+shot,&quot; he said, sliding over in the saddle and getting out the
+inevitable tobacco sack and papers. &quot;Old Pete Williams rode past while
+you were gone, loaded to the guards and with a bottle uh whisky in
+each saddle-pocket and two in his coat. He gave me a drink, and then
+he went on and stopped at camp. He was hung up there for quite a
+spell, I noticed. I didn't <i>see</i> him pass any uh the vile liquor to
+little Jakie, but&mdash;&quot; he twirled a blackened match stub in his fingers
+and then tossed it from him.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Aw, gwan! Jakie wouldn't touch nothing when he was in town,&quot; Happy
+Jack objected. &quot;I betche he's gone crazy, or else&mdash;&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well,&quot; interrupted the horse-wrangler, &quot;I've told yuh what I know and
+all I know. Take it or leave it.&quot; He rode back to turn the lead-horse
+from climbing a ridge where he did not want the herd to follow. He did
+not lend Happy Jack his gun, and for that reason&mdash;perhaps&mdash;Jakie
+remained alive and unpunctured until the first of the riders came
+loping in to camp.</p>
+
+<p>The first riders happened to be Pink and Big Medicine. They were met
+by a tearful, contrite Jakie&mdash;a Jakie who seemed much inclined to
+weeping upon their shirt-fronts and to confessing all his sins,
+particularly the sin of trying to carve Happy Jack. That perturbed
+gentleman made his irate appearance as soon as he found that
+reinforcements had arrived.</p>
+
+<p>Big Medicine disengaged himself from the clinging arms of the chef,
+sniffed suspiciously and wiped away the tears from his vest. &quot;Well,
+say,&quot; he bellowed in his usual manner of trying to make all Chouteau
+County hear what he had to say, &quot;I ain't t' blame if he got away on
+yuh. Yuh hadn't ought to uh done it&mdash;or else yuh oughta made a clean
+job of it sos't we could hang yuh proper. Supper ready?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It is that the supply of eggs is inadequate,&quot; wept Jakie, steadying
+himself against the tent-pole while he wiped his eyes upon his apron.
+&quot;Because of it I could not prepare the floating island&mdash;and without
+the dessert I have not the heart to prepare the dinner, yes? It is
+that I am breaking of the heart that I assail the good friend of me.
+Oh, Mr. Happy, it is that I crave pardon!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Happy Jack came near taking to his heels again when he saw Jakie start
+for him; he did back up hastily, and his evident reluctance to embrace
+and forgive started afresh the tears of remorse. Jakie wailed volubly
+and, catching Pink unaware, he wept upon his bosom.</p>
+
+<p>Others came riding in, saw the huddle before the mess-tent and came up
+to investigate. With every fresh arrival Jakie began anew his
+confession that he had attempted to murder his good friend, Mr. Happy,
+and with every confession he wept more copiously than before.</p>
+
+<p>The Happy Family tacitly owned itself helpless. A warlike cook they
+could deal with. A lazy cook they could kick into industry. A weeping,
+wailing, conscience-stricken cook, a cook who steadfastly refused to
+be comforted, was an absolutely new experience. They told him to buck
+up, found that he only broke out anew, threatened, cajoled and argued.
+Jakie clung to whoever happened to be within reach and mixed the
+English language unmercifully.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Happy, you'll have to forgive him,&quot; said Weary at last. &quot;Go tell him
+yuh don't feel hard towards him. We want some supper.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Aw, gwan. I <i>ain't</i> forgive him, and I never will. I&mdash;&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Big Medicine stepped into the breach. With his face contorted into a
+grin to crimple one's spine, with a voice to make one's knees buckle,
+he went up to Happy Jack and thrust that horrible grin into Happy's
+very face. &quot;By cripes, you forgive Jakie, and you do it quick!&quot; he
+thundered. &quot;Think you're going to ball up the eating uh the whole
+outfit whilst you stand around acting haughty? Why, by cripes, I've
+killed men in the Coconino County for <i>half</i> what you're doing! You'll
+wish, by cripes, that Jakie <i>had</i> slit your hide; you'll consider that
+woulda been an easy way out, before I git half through with yuh. You
+walk right up and shake hands with him, and you tell him that yuh love
+him to death and are his best friend and always will be! Yuh <i>hear</i>
+me?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Happy Jack heard. The Happy Family considerately moved aside and left
+him a clear path, and they looked on without a word while he took
+Jakie's limp hand, muttered tremulously, &quot;Aw, fergit it, Jakie. I
+know yuh didn't mean nothing by it, and I forgive yuh,&quot; and backed
+away again.</p>
+
+<p>Jakie wept, this time with gratitude. They got him inside a tent,
+unrolled his bed and persuaded him to lie down upon it. They searched
+the mess-box, found all that was left of a quart bottle of whisky,
+took it outside and divided it gravely and appreciatively among
+themselves. There was not much to divide.</p>
+
+<p>Happy Jack took charge of the pots and pans, with the whole Happy
+Family to help him hurry supper, while Jakie forgot his woes in sleep
+and the sun set upon a quiet camp.</p>
+
+<p>Next morning, Jakie was up and cooking breakfast at the appointed
+time, and the camp felt that the incident of the evening before might
+well be forgotten. The coffee was unusually good that morning, even
+for Jakie. He was subdued, was Jakie, and his soft, brown eyes were
+humble whenever they met the eyes of Happy Jack. His smile was
+infrequent and fleeting, and his voice more deprecating than ever.
+Aside from these minor changes everything seemed the same as before
+the sheepmen had stopped at camp.</p>
+
+<p>That afternoon, however, came an aftermath in the shape of Happy Jack
+galloping wildly out to where the others were holding a herd and
+&quot;cutting out.&quot; He was due to come and help, so nobody paid any
+attention to his haste, though it was his habit to take his time. He
+shot recklessly by the outer fringes of the &quot;cut&quot; and yelled in a way
+to stampede the whole bunch. &quot;Jakie's <i>dying</i>,&quot; he shouted, wild-eyed.
+&quot;He's drunk up all the lemon extract and most uh the v'nilla before I
+could stop him!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Chip and Weary, riding in hot haste to the camp, found that it was
+true as far as the drinking was concerned. Jakie was stretched upon
+his back breathing unpleasantly, and beside him were two flat bottles
+of half-pint size, one empty and the other very nearly so; the tent
+and Jakie's breath reeked of lemon and vanilla. Chip sent back for
+help.</p>
+
+<p>For the second time the Flying U roundup was brought to an involuntary
+pause because of its cook. There was but one thing to do, and Chip did
+it. He broke camp, loaded Jakie into the bed-wagon, and headed at a
+gallop for Dry Lake in an effort to catch the next train for Great
+Falls. Whether he sent Jakie to the hospital or to the undertaker was
+a question he did not attempt to answer; one thing was certain,
+however, that he must send him to one of those places as soon as might
+be.</p>
+
+<p>That night, just before the train arrived, he sent another telegram to
+Johnny Scott at rush rates. He said simply:</p>
+
+<div class="blkquot"><p>&quot;Send another cook immediately this one all in am returning him in
+  baggage coach this train.</p>
+
+<p><span style="margin-left: 25%">&quot;C. BENNETT.&quot;</span></p></div>
+
+<p>Just after midnight he went to the station and received an answer,
+which is worth repeating:</p>
+
+<div class="blkquot"><p>&quot;C. BENNETT, Dry Lake: Supply cooks running low am sending only
+  available don't kill this one or may have to go without season on
+  cooks closed fine attached to killing, running with dogs or
+  keeping in captivity this one drunk look for him in Pullman have
+  bribed porter. &nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; J.G. SCOTT.&quot;</p></div>
+
+<p>It was sent collect, which accounts perhaps for the facetious remarks
+which it contained.</p>
+
+<p>It was morning when that train arrived, because it was behind time
+for some reason, but Chip, Weary, Pink and Big Medicine were at the
+depot to meet it. The new cook having been reported drunk, they wanted
+to make sure of getting him off the train in case he proved unruly.
+They were wise in the ways of intoxicated cooks. They ran to the steps
+of the only Pullman on the train and were met by the grinning porter.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yas sah, he's in dah&mdash;but Ah cyan't git 'im off, sah, to save mah
+soul,&quot; he explained toothily. &quot;Ah put 'im next de front end, sah, but
+he's went to sleep and Ah cyan't wake 'em up, an' Ah cyan't tote 'em
+out nohow. Seems lak he weighs a ton!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;By cripes, <i>we'll</i> tote him out,&quot; declared Big Medicine, pushing
+ahead of Chip in his enthusiasm. &quot;You hold the train, and we'll git
+'im. Show us the bunk.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The porter pointed out the number and retreated to the steps that he
+might signal the conductor. The four pushed up through the vestibule
+and laid hold upon the berth curtains.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Mamma!&quot; ejaculated Weary in a stunned tone. &quot;Look what's in here,
+boys!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>They thrust forward their heads and peered in at the recumbent form.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Honest to grandma&mdash;it's old Patsy!&quot; The voice of Big Medicine
+brought heads out all along down the car.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Come out uh that!&quot; Four voices made up the chorus, and Patsy opened
+his eyes reluctantly.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Py cosh, I not cook chuck for you fellers ven I'm sick,&quot; he mumbled
+dazedly.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Come out uh that, you damned Dutch belly-robber!&quot; bawled Big Medicine
+joyously, and somewhere behind a curtain a feminine shriek was heard
+at the shocking sentence.</p>
+
+<p>Four pairs of welcoming hands laid hold upon Patsy; four pairs of
+strong arms dragged him out of the berth and through the narrow aisle
+to the platform. The conductor, the head brakeman and the porter were
+chafing there, and they pulled while the others pushed. So Patsy was
+deposited upon the platform, grumbling and only half sober.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Anyway, we've got him back,&quot; Weary remarked with much satisfaction
+the next day when they were once more started toward the range land.
+&quot;When Irish blows in again, we'll be all right.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;By cripes, yuh just give me a sight uh that Irish once, and he'll
+<i>come</i>, if I have to rope and drag 'im!&quot; Big Medicine took his own way
+of intimating that he held no grudge. &quot;Did yuh hear what Patsy said,
+by cripes, when he was loading up the chuck-wagon at the store? He
+turned in all that oil and them olives and <i>anchovies</i>, yuh know, and
+he told Tom t' throw in about six cases uh blueberries. I was standin'
+right handy by, and he turns around and scowls at me and says: 'Py
+cosh, der vay dese fellers eats pie mit derselves, I have to fill oop
+der wagon mit pie fruit alreatty!' And then the old devil turns around
+with his back to me, but yuh can skin me for a coyote if I didn't
+ketch a grin on 'is face!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>They turned and looked back to where Patsy, seated high upon the
+mess-wagon, was cracking his long whip like pistol shots and swearing
+in Dutch at his four horses as he came bouncing along behind them.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, there's worse fellers than old Patsy,&quot; Slim admitted
+ponderously. &quot;I don't want no more Jakie in mine, by golly.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I betche Jakie cashes in, with all that lemon in him,&quot; prophesied
+Happy Jack with relish. &quot;Dirty little Dago&mdash;it'd serve him right.
+Patsy wouldn't uh acted like that in a thousand years.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>They glanced once more behind them, as if they would make sure that
+the presence of Patsy was a reality. Then, with content in their
+hearts, they galloped blithely out of the lane and into the grassy
+hills.<br /></p>
+
+
+
+<h4>THE END.</h4>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h3><i>What the Critics say of</i></h3>
+
+<h2>Chip of the Flying U.</h2>
+
+<h3>By M. BOWER.</h3>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p>&quot;'Chip' is all right. Better than 'The Virginian.'&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&mdash;<i>Brooklyn Eagle.</i><br /></p>
+
+
+<p>&quot;The name of B.M. Bower will stand for something readable in the
+estimation of every man, and most every woman, who reads this fine new
+story of Montana ranch and its dwellers.&quot;&mdash;<i>Publisher &amp; Retailer.</i><br /></p>
+
+
+<p>&quot;Its qualities and merit can be summed up in the brief but sufficient
+statement that it is thoroughly delightful.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&mdash;<i>Albany Times-Union.</i><br /></p>
+
+<p>&quot;For strength of interest, vivid description, clever and convincing
+character, drawing and literary merit it is the surprise of the year.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&mdash;<i>Walden's Stationer and Printer.</i><br /></p>
+
+
+<p>&quot;It is an appealing story told in an active style which fairly
+sparkles in reproducing the atmosphere of the wild and woolly West. It
+is consistently forceful and contains a quantity of refreshing
+comedy.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&mdash;<i>Philadelphia Press.</i><br /></p>
+
+
+<p>&quot;Bound to stand among the famous novels of the year.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&mdash;<i>Baltimore American.</i><br /></p>
+
+<p>&quot;'The Virginian' has found many imitators, but few authors have come
+as near duplicating Owen Wister's magnetic hero as has B.M. Bower,
+'Chip of the Flying U.'&quot;&mdash;<i>Philadelphia Item.</i><br /></p>
+
+<p>&quot;B.M. Bower has portrayed but few characters, but these he has
+pictured with the strong and yet delicate stroke of a true master. The
+atmosphere of the West is perfect; one sees and feels the vibrant,
+vital life of the ranch activities all through the telling of the
+story.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&mdash;<i>Cincinnati Times-Star.</i></p>
+
+<p>&quot;It brims over with humor showing the bright and laughing side of
+ranch life. It is a story which will delightfully entertain the
+reader.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&mdash;<i>Portland Journal.</i><br /></p>
+
+<p>&quot;The story contains strength of interest, vivid descriptions, clever
+and convincing character drawing and literary merits, and the author
+lays on the colors with a master's touch.&quot;&mdash;<i>Albany Evening Journal.</i><br /></p>
+
+<p class="ctr">12mo, Cloth Bound, Color Illustrations, $.25</p>
+
+<p class="ctr">G.W. DILLINGHAM CO., Publishers, NEW YORK</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h3>What the Critics say of</h3>
+
+<h2>The Range Dwellers.</h2>
+
+<h3>By B.M. BOWER.</h3>
+
+
+<p>&quot;A clever and humorous story, delightfully clean and wholesome, and
+possessing enough of the dramatic and dangerous element to keep the
+imagination excited to the end.&quot;&mdash;<i>The Nashville American.</i><br /></p>
+
+<p>&quot;A bright, jolly, entertaining yarn without a dull page.&quot;&mdash;<i>The
+Chicago Inter-Ocean.</i><br /></p>
+
+<p>&quot;One of the most charming and appealing of all Western novels. There
+is action and vivacity at all times, and the reader's interest never
+sways for an instant. The story is admirably written and runs along
+smoothly at all times.&quot;&mdash;<i>Philadelphia Press.</i><br /></p>
+
+<p>&quot;Here are every day, genuine cowboys, just as they really exist,
+spirited action, a range feud between two families, and a Romeo and
+Juliet courtship in the Far West which make easy reading. Mr. Bower
+knows his wild west intimately and writes of it entertainingly.&quot;&mdash;<i>Des
+Moines Register and Leader.</i><br /></p>
+
+<p>&quot;Told with a good deal of humor and a lot of unusual spirit. A very
+clever book&mdash;one that has more atmosphere than usual, and which can be
+picked up at any time to fill a long felt want for
+excitement.&quot;&mdash;<i>Philadelphia Inquirer.</i><br /></p>
+
+<p>&quot;A tale to set the blood tingling. It is a story of the West, with the
+scene laid on a Montana cattle ranch. A story well told and a story
+worth reading.&quot;&mdash;<i>St. Louis Republic.</i><br /></p>
+
+<p>&quot;Mr. Bower has portrayed but few characters, but these he has pictured
+with the strong and yet delicate stroke of a true master. The
+atmosphere of the West is perfect; one sees and feels the vibrant
+vital life of the ranch activities all through the telling of the
+story.&quot;&mdash;<i>Pittsburgh Dispatch.</i><br /></p>
+
+<p>&quot;Has many stirring situations and exciting incidents illustrative of
+existence in the open.&quot;&mdash;<i>Boston Budget-Beacon.</i><br /></p>
+
+<p>&quot;The book is vigorous, with the bracing open air of the Far
+West.&quot;&mdash;<i>Rochester Herald.</i><br /></p>
+
+<p class="ctr"><i>12mo, Cloth Bound</i></p>
+
+<p class="ctr"><i>Beautiful Color Illustrations by Charles M. Russell, $1.25</i></p>
+
+<p class="ctr">G.W. DILLINGHAM CO., Publishers, NEW YORK</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2>RAW GOLD</h2>
+
+<h3>By BERTRAND W. SINCLAIR</h3>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p>&quot;This is a stirring story of the Canadian Northwest and the Northwest
+Mounted Police. The unwritten history of this wonderful and intrepid
+body of men must be a long way from the dry-as-dust histories on the
+shelves. It is an open question if people do not get more real history
+in a clear, clean-cut tale of this kind, with its strong character
+portrayal and its vivid local coloring, than could be obtained in any
+other way.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&mdash;<i>St. Louis Times.</i><br /></p>
+
+<p>&quot;Action enough to thrill the dullest sort of reader.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&mdash;<i>Albany Times-Union.</i><br /></p>
+
+<p>&quot;The delineation of characters in this tale of the Northwest Mounted
+Police is splendidly portrayed. They are flesh-and-blood
+personalities. There is something of mystery, bits of sharp action,
+color, description, life. A well-told story.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&mdash;<i>Pittsburg Dispatch.</i><br /></p>
+
+<p>&quot;The story is sensational, but is full of animation. Scenes shift
+rapidly and the actors play the game of life fearlessly and like men.
+The love theme runs through it all and pleasantly.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&mdash;<i>Chicago Tribune.</i><br /></p>
+
+<p>&quot;It is strong, virile, captivating and well told.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&mdash;<i>Denver Republican.</i><br /></p>
+
+<p>&quot;A rattling good story. There is sentiment of the kind that fits with
+the open sky and life in the saddle, and the whole story moves with a
+swing and reality that are refreshing in the extreme.&quot;&mdash;<i>New York
+Times.</i><br /></p>
+
+<p>&quot;Wild, indeed, is the West pictured by Mr. Sinclair.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&mdash;<i>Boston Transcript.</i><br /></p>
+
+<p>&quot;The tale, rapid in action and clearly told, is one of the best
+written on the Canadian West.&quot;&mdash;<i>Louisville Courier-Journal.</i><br /></p>
+
+<p class="ctr"><i>12mo, Cloth bound, Illustrated, $1.50.</i></p>
+
+<hr />
+<p class="ctr">G.W. DILLINGHAM CO., Publishers, NEW YORK</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2>WYOMING</h2>
+
+<h4>A Story of the Outdoor West</h4>
+
+<h3>BY</h3>
+
+<h3>William MacLeod Raine</h3>
+
+<p class="ctr"><i>Author of &quot;Ridgeway of Montana,&quot; &quot;A Daughter of Raasay,&quot; Etc.</i></p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p>In this vivid story the author has captured the breezy charm of
+&quot;Cattleland,&quot; and brings to us the turbid life of the frontier with
+all its engaging dash and vigor. It is the kind of book one reads at a
+sitting far into the night.</p>
+
+<p>A young woman, fresh from the conventional East, drives her motor car
+into an absorbing adventure which is the first of a series of dramatic
+events that tread upon each other's heels and grow more intense and
+thrilling from page to page.</p>
+
+<p>The gallant vagabond, Ned Bannister, who enthralls the heroine's
+fancy, against her will, is reputed to be a lawless desperado of the
+worst type. Yet the reader joins with the wholly delightful young
+heroine in yielding him full sympathy. How the mystery is solved to
+the satisfaction of all is one of the pleasures that must be reserved
+for a reading.</p>
+
+<p>The characters each and all are drawn with masterly vigor and help
+forward the swift movement of the plot.<br /></p>
+
+<p class="ctr"><i>12mo. Illustrated. Cloth bound, $1.50.</i></p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p class="ctr">G.W. DILLINGHAM COMPANY</p>
+
+<p class="ctr">PUBLISHERS NEW YORK</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+<h3>What They Say About</h3>
+
+<h2>RIDGWAY OF MONTANA</h2>
+
+<h3>By WILLIAM MACLEOD RAINE</h3>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p>&quot;To-day I had it out with 'Ridgway.' I opened the book and I did not
+lay it down till I had raced eagerly through it. I find it a story
+with many elements of power in its treatment of plot and personality.
+The men are all well-marked types. The women are all possible and
+pleasant beings. The story gives dramatically the inner life of a
+mining camp. The atmosphere of wild nature and primeval human passion
+is well sustained. The exuberance of detail and suggestion, the easy
+drawing of character, the fine massing of effects, all show a strength
+and fire in the author which ought to give us a line of good books
+from his pen in the coming days.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&mdash;EDWIN MARKHAM, in <i>The New York American.</i><br /></p>
+
+<p>&quot;Whatever else the reader of this novel may say, he certainly will be
+forced to admit that it is highly interesting. Mr. Raine is not only
+skillful in devising incidents which compel unwearied attention; he
+also has the rarer and finer craftsmanship which enables him to create
+characters that have a high degree of personal charm.&quot;&mdash;<i>Boston
+Transcript.</i><br /></p>
+
+<p>&quot;A story engrossing all the way through.&quot;&mdash;<i>New York World.</i><br /></p>
+
+<p>&quot;It is a real pleasure to pick up a book like this one. To use an old
+phrase, the story is one which can hardly be put down.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&mdash;<i>Minneapolis Tribune.</i><br /></p>
+
+<p>&quot;The action starts with the first line, and there is no suspension
+until the last word is written. It is a story of thrilling situations,
+busy people and stirring times. Once started to read it there is no
+quitting the book.&quot;&mdash;<i>Denver Republican.</i><br /></p>
+
+<p>&quot;Full of action and written with remarkable vigor.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&mdash;<i>Charleston News and Courier.</i><br /></p>
+
+<p>&quot;Mr. Raine's experience as a newspaper man has stood him in good
+stead. He knows the corrupt workings of politicians, the venality of
+biased courts, the weakness of the human heart when tempted by gold.
+More, he knows the details by which all these are made manifest in
+unjust laws, unfair verdicts and treachery to one's best friends.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&mdash;<i>Denver Post.</i><br /></p>
+
+<p>&quot;The political contest, the love scenes, and the character drawing
+give this story of life in the mining country great strength and
+charm.&quot;&mdash;<i>Pittsburg Dispatch.</i><br /></p>
+
+<p>&quot;Western stories are always in demand, and of these William MacLeod
+Raine is the most popular and successful writer. This is an
+exceptionally entertaining book.&quot;&mdash;<i>Albany Times-Union.</i><br /></p>
+
+<p class="ctr"><i>12mo. Cloth bound. Illustrated, $1.50</i></p>
+
+<hr />
+
+<p class="ctr">G.W. DILLINGHAM CO., Publishers, NEW YORK</p>
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+<pre>
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Happy Family, by Bertha Muzzy Bower
+
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+</pre>
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+</body>
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@@ -0,0 +1,7702 @@
+The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Happy Family, by Bertha Muzzy Bower
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: The Happy Family
+
+Author: Bertha Muzzy Bower
+
+Release Date: October 7, 2004 [EBook #13670]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ASCII
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE HAPPY FAMILY ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Suzanne Shell, Victoria Woosley and the PG Online
+Distributed Proofreading Team.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: "A man's plumb crazy to go round blatting all he
+knows"]
+
+
+
+                    The Happy Family
+
+                          BY
+
+                      B.M. BOWER
+
+                    (B.M. SINCLAIR)
+
+
+                       AUTHOR OF
+
+   "Chip of the Flying U," "The Range Dwellers," "Her Prairie
+   Knight," "The Lure of the Dim Trails," "The Lonesome Trail,"
+   "The Long Shadow," Etc.
+
+
+
+                G.W. DILLINGHAM COMPANY
+
+                  PUBLISHERS NEW YORK
+
+
+
+
+      _1907, 1909, 1910, by_ STREET & SMITH.
+       _1910, by_ G.W. DILLINGHAM COMPANY.
+
+
+
+
+                  _The Happy Family_.
+
+
+
+
+                     To B.W.V.
+
+
+   _"... met the Ananias of the cow camp. I have knocked about cow
+   camps, mining camps, railroad and telegraph camps, and kicked
+   up alkali dust for many a weary mile on the desert. Yet
+   wherever I went I never failed to meet him. He is part and
+   parcel of every outfit.... He is indispensable, irresistible,
+   and incorrigible; and while in but few cases can he be held a
+   thing of beauty, he is certainly a joy forever--at least to
+   those who have known his type with some degree of
+   understanding...."_
+
+                                              From a letter.
+
+
+
+
+                       CONTENTS.
+
+     ANANIAS GREEN                            7
+     BLINK                                   35
+     MISS MARTIN'S MISSION                   61
+     HAPPY JACK, WILD MAN                    90
+     A TAMER OF WILD ONES                   118
+     ANDY, THE LIAR                         178
+     "WOLF! WOLF!"                          210
+     FOOL'S GOLD                            241
+     LORDS OF THE POTS AND PANS             269
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+
+
+                THE HAPPY FAMILY
+
+
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+
+
+ANANIAS GREEN
+
+
+Pink, because he knew well the country and because Irish, who also
+knew it well, refused pointblank to go into it again even as a rep,
+rode alone except for his horses down into the range of the Rocking R.
+General roundup was about to start, down that way, and there was stock
+bought by the Flying U which ranged north of the Bear Paws.
+
+It so happened that the owner of the Rocking R was entertaining a
+party of friends at the ranch; it also happened that the friends were
+quite new to the West and its ways, and they were intensely interested
+in all pertaining thereto. Pink gathered that much from the crew,
+besides observing much for himself. Hence what follows after.
+
+Sherwood Branciforte was down in the blacksmith shop at the Rocking R,
+watching one Andy Green hammer a spur-shank straight. Andy was what he
+himself called a tamer of wild ones, and he was hard upon his riding
+gear. Sherwood had that morning watched with much admiration the
+bending of that same spur-shank, and his respect for Andy was
+beautiful to behold.
+
+"Lord, but this is a big, wild country," he was saying
+enthusiastically, "and the people in it are big and--"
+
+"Wild," supplied Andy. "Yes, you've just about got us sized up
+correct." He went on hammering, and humming under his breath, and
+thinking that, while admiration is all right in its time and place, it
+is sometimes a bit wearisome.
+
+"Oh, but I didn't mean that," the young man protested. "What I meant
+was breezy and picturesque. Things can happen, out here. Life and men
+don't run in grooves."
+
+"No, nor horses," assented Andy. "Leastways, not in oiled ones." He
+was remembering how that spur-shank had become bent.
+
+"You did some magnificent riding, this morning. By Jove! I've never
+seen anything like it. Strange that one can come out here into a part
+of the country absolutely new and raw, and see things--"
+
+"Oh, it ain't so raw as you might think," Andy defended jealously,
+"nor yet new."
+
+"Of course it is new! A commonwealth in the making. You can't," he
+asserted triumphantly, "point to anything man-made that existed a
+hundred years ago; scarcely fifty, either. Your civilization is yet in
+the cradle--a lusty infant, and a--er--vociferous one, but still an
+infant in swaddling clothes." Sherwood Branciforte had given lectures
+before the Y.M.C.A. of his home town, and young ladies had spoken of
+him as "gifted," and he had come to hear of it, and to believe.
+
+Andy Green squinted at the shank before he made reply. Andy, also, was
+"gifted," in his modest Western way.
+
+"A country that can now and then show the papers for a civilization
+old as the Phenixes of Egypt," he said, in a drawling tone that was
+absolutely convincing, "ain't what I'd call raw." He decided that a
+little more hammering right next the rowel was necessary, and bent
+over the anvil solicitously. Even the self-complacency of Sherwood
+Branciforte could not fail to note his utter indifference to the
+presence and opinions of his companion. Branciforte was accustomed to
+disputation at times--even to enmity; but not to indifference. He
+blinked. "My dear fellow, do you realize what it is that statement
+might seem to imply?" he queried haughtily.
+
+Andy, being a cowpuncher of the brand known as a "real," objected
+strongly both to the term and the tone. He stood up and stared down at
+the other disapprovingly. "I don't as a general thing find myself
+guilty of talking in my sleep," he retorted, "and I'm prepared to let
+anything I say stand till the next throw. We may be some vociferous,
+out here twixt the Mississippi and the Rockies, but we ain't no
+infant-in-the-cradle, Mister. We had civilization here when the
+Pilgrim Fathers' rock wasn't nothing but a pebble to let fly at the
+birds!"
+
+"Indeed!" fleered Sherwood Branciforte, in a voice which gave much
+intangible insult to one's intelligence.
+
+Andy clicked his teeth together, which was a symptom it were well for
+the other to recognize but did not. Then Andy smiled, which was
+another symptom. He fingered the spur absently, laid it down and
+reached, with the gesture that betrays the act as having become second
+nature, for his papers and tobacco sack.
+
+"Uh course, you mean all right, and you ain't none to blame for what
+you don't know, but you're talking wild and scattering. When you stand
+up and tell me I can't point to nothing man-made that's fifty years
+old, or a hundred, you make me feel sorry for yuh. I can take you to
+something--or I've seen something--that's older than swearing; and I
+reckon that art goes back to when men wore their hair long and a
+sheep-pelt was called ample for dress occasions."
+
+"Are you crazy, man?" Sherwood Branciforte exclaimed incredulously.
+
+"Not what you can notice. You wait whilst I explain. Once last fall I
+was riding by my high lonesome away down next the river, when my horse
+went lame on me from slipping on a shale bank, and I was set afoot. Uh
+course, you being plumb ignorant of our picturesque life, you don't
+half know all that might signify to _imply_." This last in open
+imitation of Branciforte. "It implies that I was in one hell of a fix,
+to put it elegant. I was sixty miles from anywhere, and them sixty
+half the time standing on end and lapping over on themselves. That
+there is down where old mama Nature gave full swing to a morbid
+hankering after doing things unconventional. Result is, that it's
+about as ungodly a mixture of nightmare scenery as this old world can
+show up; and I've ambled around considerable and am in a position to
+pass judgment.
+
+"So there I was, and I wasn't in no mood to view the beauties uh
+nature to speak of; for instance, I didn't admire the clouds sailing
+around promiscous in the sky, nor anything like that. I was high and
+dry and the walking was about as poor as I ever seen; and my boots was
+high-heel and rubbed blisters before I'd covered a mile of that
+acrobatic territory. I wanted water, and I wanted it bad. Before I got
+it I wanted it a heap worse." He stopped, cupped his slim fingers
+around a match-blaze, and Branciforte sat closer. He did not know what
+was coming, but the manner of the indifferent narrator was compelling.
+He almost forgot the point at issue in the adventure.
+
+"Along about dark, I camped for the night under a big, bare-faced
+cliff that was about as homelike and inviting as a charitable
+institution, and made a bluff at sleeping and cussed my bum luck in a
+way that wasn't any bluff. At sun-up I rose and mooched on." His
+cigarette needed another match and he searched his pockets for one.
+
+"What about the--whatever it was you started to tell me?" urged
+Branciforte, grown impatient.
+
+Andy looked him over calmly. "You've lived in ignorance for about
+thirty years or so--giving a rough guess at your age; I reckon you can
+stand another five minutes. As I was saying, I wandered around like a
+dogy when it's first turned loose on the range and is trying to find
+the old, familiar barn-yard and the skim-milk bucket. And like the
+dogy, I didn't run across anything that looked natural or inviting.
+All that day I perambulated over them hills, and I will say I wasn't
+enjoying the stroll none. You're right when you say things can happen,
+out here. There's some things it's just as well they don't happen too
+frequent, and getting lost and afoot in the Bad-lands is one.
+
+"That afternoon I dragged myself up to the edge of a deep coulee and
+looked over to see if there was any way of getting down. There was a
+bright green streak down there that couldn't mean nothing but water,
+at that time of year; this was last fall. And over beyond, I could see
+the river that I'd went and lost. I looked and looked, but the walls
+looked straight as a Boston's man's pedigree. And then the sun come
+out from behind a cloud and lit up a spot that made me forget for a
+minute that I was thirsty as a dog and near starved besides.
+
+"I was looking down on the ruins--and yet it was near perfect--of an
+old castle. Every stone stood out that clear and distinct I could have
+counted 'em. There was a tower at one end, partly fell to pieces but
+yet enough left to easy tell what it was. I could see it had kinda
+loop-holes in it. There was an open place where I took it the main
+entrance had used to be; what I'd call the official entrance. But
+there was other entrances besides, and some of 'em was made by time
+and hard weather. There was what looked like awhat-you-may-call-'em--
+a ditch thing, yuh mind, running around my side of it, and a bridge
+business. Uh course, it was all needing repairs bad, and part of it
+yuh needed to use your imagination on. I laid there for quite a spell
+looking it over and wondering how the dickens it come to be way down
+there. It didn't look to me like it ought to be there at all, but in a
+school geography or a history where the chapter is on historic and
+prehistoric hangouts uh the heathen."
+
+"The deuce! A castle in the Bad-lands!" ejaculated Branciforte.
+
+"That's what it was, all right. I found a trail it would make a
+mountain sheep seasick to follow, and I got down into the coulee. It
+was lonesome as sin, and spooky; but there was a spring close by, and
+a creek running from it; and what is a treat in that part uh the
+country, it was good drinking and didn't have neither alkali nor
+sulphur nor mineral in it. It was just straight water, and you can
+gamble I filled up on it a-plenty. Then I shot a rabbit or two that
+was hanging out around the ruins, and camped there till next day, when
+I found a pass out, and got my bearings by the river and come on into
+camp. So when you throw slurs on our plumb newness and shininess, I've
+got the cards to call yuh. That castle wasn't built last summer,
+Mister. And whoever did build it was some civilized. So there yuh
+are."
+
+Andy took a last, lingering pull at the cigarette stub, flung it into
+the backened forge, and picked up the spur. He settled his hat on his
+head at its accustomed don't-give-a-darn tilt, and started for the
+door and the sunlight.
+
+"Oh, but say! didn't you find out anything about it afterwards? There
+must have been something--"
+
+"If it's relics uh the dim and musty past yuh mean, there was; relics
+to burn. I kicked up specimens of ancient dishes, and truck like that,
+while I was prowling around for fire-wood. And inside the castle, in
+what I reckon was used for the main hall, I run acrost a skeleton.
+That is, part of one. I don't believe it was all there, though."
+
+"But, man alive, why haven't you made use of a discovery like that?"
+Branciforte followed him out, lighting his pipe with fingers that
+trembled. "Don't you realize what a thing like that means?"
+
+Andy turned and smiled lazily down at him. "At the time I was there, I
+was all took up with the idea uh getting home. I couldn't eat
+skeletons, Mister, nor yet the remains uh prehistoric dishes. And I
+didn't run acrost no money, nor no plan marked up with crosses where
+you're supposed to do your excavating for treasure. It wasn't nothing,
+that I could see, for a man to starve to death while he examined it
+thorough. And so far as I know there ain't any record of it. I never
+heard no one mention building it, anyhow." He stooped and adjusted the
+spur to his heel to see if it were quite right, and went off to the
+stable humming under his breath.
+
+Branciforte stood at the door of the blacksmith shop and gazed after
+him, puffing meditatively at his pipe. "Lord! the ignorance of these
+Western folk! To run upon a find like that, and to think it less
+important than getting home in time for supper. To let a discovery
+like that lie forgotten, a mere incident in a day's travel! That
+fellow thinks more, right now, about his horse going lame and himself
+raising blisters on his heels, than of--Jove, what ignorance! He--he
+couldn't _eat_ the skeleton or the dishes! Jerusalem!" Branciforte
+knocked his pipe gently against the door-casing, put in into his coat
+pocket and hurried to the house to hunt up the others and tell them
+what he had heard.
+
+That night the roundup pulled in to the home ranch.
+
+The visitors, headed by their host, swooped down upon the roundup
+wagons just when the boys were gathered together for a cigarette or
+two apiece and a little talk before rolling in. There was no
+night-guarding to do, and trouble winged afar. Sherwood Branciforte
+hunted out Andy Green where he lay at ease with head and shoulders
+propped against a wheel of the bed-wagon and gossipped with Pink and a
+few others.
+
+"Look here, Green," he said in a voice to arrest the attention of the
+whole camp, "I wish you'd tell the others that tale you told me this
+afternoon--about that ruined castle down in the hills. Mason, here, is
+a newspaper man; he scents a story for his paper. And the rest refuse
+to believe a word I say."
+
+"I'd hate to have a rep like that, Mr. Branciforte," Andy said
+commiseratingly, and turned his big, honest gray eyes to where stood
+the women--two breezy young persons with sleeves rolled to tanned
+elbows and cowboy hats of the musical comedy brand. Also they had gay
+silk handkerchiefs knotted picturesquely around their throats. There
+was another, a giggly, gurgly lady with gray hair fluffed up into a
+pompadour. You know the sort. She was the kind who refuses to grow
+old, and so merely grows imbecile.
+
+"Do tell us, Mr. Green," this young old lady urged, displaying much
+gold by her smile. "It sounds so romantic."
+
+"It's funny you never mentioned it to any of us," put in the "old man"
+suspiciously.
+
+Andy pulled himself up into a more decorous position, and turned his
+eyes towards his boss. "I never knew yuh took any interest in
+relic-hunting," he explained mildly.
+
+"Sherwood says you found a _skeleton!_" said the young old lady,
+shuddering pleasurably.
+
+"Yes, I did find one--or part of one," Andy admitted reluctantly.
+
+"What were the relics of pottery like?" demanded one of the
+cowboy-hatted girls, as if she meant to test him. "I do some
+collecting of that sort of thing."
+
+Andy threw away his cigarette, and with it all compunction. "Well, I
+wasn't so much interested in the dishes as in getting something to
+eat," he apologized. "I saw several different kinds. One was a big,
+awkward looking thing and was pretty heavy, and had straight sides.
+Then I come across one or two more that was ornamented some. One had
+what looked like a fish on it, and the other I couldn't make out very
+well. They didn't look to be worth much, none of 'em."
+
+"Green," said his employer steadily, "_was_ there such a place?"
+
+Andy returned his look honestly. "There was, and there is yet, I
+guess," he asserted. "I'll tell you how you can find it and what it's
+like--if yuh doubt my words." He glanced around and found every man,
+including the cook, listening intently. He picked a blade of new grass
+and began splitting it into tiny threads. The host found boxes for the
+women to sit upon, and the men sat down upon the grass.
+
+"Before I come here to work, I was riding for the Circle C. One day I
+was riding away down in the Bad-lands alone and my horse slipped in
+some shale rock and went lame; strained his shoulder so I couldn't
+ride him. That put me afoot, and climbing up and down them hills I
+lost my bearings and didn't know where I was at for a day or two. I
+wandered around aimless, and got into a strip uh country that was new
+to me and plumb lonesome and wild.
+
+"That second day is when I happened across this ruin. I was looking
+down into a deep, shut-in coulee, hunting water, when the sun come out
+and shone straight on to this place. It was right down under me; a
+stone ruin, with a tower on one end and kinda tumbled down so it
+wasn't so awful high--the tower wasn't. There was a--a--"
+
+"Moat," Branciforte suggested.
+
+"That's the word--a moat around it, and a bridge that was just about
+gone to pieces. It had loopholes, like the pictures of castles, and
+a--"
+
+"Battlement?" ventured one of the musical-comedy cowgirls.
+
+Andy had not meant to say battlement; of a truth, his conception of
+battlements was extremely hazy, but he caught up the word and warmed
+to the subject. "Battlement? well I should guess yes! There was about
+as elegant a battlement as I'd want to see anywhere. It was sure a
+peach. It was--" he hesitated for a fraction of a second. "It was high
+as the tower, and it had figures carved all over it; them kind that
+looks like kid-drawing in school, with bows and arrows stuck out in
+front of 'em, threatening."
+
+"Not the old Greek!" exclaimed one of the girls in a little,
+breathless voice.
+
+"I couldn't say as to that," Andy made guarded reply. "I never made no
+special study of them things. But they was sure old. And--"
+
+"About how large was the castle?" put in the man who wrote things.
+"How many rooms, say?"
+
+"I'd hate to give a guess at the size. I didn't step it off, and I'm a
+punk guesser. The rooms I didn't count. I only explored around in the
+main hall, like, a little. But it got dark early, down in there, and I
+didn't have no matches to waste. And next morning I started right out
+at sun-up to find the way home. No, I never counted the rooms, and if
+I had, the chances are I'd have likely counted the same one more'n
+once; to count them rooms would take an expert, which I ain't--not at
+counting. I don't reckon, though, that there was so awful many.
+Anyway, not more than fifteen or twenty. But as I say, I couldn't
+rightly make a guess, even; or I'd hate to. Ruins don't interest me
+much, though I was kinda surprised to run acrost that one, all right,
+and I'm willing to gamble there was warm and exciting times down there
+when the place was in running order. I'd kinda like to have been down
+there then. Last fall, though, there wasn't nothing to get excited
+over, except getting out uh there."
+
+"A castle away out here! Just think, good people, what that means!
+Romance, adventure and scientific discoveries! We must go right down
+there and explore the place. Why can't we start at once--in the
+morning? This gentleman can guide us to the place, and--"
+
+"It ain't easy going," Andy remarked, conscientiously. "It's pretty
+rough; some places, you'd have to walk and lead your horses."
+
+They swept aside the discouragement.
+
+"We'd need pick and shovels, and men to dig," cried one enthusiast.
+"Uncle Peter can lend us some of his men. There may be treasure to
+unearth. There may be _anything_ that is wonderful and mysterious. Get
+busy, Uncle Peter, and get your outfit together; you've boasted that a
+roundup can beat the army in getting under way quickly, now let us
+have a practical demonstration. We want to start by six o'clock--all
+of us, with a cook and four or five men to do the excavating. Bring it
+to pass!" It was the voice of the girl whom her friends spoke of as
+"The life of the party;" the voice of the-girl-who-does-things.
+
+"It's sixty-five miles from here, good and strong--and mostly up and
+down," put in Andy.
+
+"'Quoth the raven,'" mocked the-girl-who-does-things. "We are prepared
+to face the ups-and-downs. Do we start at six, Uncle Peter?"
+
+Uncle Peter glanced sideways at the roundup boss. To bring it to pass,
+he would be obliged to impress the roundup cook and part of the crew.
+It was breaking an unwritten law of the rangeland, and worse, it was
+doing something unbusiness-like and foolish. But not even the owner of
+the Rocking R may withstand the pleading of a pretty woman. Uncle
+Peter squirmed, but he promised:
+
+"We start at six; earlier if you say so."
+
+The roundup boss gave his employer a look of disgust and walked away;
+the crew took it that he went off to some secluded place to swear.
+
+Thereafter there was much discussion of ways and means, and much
+enthusiasm among the visitors from the East--equalled by the
+depression of the crew, for cowboys do not, as a rule, take kindly to
+pick and shovel, and the excavators had not yet been chosen from among
+them. They were uneasy, and they stole frequent, betraying glances at
+one another. All of which amused Pink much. Pink would like to have
+gone along, and would certainly have offered his services, but for the
+fact that his work there was done and he would have to start back to
+the Flying U just as soon as one of his best saddle horses, which had
+stepped on a broken beer bottle and cut its foot, was able to travel.
+That would be in a few days, probably. So Pink sighed and watched the
+preparations enviously.
+
+Since he was fairly committed into breaking all precedents, uncle
+Peter plunged recklessly. He ordered the mess-wagon to be restocked
+and prepared for the trip, and he took the bed-tent and half the crew.
+The foreman he wisely left behind with the remnant of his outfit. They
+were all to eat at the house while the mess-wagon was away, and they
+were to spread their soogans--which is to say beds--where they might,
+if the bunk-house proved too small or too hot.
+
+The foreman, outraged beyond words, saddled at daybreak and rode to
+the nearest town, and the unchosen half turned out in a body to watch
+the departure of the explorers, which speaks eloquently of their
+interest; for cowboys off duty are prone to sleep long.
+
+Andy, as guide, bolted ahead of the party that he might open the gate.
+Bolted is a good word, for his horse swerved and kept on running,
+swerved again, and came down in a heap. Andy did not get up, and the
+women screamed. Then Pink and some others hurried out and bore Andy,
+groaning, to the bunk-house.
+
+The visitors from the East gathered, perturbed, around the door,
+sympathetic and dismayed. It looked very much as if their exploration
+must end where it began, and the-girl-who-does-things looked about to
+weep, until Andy, still groaning, sent Pink out to comfort them.
+
+"He says you needn't give up the trip on his account," Pink announced
+musically from the doorway. "He's drawing a map and marking the coulee
+where the ruin is. He says most any of the boys that know the country
+at all can find the place for yuh. And he isn't hurt permanent; he
+strained his back so he can't ride, is all." Pink dimpled at the young
+old lady who was admiring him frankly, and withdrew.
+
+Inside, Andy Green was making pencil marks and giving the chosen half
+explicit directions. At last he folded the paper and handed it to one
+called Sandy.
+
+"That's the best I can do for yuh," he finished. "I don't see how yuh
+can miss it if yuh follow that map close. And if them gay females make
+any kick on the trail, you just remind 'em that I said all along it
+was rough going. So long, and good luck."
+
+So with high-keyed, feminine laughter and much dust, passed the
+exploring party from the Rocking R.
+
+"Say," Pink began two days later to Andy, who was sitting on the shady
+side of the bunk-house staring absently at the skyline, "There's a
+word uh praise I've been aiming to give yuh. I've seen riding, and
+I've done a trifle in that line myself, and learned some uh the
+tricks. But I want to say I never did see a man flop his horse any
+neater than you done that morning. I'll bet there ain't another man in
+the outfit got next your play. I couldn't uh done it better myself.
+Where did you learn that? Ever ride in Wyoming?"
+
+Andy turned his eyes, but not his head--which was a way he had--and
+regarded Pink slantwise for at least ten seconds. "Yes, I've rode in
+Wyoming," he answered quietly. Then: "What's the chance for a job, up
+your way? Is the Flying U open for good men and true?"
+
+"It won't cost yuh a cent to try," Pink told him. "How's your back?
+Think you'll be able to ride by the time Skeeker is able to travel?"
+
+Andy, grinned. "Say," he confided suddenly, "if that hoss don't
+improve some speedy, I'll be riding on ahead. I reckon I'll be able to
+travel before them explorers get back, my friend."
+
+"Why?" dimpled Pink boldly.
+
+"Why? Well, the going is some rough, down that way. If they get them
+wagons half way to the coulee marked with a cross, they'll sure have
+to attach wings onto 'em. I've been some worried about that. I don't
+much believe uncle Peter is going to enjoy that trip--and he sure does
+get irritable by spells. I've got a notion to ride for some other
+outfit, this summer."
+
+"Was that the reason you throwed your horse down and got hurt, that
+morning?" questioned Pink, and Andy grinned again by way of reply.
+
+"They'll be gone a week, best they can do," he estimated aloud. "We
+ought to be able to make our getaway by then, easy."
+
+Pink assured him that a week would see them headed for the Flying U.
+
+It was the evening of the sixth day, and the two were packed and ready
+to leave in the morning, when Andy broke off humming and gave a snort
+of dismay. "By gracious, there they come. My mother lives in Buffalo,
+Pink, in a little drab house with white trimmings. Write and tell her
+how her son--Oh, beloved! but they're hitting her up lively. If they
+made the whole trip in that there frame uh mind, they could uh gone
+clean to Miles City and back. How pretty the birds sing! Pink, you'll
+hear words, directly."
+
+Directly Pink did.
+
+"You're the biggest liar on earth," Sherwood Branciforte contributed
+to the recriminating wave that near engulfed Andy Green. "You sent us
+down there on a wild-goose chase, you brute. You--"
+
+"I never sent nobody," Andy defended. "You was all crazy to go."
+
+"And nothing but an old stone hut some trapper had built!" came an
+indignant, female tone. "There never was any castle, nor--"
+
+"A man's home is his castle," argued Andy, standing unabashed before
+them. "Putting it that way, it was a castle, all right."
+
+There was babel, out of which--
+
+"And the skeleton! Oh, you--it was a dead _cow!_" This from the young
+old lady, who was looking very draggled and not at all young.
+
+"I don't call to mind ever saying it was human," put in Andy, looking
+at her with surprised, gray eyes.
+
+"And the battlements!" groaned the-girl-who-does-things.
+
+"You wanted battlements," Andy flung mildly into the uproar. "I always
+aim to please." With that he edged away from them and made his escape
+to where the cook was profanely mixing biscuits for supper. All-day
+moves put an edge to his temper. The cook growled an epithet, and Andy
+passed on. Down near the stable he met one of the chosen half, and the
+fellow greeted him with a grin. Andy stopped abruptly.
+
+"Say, they don't seem none too agreeable," he began tentatively,
+jerking his thumb toward the buzzing group. "How about it, Sandy? Was
+they that petulant all the way?"
+
+Sandy, the map-bearer, chuckled. "It's lucky you got hurt at the last
+minute! And yet it was worth the trip. Uh course we got stalled with
+the wagons, the second day out, but them women was sure ambitious, and
+made us go on with a packadero layout. I will say that, going down,
+they stood the hardships remarkable. It was coming back that frazzled
+the party.
+
+"And when we found the place--say, but it was lucky you wasn't along!
+They sure went hog-wild when they seen the ruins. The old party with
+the pompadoor displayed temper, and shed tears uh rage. When she
+looked into the cabin and seen the remains uh that cow-critter, there
+was language it wasn't polite to overhear. She said a lot uh things
+about you, Andy. One thing they couldn't seem to get over, and that
+was the smallness uh the blamed shack. Them fourteen or fifteen rooms
+laid heavy on their minds."
+
+"I didn't say there was fourteen or fifteen rooms. I said I didn't
+count the rooms; I didn't either. I never heard of anybody counting
+one room. Did you, Pink?"
+
+"No," Pink agreed, "I never did!"
+
+Sandy became suddenly convulsed. "Oh, but the funniest thing was the
+ancient pottery," he gasped, the tears standing in his eyes. "That old
+Dutch oven was bad enough; but when one uh the girls--that one that
+collects old dishes--happened across an old mackerel can and picked it
+up and saw the fish on the label, she was the maddest female person I
+ever saw in my life, barring none. If you'd been in reach about that
+time, she'd just about clawed your eyes out, Andy Green. Oh me, oh
+my!" Sandy slapped his thigh and had another spasm.
+
+Sounds indicated that the wave of recrimination was rolling nearer.
+Andy turned to find himself within arm's length of Uncle Pete.
+
+"Maybe this is your idea of a practical joke, Green," he said to Andy.
+"But anyway, it will cost you your job. I ought to charge you up with
+the time my outfit has spent gallivanting around the country on the
+strength of your wild yarn. The quicker you hit the trail, the better
+it will suit me. By the way, what's your first name?" He asked,
+pulling out a check-book.
+
+"Andy," answered the unrepentant one.
+
+"Andy," Uncle Peter paused with a fountain pen between his fingers. He
+looked Andy up and down, and the frown left his face. He proceeded to
+write out the check, and when it was done he handed it over with a
+pleased smile.
+
+"What did you do it for, Green?" he queried in a friendlier tone.
+
+"Self-defence," Andy told him laconically, and turned away.
+
+Half an hour later, Andy and Pink trailed out of the coulee that
+sheltered the Rocking R. When they were out and away from the fence,
+and Pink's horses, knowing instinctively that they were homeward
+bound, were jogging straight west without need of guidance, Andy felt
+in his pocket for cigarette material. His fingers came in contact with
+the check Uncle Peter had given him, and he drew it forth and looked
+it over again.
+
+"Well, by gracious!" he said to himself. "Uncle Peter thinks we're
+even, I guess."
+
+He handed the check to Pink and rolled his cigarette; and Pink, after
+one comprehending look at the slip of paper, doubled up over his
+saddle-horn and shouted with glee--for the check was written: "Pay to
+the order of Ananias Green."
+
+"And I've got to sign myself a liar, or I don't collect no money,"
+sighed Andy. "That's what I call tough luck, by gracious!"
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+
+
+BLINK
+
+
+The range-land was at its unpicturesque worst. For two days the wind
+had raged and ranted over the hilltops, and whooped up the long
+coulees, so that tears stood in the eyes of the Happy Family when they
+faced it; impersonal tears blown into being by the very force of the
+wind. Also, when they faced it they rode with bodies aslant over their
+saddle-horns and hats pulled low over their streaming eyes, and with
+coats fastened jealously close. If there were buttons enough, well and
+good; if not, a strap cinched tightly about the middle was considered
+pretty lucky and not to be despised. Though it was early September,
+"sour-dough" coats were much in evidence, for the wind had a chill way
+of searching to the very marrow--and even a good, sheepskin-lined
+"sour-dough" was not always protection sufficient.
+
+When the third day dawned bleakly, literally blown piecemeal from out
+darkness as bleak, the Happy Family rose shiveringly and with sombre
+disapproval of whatever met their blood-shot eyes; dressed hurriedly
+in the chill of flapping tent and went out to stagger drunkenly over
+to where Patsy, in the mess-tent, was trying vainly to keep the
+biscuits from becoming dust-sprinkled, and sundry pans and tins from
+taking jingling little excursions on their own account. Over the brow
+of the next ridge straggled the cavvy, tails and manes whipping in the
+gale, the nighthawk swearing so that his voice came booming down to
+camp. Truly, the day opened inauspiciously enough for almost any dire
+ending.
+
+As further evidence, saddling horses for circle resolved itself, as
+Weary remarked at the top of his voice to Pink, at his elbow, into "a
+free-for-all broncho busting tournament." For horses have nerves, and
+nothing so rasps the nerves of man or beast as a wind that never stops
+blowing; which means swaying ropes and popping saddle leather, and
+coat-tails flapping like wet sheets on a clothes line. Horses do not
+like these things, and they are prone to eloquent manifestations of
+their disapproval.
+
+Over by the bed-wagon, a man they called Blink, for want of a better
+name, was fighting his big sorrel silently, with that dogged
+determination which may easily grow malevolent. The sorrel was at best
+a high-tempered, nervous beast, and what with the wind and the
+flapping of everything in sight, and the pitching of half-a-dozen
+horses around him, he was nearly crazed with fear in the abstract.
+
+Blink was trying to bridle him, and he was not saying a word--which,
+in the general uproar, was strange. But Blink seldom did say anything.
+He was one of the aliens who had drifted into the Flying U outfit that
+spring, looking for work. Chip had taken him on, and he had stayed. He
+could ride anything in his string, and he was always just where he was
+wanted. He never went to town when the others clattered off for a few
+hours' celebration more or less mild, he never took part in any of the
+camp fun, and he never offended any man. If any offended him they did
+not know it unless they were observant; if they were, they would see
+his pale lashes wink fast for a minute, and they might read aright the
+sign and refrain from further banter. So Blink, though he was counted
+a good man on roundup, was left pretty much alone when in camp.
+
+Andy Green, well and none too favorably known down Rocking R way, and
+lately adopted into the Happy Family on the recommendation of Pink and
+his own pleasing personality, looped the latigo into the holder, gave
+his own dancing steed a slap of the don't-try-to-run-any-whizzers-on-me
+variety, and went over to help out Blink.
+
+Blink eyed his approach with much the same expression with which he
+eyed the horse. "I never hollered for assistance," he remarked
+grudgingly when Andy was at his elbow. "When I can't handle any of the
+skates in my string, I'll quit riding and take to sheep-herding."
+Whereupon he turned his back as squarely as he might upon Andy and
+made another stealthy grab for the sorrel's ears. (There is such a
+thing in the range-land as jealousy among riders, and the fame of Andy
+Green had gone afar.)
+
+"All right. Just as you say, and not as I care a darn," Andy retorted,
+and went back to where his own mount stood tail to the wind. He did
+not in the least mind the rebuff; he really felt all the indifference
+his manner portrayed--perhaps even more. He had offered help where
+help was needed, and that ended it for him. It never occurred to him
+that Blink might feel jealous over Andy's hard-earned reputation as a
+"tamer of wild ones," or mistake his good nature for patronage.
+
+Five minutes later, when Chip looked around comprehensively at the lot
+of them in various degrees of readiness; saw that Blink was still
+fighting silently for mastery of the sorrel and told Andy to go over
+and help him get saddled, Andy said nothing of having had his services
+refused, but went. This time, Blink also said nothing, but accepted in
+ungracious surrender the assistance thus thrust upon him. For on the
+range-land, unless one is in a mind to roll his bed and ride away, one
+does not question when the leader commands. Andy's attitude was still
+that of indifference; he really thought very little about Blink or his
+opinions, and the rapid blinking of the pale lashes was quite lost
+upon him.
+
+They rode, eighteen ill-natured, uncomfortable cowboys, tumultuously
+away from the camp, where canvas bulged and swayed, and loose corners
+cracked like pistol shots, over the hill where even the short, prairie
+grass crouched and flattened itself against the sod; where stray
+pebbles, loosened by the ungentle tread of pitching hoofs, skidded
+twice as far as in calm weather. The gray sky bent threateningly above
+them, wind-torn into flying scud but never showing a hint of blue.
+Later there might be rain, sleet, snow--or sunshine, as nature might
+whimsically direct; but for the present she seemed content with only
+the chill wind that blew the very heart out of a man.
+
+Whenever Chip pulled up to turn off a couple of riders that they might
+search a bit of rough country, his voice was sharp with the general
+discomfort. When men rode away at his command, it was with brows drawn
+together and vengeful heels digging the short-ribs of horses in quite
+as unlovely a mood as themselves.
+
+Out at the end of the "circle," Chip divided the remainder of his men
+into two groups for the homeward drive. One group he himself led. The
+other owned Weary as temporary commander and galloped off to the left,
+skirting close to the foothills of the Bear Paws. In that group rode
+Pink and Happy Jack, Slim, Andy Green and Blink the silent.
+
+"I betche we get a blizzard out uh this," gloomed Happy Jack, pulling
+his coat collar up another fraction of an inch. "And the way Chip's
+headed us, we got to cross that big flat going back in the thick of
+it; chances is, we'll git lost."
+
+No one made reply to this; it seemed scarcely worth while. Every man
+of them rode humped away from the wind, his head drawn down as close
+to his shoulders as might be. Conversation under those conditions was
+not likely to become brisk.
+
+"A fellow that'll punch cows for a living," Happy Jack asserted
+venomously after a minute, "had ought to be shut up somewheres. He
+sure ain't responsible. I betche next summer don't see me at it."
+
+"Aw, shut up. We know you're feeble-minded, without you blatting it by
+the hour," snapped Pink, showing never a dimple.
+
+Happy Jack tugged again at his collar and made remarks, to which no
+one paid the slightest attention. They rode in amongst the hills and
+narrow ridges dividing "draws" as narrow, where range cattle would
+seek shelter from the cutting blast that raked the open. Then, just as
+they began to realize that the wind was not quite such a raging
+torment, came a new phase of nature's unpleasant humor.
+
+It was not a blizzard that descended upon them, though when it came
+rolling down from the hilltops it much resembled one. The wind had
+changed and brought fog, cold, suffocating, impenetrable. Yet such was
+the mood of them that no one said anything about it. Weary had been
+about to turn off a couple of men, but did not. What was the use,
+since they could not see twenty yards?
+
+For a time they rode aimlessly, Weary in the lead. Then, when it grew
+no better but worse, he pulled up, just where a high bank shut off the
+wind and a tangle of brush barred the way in front.
+
+"We may as well camp right here till things loosen up a little," he
+said. "There's no use playing blind-man's-buff any longer. We'll have
+some fire, for a change. Mama! this is sure beautiful weather!"
+
+At that, they brightened a bit and hurriedly dismounted and hunted dry
+wood. Since they were to have a fire, the general tendency was to have
+a big one; so that when they squatted before it and held out cold,
+ungloved fingers to the warmth, the flames were leaping high into the
+fog and crackling right cheerily. It needed only a few puffs at their
+cigarettes to chase the gloom from their faces and put them in the
+mood for talk. Only Blink sat apart and stared moodily into the fire,
+his hands clasped listlessly around his knees, and to him they gave no
+attention. He was an alien, and a taciturn one at that. The Happy
+Family were accustomed to living clannishly, even on roundup, and only
+when they tacitly adopted a man, as they had adopted Pink and Irish
+and, last but not least important, Andy Green, did they take note of
+that man's mood and demand reasons for any surliness.
+
+"If Slim would perk up and go run down a grouse or two," Pink observed
+pointedly, "we'd be all right for the day. How about it, Slim?"
+
+"Run 'em down yourself," Slim retorted. "By golly, I ain't no lop-ear
+bird dog."
+
+"The law's out fer chickens," Happy Jack remarked dolefully.
+
+"Go on, Happy, and get us a few. You've got your howitzer buckled on,"
+fleered Andy Green. Andy it was whose fertile imagination had so
+christened Happy Jack's formidable weapon.
+
+"Aw, gwan!" protested Happy Jack.
+
+"Happy looks like he was out for a rep," bantered Pink. "He makes me
+think uh the Bad Man in a Western play. All he needs is his hat turned
+up in front and his sleeves rolled up to his elbow, like he was
+killing hogs. Happy would make a dandy-looking outlaw, with that gun
+and that face uh his."
+
+"Say, by golly, I bet that's what he's figurin' on doing. He ain't
+going to punch cows no more--I bet he's thinking about turning out."
+
+"Well, when I do, you'll be the first fellow I lay for," retorted
+Happy, with labored wit.
+
+"You never'd get a rep shooting at a target the size uh Slim," dimpled
+Pink. "Is that toy cannon loaded, Happy?"
+
+"I betche yuh dassen't walk off ten paces and let me show yuh,"
+growled Happy.
+
+Pink made as if to rise, then settled back with a sigh. "Ten paces is
+farther than you could drive me from this fire with a club," he said.
+"And you couldn't see me, in this fog."
+
+"Say, it _is_ pretty solid," said Weary, looking around him at the
+blank, gray wall. "A fellow could sit right here and be a lot ignorant
+of what's going on around him. A fellow could--"
+
+"When I was riding down in the San Simon basin," spoke up Andy,
+rolling his second cigarette daintily between his finger-tips, "I had
+a kinda queer experience in a fog, once. It was thick as this one, and
+it rolled down just about as sudden and unexpected. That's a plenty
+wild patch uh country--or it was when I was there. I was riding for a
+Spanish gent that kept white men as a luxury and let the greasers do
+about all the rough work--such as killing off superfluous neighbors,
+and running brands artistic, and the like. Oh, he was a gay mark, all
+right.
+
+"But about this other deal: I was out riding alone after a little
+bunch uh hosses, one day in the fall. I packed my gun and a pair uh
+field glasses, and every time I rode up onto a mesa I'd take a long
+look at all the lower country to save riding it. I guess I'd
+prognosticated around like that for two or three hours, when I come
+out on a little pinnacle that slopes down gradual toward a neighbor's
+home ranch--only the ranch itself was quite a ride back up the basin.
+
+"I got off my horse and set down on a rock to build me a smoke, and
+was gazing off over the country idle, when I seen a rider come up out
+of a little draw and gallop along quartering-like, to pass my pinnacle
+on the left. You know how a man out alone like that will watch
+anything, from a chicken hawk up in the air to a band uh sheep,
+without any interest in either one, but just to have your eyes on
+something that's alive and moves.
+
+"So I watched him, idle, while I smoked. Pretty soon I seen another
+fellow ride out into sight where the first one had, and hit her up
+lively down the trail. I didn't do no wondering--I just sat and
+watched 'em both for want uh something better to do."
+
+"Finding them strays wasn't important, I s'pose?" Happy Jack
+insinuated.
+
+"It could wait, and did. So I kept an eye on these gazabos, and pretty
+soon I saw the hind fellow turn off the trail and go fogging along
+behind a little rise. He come into sight again, whipping down both
+sides like he was heading a wild four-year-old; and that was queer,
+because the only other live thing in sight was man number one, and I
+didn't see no reason why he should be hurting himself to get around to
+windward like that.
+
+"Maybe it was five minutes I watched 'em: number one loping along like
+there wasn't nothing urgent and he was just merely going somewhere and
+taking his time for it, and number two quirting and spurring like
+seconds was diamonds."
+
+"I wish they was that valuable to you," hinted Pink.
+
+"They ain't, so take it easy. Well, pretty soon they got closer
+together, and then number two unhooked something on his saddle that
+caught the light. There's where I got my field glasses into play. I
+drew a bead with 'em, and seen right off it was a gun. And I hadn't no
+more than got my brain adjusted to grasp his idea, when he puts it
+back and takes down his rope. That there," Andy added naively,
+"promised more real interest; guns is commonplace.
+
+"I took down the glasses long enough to size up the layout. Glasses,
+you know, are mighty deceiving when it comes to relative distances,
+and a hilltop a mile back looks, through the glass, like just stepping
+over a ditch. With the naked eye I could see that they were coming
+together pretty quick, and they done so.
+
+"Number one looks back, but whether he seen number two I couldn't say;
+seemed to me like he just glanced back casual and in the wrong
+direction. Be that is it may, number two edged off a little and rode
+in behind a bunch uh mesquite--and then I seen that the trail took a
+turn, right there. So he pulled up and stood still till the other one
+had ambled past, and then he whirled out into the trail and swung his
+loop.
+
+"When I'd got the glasses focused on 'em again, he had number one
+snared, all right, and had took his turns. The hoss he was riding--it
+was a buckskin--set back and yanked number one end over end out uh the
+saddle, and number one's hoss stampeded off through the brush. Number
+two dug in his spurs and went hell-bent off the trail and across
+country dragging the other fellow--and him bouncing over the rough
+spots something horrible.
+
+"I don't know what got the matter uh me, then; I couldn't do anything
+but sit there on my rock and watch through the glasses. Anyway, while
+they looked close enough to hit with a rock, they was off a mile or
+more. So while I could see it all I couldn't do nothing to prevent. I
+couldn't even hear number one yell--supposing he done any hollering,
+which the chances is he did a plenty. It was for all the world like
+one uh these moving pictures.
+
+"I thought it was going to be a case uh dragging to death, but it
+wasn't; it looked to me a heap worse. Number two dragged his man a
+ways--I reckon till he was plumb helpless--and then he pulled up and
+rode back to where he laid. The fellow tried to get up, and did get
+partly on his knees--and number one standing over him, watching.
+
+"What passed I don't know, not having my hearing magnified like my
+sight was. I framed it up that number two was getting his past,
+present and future read out to him--what I'd call a free life reading.
+The rope was pinning his arms down to his sides, and number two was
+taking blamed good care there wasn't any slack, so fast as he tried to
+get up he was yanked back. From first to last he never had a ghost of
+a show.
+
+"Then number two reaches back deliberate and draws his gun and
+commences shooting, and I commences hollering for him to quit it--and
+me a mile off and can't do nothing! I tell yuh right now, that was
+about the worst deal I ever went up against, to set there on that
+pinnacle and watch murder done in cold blood, and me plumb helpless.
+
+"The first shot wasn't none fatal, as I could see plainer than was
+pleasant. Looked to me like he wanted to string out the agony. It was
+a clear case uh butchery from start to finish; the damnedest,
+lowest-down act a white man could be guilty of. He empties his
+six-gun--counting the smoke-puffs--and waits a minute, watching like a
+cat does a gopher. I was sweating cold, but I kept my eyes glued to
+them glasses like a man in a nightmare.
+
+"When he makes sure the fellow's dead, he rides alongside and flips
+off the rope, with the buckskin snorting and edging off--at the
+blood-smell, I reckon. While he's coiling his rope, calm as if he'd
+just merely roped a yearling, the buckskin gets his head, plants it
+and turns on the fireworks.
+
+"When that hoss starts in pitching, I come alive and drop the glasses
+into their case and make a jump for my own hoss. If the Lord lets me
+come up with that devil, I aim to deal out a case uh justice on my own
+hook; I was in a right proper humor for doing him like he done the
+other fellow, and not ask no questions. Looked to me like he had it
+coming, all right.
+
+"I'd just stuck my toe in the stirrup, when down comes the fog like a
+wet blanket on everything. I couldn't see twenty feet--" Andy stopped
+and reached for a burning twig to relight his cigarette. The Happy
+Family was breathing hard with the spell of the story.
+
+"Did yuh git him?" Happy Jack asked hoarsely. Andy took a long puff at
+his cigarette. "Well, I--Holy smoke! what's the matter with _you_,
+Blink?" For Blink was leaning forward, half crouched, like a cat about
+to pounce, and was glaring fixedly at Andy with lips drawn back in a
+snarl. The Happy Family looked, then stared.
+
+Blink relaxed, shrugged his shoulders and grinned unmirthfully. He got
+up, pulled up his chaps with the peculiar, hitching gesture which
+comes with long practice and grows to be second nature, and stared
+back defiantly at the wondering faces lighted by the dancing flames.
+He turned his back coolly upon them and walked away to where his horse
+stood, took up the reins and stuck his toe in the stirrup, went up and
+landed in the saddle ready for anything. Then he wheeled the big
+sorrel so that he faced those at the camp-fire.
+
+"A man's a damned fool, Andy Green, to see more than is meant for him
+to see. He's plumb crazy to go round blatting all he knows. You won't
+tell that tale again, _mi amigo!_"
+
+There was the pop of a pistol, a puff of blue against the gray, and
+then the fog reached out and gathered Blink and the sorrel to itself.
+Only the clatter of galloping hoofs came to them from behind the damp
+curtain. Andy Green was lying on his back in the grass, his cigarette
+smoking dully in his fingers, a fast widening red streak trailing down
+from his temple.
+
+The Happy Family rose like a covey of frightened chickens before the
+echoes were done playing with the gun-bark. On the heels of Blink's
+shot came the crack of Happy Jack's "howitzer" as he fired blindly
+toward the hoof-beats. There was more shooting while they scurried to
+where their horses, snorting excitement, danced uneasily at the edge
+of the bushes. Only one man spoke, and that was Pink, who stopped just
+as he was about to swing into the saddle.
+
+"Damme for leaving my gun in camp! I'll stay with Andy. Go on--and if
+yuh don't get him, I'll--" he turned back, cursing hysterically, and
+knelt beside the long figure in the grass. There was a tumult of sound
+as the three raced off in pursuit, so close that the flight of the
+fugitive was still distinct in the fog.
+
+While they raced they cursed the fog that shielded from their
+vengeance their quarry, and made such riding as theirs a blind gamble
+with the chances all in favor of broken bones; their only comfort the
+knowledge that Blink could see no better than could they. They did not
+talk, just at first. They did not even wonder if Andy was dead. Every
+nerve, every muscle and every thought was concentrated upon the
+pursuit of Blink. It was the instant rising to meet an occasion
+undreamed of in advance, to do the only thing possible without loss of
+a second in parley. Truly, it were ill for Blink to fall into the
+hands of those three in that mood.
+
+They rode with quirt and spur, guided only by the muffled
+_pluckety-pluck, pluckety-pluck_ of Blink's horse fleeing always just
+before. Whenever the hoof-beats seemed a bit closer, Happy Jack would
+lift his long-barreled .45 and send a shot at random toward the sound.
+Or Weary or Slim would take a chance with their shorter guns. But
+never once did they pull rein for steep or gulley, and never once did
+the hoof-beats fail to come back to them from out the fog.
+
+The chase had led afar and the pace was telling on their mounts, which
+breathed asthmatically. Slim, best he could do, was falling behind.
+Weary's horse stumbled and went to his knees, so that Happy Jack
+forged ahead just when the wind, puffing up from the open, blew aside
+the gray fog-wall. It was not a minute, nor half that; but it was long
+enough for Happy Jack to see, clear and close, Blink pausing
+irresolutely upon the edge of a deep, brush-filled gulley. Happy Jack
+gave a hoarse croak of triumph and fired, just as the fog-curtain
+swayed back maddeningly. Happy Jack nearly wept with pure rage. Weary
+and Slim came up, and together they galloped to the place, riding by
+instinct of direction, for there was no longer any sound to guide.
+
+Ten minutes they spent searching the gulley's edge. Then they saw
+dimly, twenty feet below, a huddled object half-hidden in the brush.
+They climbed down none too warily, though they knew well what might be
+lying, venomous as a coiled rattler, in wait for them below. Slipping
+and sliding in the fog-dampened grass, they reached the spot, to find
+the big sorrel crumpled there, dead. They searched anxiously and
+futilely for more, but Blink was not there, nor was there anything to
+show that he had ever been there. Then not fear, perhaps, but caution,
+came to Happy Jack.
+
+"Aw, say! he's got away on us--the skunk! He's down there in the
+brush, somewheres, waiting for somebody to go in and drag him out by
+the ear. I betche he's laying low, right now, waiting for a chance to
+pot-shot us. We better git back out uh this." He edged away, his eyes
+on the thicket just below. To ride in there was impossible, even to
+the Happy Family in whole or in part. To go in afoot was not at all to
+the liking of Happy Jack.
+
+Slim gave a comprehensive, round-eyed stare at the unpromising
+surroundings, and followed Happy Jack. "By golly, that's right. Yuh
+don't git me into no hole like that," he assented.
+
+Weary, foolhardy to the last, stayed longest; but even Weary could not
+but admit that the case was hopeless. The brush was thick and filled
+the gully, probably from end to end. Riding through it was impossible,
+and hunting it through on foot would be nothing but suicide, with a
+man like Blink hidden away in its depths. They climbed back to the
+rim, remounted and rode, as straight as might be, for the camp-fire
+and what lay beside, with Pink on guard.
+
+It was near noon when, through the lightening fog, they reached the
+place and discovered that Andy, though unconscious, was not dead. They
+found, upon examination of his hurt, that the bullet had ploughed
+along the side of his head above his ear; but just how serious it
+might be they did not know. Pink, having a fresh horse and aching for
+action, mounted and rode in much haste to camp, that the bed-wagon
+might be brought out to take Andy in to the ranch and the
+ministrations of the Little Doctor. Also, he must notify the crew and
+get them out searching for Blink.
+
+All that night and the next day the cowboys rode, and the next. They
+raked the foothills, gulley by gulley, their purpose grim. It would
+probably be a case of shoot-on-sight with them, and nothing saved
+Blink save the all-important fact that never once did any man of the
+Flying U gain sight of him. He had vanished completely after that
+fleeting glimpse Happy Jack had gained, and in the end the Flying U
+was compelled to own defeat.
+
+Upon one point they congratulated themselves: Andy, bandaged as he
+was, had escaped with a furrow ploughed through the scalp, though it
+was not the fault of Blink that he was alive and able to discuss the
+affair with the others--more exactly, to answer the questions they
+fired at him.
+
+"Didn't you recognize him as being the murderer?" Weary asked him
+curiously.
+
+Andy moved uneasily on his bed. "No, I didn't. By gracious, you must
+think I'm a plumb fool!"
+
+"Well, yuh sure hit the mark, whether yuh meant to or not," Pink
+asserted. "He was the jasper, all right. Look how he was glaring at
+yuh while you were telling about it. _He_ knew he was the party, and
+having a guilty conscience, he naturally supposed yuh recognized him
+from the start."
+
+"Well, I didn't," snapped Andy ungraciously, and they put it down to
+the peevishness of invalidism and overlooked the tone.
+
+"Chip has given his description in to the sheriff," soothed Weary,
+"and if he gets off he's sure a good one. And I heard that the sheriff
+wired down to the San Simon country and told 'em their man was up
+here. Mama! What bad breaks a man will make when he's on the dodge! If
+Blink had kept his face closed and acted normal, nobody would have got
+next. Andy didn't know he was the fellow that done it. But it sure was
+queer, the way the play come up. Wasn't it, Andy?"
+
+Andy merely grunted. He did not like to dwell upon the subject, and he
+showed it plainly.
+
+"By golly! he must sure have had it in for that fellow," mused Slim
+ponderously, "to kill him the way Andy says he did. By golly, yuh
+can't wonder his eyes stuck out when he heard Andy telling us all
+about it!"
+
+"I betche he lays for Andy yet, and gits him," predicted Happy Jack
+felicitously. "He won't rest whilst an eye-witness is running around
+loose. I betche he's cached in the hills right now, watching his
+chance."
+
+"Oh, go to hell, the whole lot of yuh!" flared Andy, rising to an
+elbow. "What the dickens are yuh roosting around here for? Why don't
+yuh go on out to camp where yuh belong? You're a nice bunch to set
+around comforting the sick! _Vamos_, darn yuh!"
+
+Whereupon they took the hint and departed, assuring Andy, by way of
+farewell, that he was an unappreciative cuss and didn't deserve any
+sympathy or sick-calls. They also condoled openly with Pink because he
+had been detailed as nurse, and advised him to sit right down on Andy
+if he got too sassy and haughty over being shot up by a real outlaw.
+They said that any fool could build himself a bunch of trouble with a
+homicidal lunatic like Blink, and it wasn't anything to get vain over.
+
+Pink slammed the door upon their jibes and offered Andy a cigarette he
+had just rolled; not that Andy was too sick to roll his own, but
+because Pink was notably soft-hearted toward a sick man and was prone
+to indulge himself in trifling attentions.
+
+"Yuh don't want to mind that bunch," he placated. "They mean all
+right, but they just can't help joshing a man to death."
+
+Andy accepted also a light for the cigarette, and smoked moodily. "It
+ain't their joshing," he explained after a minute "It's puzzling over
+what I can't understand that gets on my nerves. I can't see through
+the thing, Pink, no way I look at it."
+
+"Looks plain enough to me," Pink answered. "Uh course, it's funny
+Blink should be the man, and be setting there listening--"
+
+"Yes, but darn it all, Pink, there's a funnier side to it than that,
+and it's near driving me crazy trying to figure it out. Yuh needn't
+tell anybody, Pink, but it's like this: I was just merely and simply
+romancing when I told that there blood-curdling tale! I never was
+south uh the Wyoming line except when I was riding in a circus and
+toured through, and that's the truth. I never was down in the San
+Simon basin. I never set on no pinnacle with no field glasses--" Andy
+stopped short his labored confession to gaze, with deep disgust, upon
+Pink's convulsed figure. "Well," he snapped, settling back on the
+pillow, "_laugh_, darn yuh! and show your ignorance! By gracious, I
+wish _I_ could see the joke!" He reached up gingerly and readjusted
+the bandage on his head, eyed Pink sourly a moment, and with a grunt
+eloquent of the mood he was in turned his face to the wall.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+
+
+MISS MARTIN'S MISSION
+
+
+When Andy Green, fresh-combed and shining with soap and towel polish,
+walked into the dining-room of the Dry Lake Hotel, he felt not the
+slightest premonition of what was about to befall. His chief sensation
+was the hunger which comes of early rising and of many hours spent in
+the open, and beyond that he was hoping that the Chinaman cook had
+made some meat-pie, like he had the week before. His eyes, searching
+unobtrusively the long table bearing the unmistakable signs of many
+other hungry men gone before--for Andy was late--failed to warn him.
+He pulled out his chair and sat down, still looking for meat-pie.
+
+"Good after_noon!_" cried an eager, feminine voice just across the
+table.
+
+Andy started guiltily. He had been dimly aware that some one was
+sitting there, but, being occupied with other things, had not given a
+thought to the sitter, or a glance. Now he did both while he said good
+afternoon with perfunctory politeness.
+
+"Such a _beau_tiful day, isn't it? _so_ invigorating, like rare, old
+wine!"
+
+Andy assented somewhat dubiously; it had never just struck him that
+way; he thought fleetingly that perhaps it was because he had never
+come across any rare, old wine. He ventured another glance. She was
+not young, and she wore glasses, behind which twinkled very bright
+eyes of a shade of brown. She had unpleasantly regular hair waves on
+her temples, and underneath the waves showed streaks of gray. Also,
+she wore a black silk waist, and somebody's picture made into a brooch
+at her throat. Further, Andy dared not observe. It was enough for one
+glance. He looked again for the much-desired meat-pie.
+
+The strange lady ingratiatingly passed him the bread. "You're a
+cowboy, aren't you?" was the disconcerting question that accompanied
+the bread.
+
+"Well, I--er--I punch cows," he admitted guardedly, his gaze elsewhere
+than on her face.
+
+"I _knew_ you were a cowboy, the moment you entered the door! I could
+tell by the tan and the straight, elastic walk, and the silk
+handkerchief knotted around your throat in that picturesque fashion.
+(Oh, I'm older than you, and dare speak as I think!) I've read a great
+deal about cowboys, and I do admire you all as a type of free,
+great-hearted, noble manhood!"
+
+Andy looked exactly as if someone had caught him at something
+exceedingly foolish. He tried to sugar his coffee calmly, and so sent
+it sloshing all over the saucer.
+
+"Do you live near here?" she asked next, beaming upon him in the
+orthodox, motherly fashion.
+
+"Yes, ma'am, not very near," he was betrayed into saying--and she
+might make what she could of it. He had not said "ma'am" before since
+he had gone to school.
+
+"Oh, I've heard how you Western folks measure distances," she teased.
+"About how many miles?"
+
+"About twenty."
+
+"I suppose that is not far, to you knights of the plains. At home it
+would be called a _dreadfully_ long journey. Why, I have known numbers
+of old men and women who have never been so far from their own doors
+in their lives! What would you think, I wonder, of their little forty
+acre farms?"
+
+Andy had been brought to his sixteenth tumultuous birthday on a
+half-acre in the edge of a good-sized town, but he did not say so. He
+shook his head vaguely and said he didn't know. Andy Green, however,
+was not famous for clinging ever to the truth.
+
+"You out here in this great, wide, free land, with the free winds ever
+blowing and the clouds--"
+
+"Will you pass the butter, please?" Andy hated to interrupt, but he
+was hungry.
+
+The strange lady passed the butter and sent with it a smile. "I have
+read and heard so much about this wild, free life, and my heart has
+gone out to the noble fellows living their lonely life with their
+cattle and their faithful dogs, lying beside their camp-fires at night
+while the stars stood guard--"
+
+Andy forgot his personal embarrassment and began to perk up his ears.
+This was growing interesting.
+
+"--And I have felt how lonely they must be, with their rude fare and
+few pleasures, and what a field there must be among them for a great
+and noble work; to uplift them and bring into their lonely lives a
+broader, deeper meaning; to help them to help themselves to be better,
+nobler men and women--"
+
+"We don't have any lady cowpunchers out here," interposed Andy mildly.
+
+The strange lady had merely gone astray a bit, being accustomed to
+addressing Mothers' Meetings and the like. She recovered herself
+easily. "Nobler men, the bulwarks of our nation." She stopped and eyed
+Andy archly. Andy, having observed that her neck was scrawny, with
+certain cords down the sides that moved unpleasantly when she talked,
+tried not to look.
+
+"I wonder if you can guess what brings me out here, away from home and
+friends! Can you guess?"
+
+Andy thought of several things, but he could not feel that it would be
+polite to mention them. Agent for complexion stuff, for instance, and
+next to that, wanting a husband. He shook his head again and looked at
+his potato.
+
+"You _can't guess_?" The tone was the one commonly employed for the
+encouragement, and consequent demoralization of, a primary class. Andy
+realized that he was being talked down to, and his combativeness
+awoke. "Well, away back in my home town, a woman's club has been
+thinking of all you lonely fellows, and have felt their hearts swell
+with a desire to help you--so far from home and mother's influence,
+with only the coarse pleasures of the West, and amid all the
+temptations that lie in wait--" She caught herself back from
+speech-making--"and they have sent _me_--away out here--to be your
+_friend_; to help you to help yourselves become better, truer men
+and--" She did not say women, though, poor soul, she came near it.
+"So, I am going to be your friend. I want to get in touch with you
+all, first; to win your confidence and teach you to look upon me in
+the light of a mother. Then, when I have won your confidence, I want
+to organize a Cowboys' Mutual Improvement and Social Society, to help
+you in the way of self-improvement and to resist the snares laid for
+homeless boys like you. Don't you think I'm very--_brave_?" She was
+smiling at him again, leaning back in her chair and regarding him
+playfully over her glasses.
+
+"You sure are," Andy assented, deliberately refraining from saying
+"yes, ma'am," as had been his impulse.
+
+"To come away out here--_all alone_--among all you wild cowboys with
+your guns buckled on and your wicked little mustangs--Are you sure you
+won't shoot me?"
+
+Andy eyed her pityingly. If she meant it, he thought, she certainly
+was wabbly in her mind. If she thought that was the only kind of talk
+he could savvy, then she was a blamed idiot; either way, he felt
+antagonistic. "The law shall be respected in your case," he told her,
+very gravely.
+
+She smiled almost as if she could see the joke; after which she became
+twitteringly, eagerly in earnest. "Since you live near here, you must
+know the Whitmores. Miss Whitmore came out here, two or three years
+ago, and married her brother's coachman, I believe--though I've heard
+conflicting stories about it; some have said he was an artist, and
+others that he was a jockey, or horse-trainer. I heard too that he was
+a cowboy; but Miss Whitmore certainly wrote about this young man
+driving her brother's carriage. However, she is married and I have a
+letter of introduction to her. The president of our club used to be a
+schoolmate of her mother. I shall stop with them--I have heard so much
+about the Western hospitality--and shall get into touch with my
+cowboys from the vantage point of proximity. Did you say you know
+them?"
+
+"I work for them," Andy told her truthfully in his deep amazement, and
+immediately repented and wished that he had not been so virtuous. With
+Andy, to wish was to do--given the opportunity.
+
+"Then I can go with you out to their farm--ranchero! How nice! And on
+the way you can tell me all about yourself and your life and
+hopes--because I do want to get in touch with you all, you know--and
+I'll tell you all my plans for you; I have some _beau_tiful plans! And
+we'll be very good friends by the time we reach our destination, I'm
+sure. I want you to feel from the start that I am a true friend, and
+that I have your welfare very much at heart. Without the confidence of
+my cowboys, I can do nothing. Are there any more at home like you?"
+
+Andy looked at her suspiciously, but it was so evident she never meant
+to quote comic opera, that he merely wondered anew. He struggled
+feebly against temptation, and fell from grace quite willingly. It
+isn't polite to "throw a load" at a lady, but then Andy felt that
+neither was it polite for a lady to come out with the avowed intention
+of improving him and his fellows; it looked to him like butting in
+where she was not wanted, or needed.
+
+"Yes, ma'am, there's quite a bunch, and they're pretty bad. I don't
+believe you can do much for 'em." He spoke regretfully.
+
+"Do they--_drink_?" she asked, leaning forward and speaking in the
+hushed voice with which some women approach a tabooed subject.
+
+"Yes ma'am, they do. They're hard drinkers. And they"--he eyed her
+speculatively, trying to guess the worst sins in her category--"they
+play cards--gamble--and swear, and smoke cigarettes and--"
+
+"All the more need of someone to help them overcome," she decided
+solemnly. "What you need is a coffee-house and reading room here, so
+that the young men will have some place to go other than the saloons.
+I shall see to that right away. And with the Mutual Improvement and
+Social Society organized and working smoothly, and a library of
+standard works for recreation, together with earnest personal efforts
+to promote temperance and clean-living, I feel that a _wonderful_ work
+can be done. I saw you drive into town, so I know you can take me out
+with you; I hope you are going to start soon. I feel very impatient to
+reach the field and put my sickle to the harvest."
+
+Andy mentally threw up his hands before this unshakable person. He had
+meant to tell her that he had come on horseback, but she had
+forestalled him. He had meant to discourage her--head her off, he
+called it to himself. But there seemed no way of doing it. He pushed
+back his chair and rose, though he had not tasted his pie, and it was
+lemon pie at that. He had some faint notion of hurrying out of town
+and home before she could have time to get ready; but she followed him
+to the door and chirped over his shoulder that it wouldn't take her
+two minutes to put on her wraps. Andy groaned.
+
+He tried--or started to try--holding out at Rusty Brown's till she
+gave up in despair; but it occurred to him that Chip had asked him to
+hurry back. Andy groaned again, and got the team.
+
+She did not wait for him to drive around to the hotel for her;
+possibly she suspected his intentions. At any rate, she came nipping
+down the street toward the stable just as he was hooking the last
+trace, and she was all ready and had a load of bags and bundles.
+
+"I'm not going to begin by making trouble for you," she twittered. "I
+thought I could just as well come down here to the wagon as have you
+drive back to the hotel. And my trunk did not come on the train with
+me, so I'm all ready."
+
+Andy, having nothing in mind that he dared say to a lady, helped her
+into the wagon.
+
+At sundown or thereabouts--for the days were short and he had a load
+of various things besides care--Andy let himself wearily into the
+bunk-house where was assembled the Happy Family. He merely grunted
+when they spoke to him, and threw himself heavily down upon his bunk.
+
+"For Heaven's sake, somebody roll me a cigarette! I'm too wore out to
+do a thing, and I haven't had a smoke since dinner," he groaned, after
+a minute.
+
+"Sick?" asked Pink solicitously.
+
+"Sick as a dog! water, water!" moaned Andy. All at once he rolled over
+upon his face and shook with laughter more than a little hysterical,
+and to the questioning of the Happy Family gave no answer but howls.
+The Happy Family began to look at one another uneasily.
+
+"Aw, let up!" Happy Jack bellowed. "You give a man the creeps just to
+listen at yuh."
+
+"I'm going to empty the water-bucket over yuh in a minute," Pink
+threatened, "Go get it, Cal; it's half full."
+
+Andy knew well the metal of which the Happy Family was made, and the
+night was cool for a ducking. He rolled back so that they could see
+his face, and struggled for calm. In a minute he sat up and merely
+gurgled.
+
+"Well, say, I had to do something or die," he explained, gasping.
+"I've gone through a heap, the last few hours, and I was right where I
+couldn't do a thing. By gracious, I struck the ranch about as near
+bug-house as a man can get and recover. Where's a cigarette?"
+
+"What you've gone through--and I don't give a cuss what it is--ain't a
+marker for what's going to happen if yuh don't loosen up on the
+history," said Jack Bates firmly.
+
+Andy smoked hungrily while he surveyed the lot. "How calm and innocent
+yuh all look," he observed musingly, "with your hats on and saying
+words that's rude, and smoking the vile weed regardless, never
+dreaming what's going to drop, pretty soon quick. Yuh make me think of
+a hymn-song my step-mother used to sing a lot, about 'They dreamed not
+of danger, those sinners of old, whom--"
+
+"Hand me the water bucket," directed Pink musically.
+
+"Oh, well--take it from the shoulder, then; I was only trying to lead
+up to it gradual, but yuh _will_ have it raw. You poor, dear cowboys,
+that live your lonely lives watching over your cattle with your
+_faithful dogs_ and the stars for company, you're going to be
+_improved_. (You'll sure stand a lot of it, too!) A woman's relief
+club back East has felt the burden of your no-accountness and general
+orneriness, and has sent one of its leading members out here to reform
+yuh. You're going to be hazed into a Cowboys' Mutual Improvement and
+Social Society, and quit smoking cigarettes and cussing your hosses
+and laying over Rusty's bar when yuh ride into town; and for pleasure
+and recreation you're going to read Tennyson's poems, and when yuh get
+caught out in a blizzard yuh'll be heeled with Whittier's _Snowbound_,
+pocket edition. Emerson and Browning and Shakespeare and Gatty" (Andy
+misquoted; he meant Goethe) "and all them stiffs is going to be set
+before yuh regular and in your mind constant, purging it of unclean
+thoughts, and grammar is going to be learnt yuh as a side-line. Yuh--"
+
+"Mama mine," broke in Weary. "I have thought sometimes, when Andy
+broke loose with that imagination uh his, that he'd gone the limit;
+but next time he always raises the limit out uh sight. He's like the
+Good Book says: he's prone to lie as the sparks fly-upward."
+
+Andy gazed belligerently at the skeptical group. "I brought her out
+from town," he said doggedly, "and whilst I own up to having an
+imagination, she's stranger than fiction. She'd make the fellow that
+wrote "She" lay down with a headache. She's come out here to help us
+cowboys live nobler, better lives. She's going to learn yuh Browning,
+darn yuh! and Emerson and Gatty. She said so. She's going to fill your
+hearts with love for dumb creatures, so when yuh get set afoot out on
+the range, or anything like that, yuh won't put in your time cussing
+the miles between you and camp; you'll have a pocket edition of 'Much
+Ado About Nothing' to read, or the speech Mark Anthony made when he
+was running for office. Or supposing yuh left 'em all in camp, yuh'll
+study nature. There's sermons in stones, she says. She's going to send
+for a pocket library that can easy be took on roundup--"
+
+"Say, I guess that's about enough," interrupted Pink restlessly. "We
+all admit you're the biggest liar that ever come West of the
+Mississippi, without you laying it on any deeper."
+
+Whereupon Andy rose in wrath and made a suggestive movement with his
+fist. "If I was romancing," he declared indignantly, "I'd do a
+smoother job; when I do lie, I notice yuh all believe it--till yuh
+find out different. And by gracious yuh might do as much when I'm
+telling the truth! Go up to the White House and see, darn yuh! If yuh
+don't find Miss Verbena Martin up there telling the Little Doctor how
+her heart goes out to her dear cowboys and how she's going to get in
+touch with 'em and help 'em lead nobler, better lives, you can kick me
+all round the yard. And I hope, by gracious, she _does_ improve yuh!
+Yuh sure do need it a lot."
+
+The Happy Family discussed the tale freely and without regard for the
+feelings of Andy; they even became heated and impolite, and they made
+threats. They said that a liar like him ought to be lynched or gagged,
+and that he was a disgrace to the outfit. In the end, however, they
+decided to go and see, just to prove to Andy that they knew he lied.
+And though it was settled that Weary and Pink should be the
+investigating committee, by the time they were halfway to the White
+House they had the whole Happy Family trailing at their heels. A light
+snow had begun to fall since dark, and they hunched their shoulders
+against it as they went. Grouped uncomfortably just outside the circle
+of light cast through the unshaded window, they gazed silently in upon
+Chip and the Little Doctor and J.G. Whitmore, and upon one other; a
+strange lady in a black silk shirtwaist and a gold watch suspended
+from her neck by a chaste, black silken cord; a strange lady with
+symmetrical waves in her hair and gray on her temples, and with
+glasses and an eager way of speaking.
+
+She was talking very rapidly and animatedly, and the others were
+listening and stealing glances now and then at one another. Once,
+while they watched, the Little Doctor looked at Chip and then turned
+her face toward the window. She was biting her lips in the way the
+Happy Family had learned to recognize as a great desire to laugh. It
+all looked suspicious and corroborative of Andy's story, and the Happy
+Family shifted their feet uneasily in the loose snow.
+
+They watched, and saw the strange lady clasp her hands together and
+lean forward, and where her voice had before come to them with no
+words which they could catch distinctly, they heard her say something
+quite clearly in her enthusiasm: "Eight real cowboys _here_, almost
+within reach! I must see them before I sleep! I must get in touch with
+them at once, and show them that I am a true friend. Come, Mrs.
+Bennett! Won't you take me where they are and let me meet my boys? for
+they _are_ mine in spirit; my heart goes out to them--"
+
+The Happy Family waited to hear no more, but went straightway back
+whence they had come, and their going savored of flight.
+
+"Mama mine! she's coming down to the bunkhouse!" said Weary under his
+breath, and glanced back over his shoulder at the White House bulking
+large in the night. "Let's go on down to the stable and roost in the
+hay a while."
+
+"She'll out-wind us, and be right there waiting when we come back,"
+objected Andy, with the wisdom gained from his brief acquaintance with
+the lady. "If she's made up her mind to call on us, there's no way
+under Heaven to head her off."
+
+They halted by the bunk-house door, undecided whether to go in or to
+stay out in the open.
+
+"By golly, she don't improve _me_!" Slim asserted pettishly. "I hate
+books like strychnine, and, by golly, she can't make me read 'em,
+neither."
+
+"If there's anything I do despise it's po'try," groaned Cal Emmett.
+
+"Emerson and Browning and Shakespeare and _Gatty_," named Andy
+gloomily.
+
+Whereat Pink suddenly pushed open the door and went in as goes one who
+knows exactly what he is about to do. They followed him distressfully
+and silently. Pink went immediately to his bunk and began pulling off
+his boots.
+
+"I'm going to bed," he told them. "You fellows can stay up and
+entertain her if yuh want to--_I_ won't!"
+
+They caught the idea and disrobed hastily, though the evening was
+young. Irish blew out the lamp and dove under the blankets just as
+voices came faintly from up the hill, so that when Chip rapped a
+warning with his knuckles on the door, there was no sound within save
+an artificial snore from the corner where lay Pink. Chip was not in
+the habit of knocking before he entered, but he repeated the summons
+with emphasis.
+
+"Who's there-e?" drawled sleepily a voice--the voice of Weary.
+
+"Oh, I do believe they've retired!" came, in a perturbed feminine
+tone, to the listening ears of the Happy Family.
+
+"Gone to bed?" cried Chip gravely.
+
+"Hours ago," lied Andy fluently. "We're plumb wore out. What's
+happened?"
+
+"Oh, don't disturb the poor fellows! They're tired and need their
+rest," came the perturbed tone again. After that the voices and the
+footsteps went up the hill again, and the Happy Family breathed freer.
+Incidentally, Pink stopped snoring and made a cigarette.
+
+Going to bed at seven-thirty or thereabouts was not the custom of the
+Happy Family, but they stayed under the covers and smoked and
+discussed the situation. They dared not have a light, and the night
+was longer than they had ever known a night to be, for it was late
+before they slept. It was well that Miss Verbena Martin could not
+overhear their talk, which was unchivalrous and unfriendly in the
+extreme. The general opinion seemed to be that old maid improvers
+would better stay at home where they might possibly be welcome, and
+that when the Happy Family wanted improving they would let her know.
+Cal Emmett said that he wouldn't mind, if they had only sent a young,
+pretty one. Happy Jack prophesied plenty of trouble, and boasted that
+she couldn't haul _him_ into no s'ciety. Slim declared again that by
+golly, she wouldn't do no improving on _him_, and the others--Weary
+and Irish and Pink and Jack Bates and Andy--discussed ways and means
+and failed always to agree. When each one hoots derision at all plans
+but his own, it is easy guessing what will be the result. In this
+particular instance the result was voices raised in argument--voices
+that reached Chip, grinning and listening on the porch of the White
+House--and tardy slumber overtaking a disgruntled Happy Family on the
+brink of violence.
+
+It was not a particularly happy Family that woke to memory and a snowy
+Sunday; woke late, because of the disturbing evening. When they spoke
+to one another their voices were but growls, and when they trailed
+through the snow to their breakfast they went in moody silence.
+
+They had just brightened a bit before Patsy's Sunday breakfast, which
+included hot-cakes and maple syrup, when the door was pushed quietly
+open and the Little Doctor came in, followed closely by Miss Martin;
+an apologetic Little Doctor, who seemed, by her very manner of
+entering, to implore them not to blame _her_ for the intrusion. Miss
+Martin was not apologetic. She was disconcertingly eager and glad to
+meet them, and pathetically anxious to win their favor.
+
+Miss Martin talked, and the Happy Family ate hurriedly and with
+lowered eyelids. Miss Martin asked questions, and the Happy Family
+kicked one another's shins under the table by way of urging someone to
+reply; for this reason there was a quite perceptible pause between
+question and answer, and the answer was invariably "the soul of
+wit"--according to that famous recipe. Miss Martin told them naively
+all about her hopes and her plans and herself, and about the distant
+woman's club that took so great an interest in their welfare, and the
+Happy Family listened dejectedly and tried to be polite. Also, they
+did not relish the hot-cakes as usual, and Patsy had half the batter
+left when the meal was over, instead of being obliged to mix more, as
+was usually the case.
+
+When they had eaten, the Happy Family filed out decorously and went
+hastily down to the stables. They did not say much, but they did
+glance over their shoulders uneasily once or twice.
+
+"The old girl is sure hot on our trail," Pink remarked when they were
+safely through the big gate. "She must uh got us mixed up with some
+Wild West show, in her mind. Josephine!"
+
+"Well, by golly, she don't improve _me_," Slim repeated for about the
+tenth time.
+
+The horses were all fed and everything tidy for the day, and several
+saddles were being hauled down significantly from their pegs, when
+Irish delivered himself of a speech, short but to the point. Irish had
+been very quiet and had taken no part in the discussion that had waxed
+hot all that morning.
+
+"Now, see here," he said in his decided way. "Maybe it didn't strike
+you as anything but funny--which it sure is. But yuh want to remember
+that the old girl has come a dickens of a long ways to do us some
+good. She's been laying awake nights thinking about how we'll get to
+calling her something nice: Angel of the Roundup, maybe--you can't
+tell, she's that romantic. And right here is where I'm going to give
+the old girl the worth of her money. It won't hurt _us_, letting her
+talk wild and foolish at us once a week, maybe; and the poor old
+thing'll just be tickled to death thinking what a lot uh good she's
+doing. She won't stay long, and--well, I go in. If she'll feel better
+and more good to the world improving me, she's got my permission. I
+guess I can stand it a while."
+
+The Happy Family looked at him queerly, for if there was a black sheep
+in the flock, Irish was certainly the man; and to have Irish take the
+stand he did was, to say the least, unexpected.
+
+Cal Emmett blurted the real cause of their astonishment. "You'll have
+to sign the pledge, first pass," he said. "That's going to be the ante
+in _her_ game. How--"
+
+"Well, I don't play nobody's hand, or stake anybody's chips, but my
+own," Irish retorted, the blood showing under the tan on his cheeks.
+
+"And we won't das't roll a cigarette, even, by golly!" reminded Slim.
+For Miss Martin, whether intentionally or not, had made plain to them
+the platform of the new society.
+
+Irish got some deep creases between his eyebrows, and put back his
+saddle. "You can do as yuh like," he said, coldly. "I'm going to stay
+and go to meeting this afternoon, according to her invite. If it's
+going to make that poor old freak feel any better thinking she's a
+real missionary--" He turned and walked out of the stable without
+finishing the sentence, and the Happy Family stood quite still and
+watched him go.
+
+Pink it was who first spoke. "I ain't the boy to let any long-legged
+son-of-a-gun like Irish hit a gait I can't follow," he dimpled, and
+took the saddle reluctantly off Toots. "If he can stand it, I guess I
+can."
+
+Weary loosened his latigo. "If Cadwolloper is going to learn poetry, I
+will, too," he grinned. "Mama! it'll be good as a three-ringed circus!
+I never thought uh that, before. I couldn't miss it."
+
+"Oh, well, if you fellows take a hand, I'll sure have to be there to
+see," Andy decided. "Two o'clock, did she say?"
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+"I hate to be called a quitter," Pink remarked dispiritedly to the
+Happy Family in general; a harassed looking Happy Family, which sat
+around and said little, and watched the clock. In an hour they would
+be due to attend the second meeting of the M.I.S.S.--and one would
+think, from the look of them, that they were about to be hanged. "I
+hate to be called a quitter, but right here's where I lay 'em down.
+The rest of yuh can go on being improved, if yuh want to--darned if I
+will, though. I'm all in."
+
+"I don't recollect hearing anybody say we wanted to," growled Jack
+Bates. "Irish, maybe, is still burning with a desire to be nice and
+chivalrous; but you can count me out. One dose is about all I can
+stand."
+
+"By golly, I wouldn't go and feel that foolish again, not if yuh paid
+me for it," Slim declared.
+
+Irish grinned and reached for his hat. "I done my damnettest," he said
+cheerfully. "I made the old girl happy once; now, one Irish Mallory is
+due to have a little joy coming his way. I'm going to town."
+
+    "'Break, break, break, on thy cold, gray crags, oh sea,
+    And I would that my tongue could utter the thoughts that come over me.'
+
+"You will observe, gentlemen, the beautiful sentiment, the euphonious
+rhythm, the noble--" Weary went down, still declaiming mincingly,
+beneath four irate bodies that hurled themselves toward him and upon
+him.
+
+"We'll break, break, break every bone in your body if you don't shut
+up. You will observe the beautiful sentiment of _that_ a while," cried
+Pink viciously. "I've had the euphonious rhythm of my sleep broke up
+ever since I set there and listened at her for two hours. Josephine!"
+
+Irish stopped with his hand on the door knob. "I was the jay that
+started it," he admitted contritely. "But, honest, I never had a hunch
+she was plumb locoed; I thought she was just simply foolish. Come on
+to town, boys!"
+
+Such is the power of suggestion that in fifteen minutes the Happy
+Family had passed out of sight over the top of the grade; all save
+Andy Green, who told them he would be along after a while, and that
+they need not wait. He looked at the clock, smoked a meditative
+cigarette and went up to the White House, to attend the second meeting
+of the Mutual Improvement and Social Society.
+
+When he faced alone Miss Verbena Martin, and explained that the other
+members were unavoidably absent because they had a grudge against a
+man in Dry Lake and had gone in to lynch him and burn the town, Miss
+Martin was shocked into postponing the meeting. Andy said he was glad,
+because he wanted to go in and see the fight; undoubtedly, he assured
+her, there would be a fight, and probably a few of them would get
+killed off. He reminded her that he had told her right in the start
+that they were a bad lot, and that she would have hard work reforming
+them; and finally, he made her promise that she would not mention to
+anyone what he had told her, because it wouldn't be safe for him, or
+for her, if they ever got to hear of it. After that Andy also took the
+trail to town, and he went at a gallop and smiled as he rode.
+
+Miss Martin reflected shudderingly upon the awful details of the
+crime, as hinted at by Andy, and packed her trunk. It might be brave
+and noble to stay and work among all those savages, but she doubted
+much whether it were after all her duty. She thought of many ways in
+which she could do more real good nearer home. She had felt all along
+that these cowboys were an untrustworthy lot; she had noticed them
+glancing at one another in a secret and treacherous manner, all
+through the last meeting, and she was positive they had not given her
+that full confidence without which no good can be accomplished. That
+fellow they called Happy looked capable of almost any crime; she had
+never felt quite safe in his presence.
+
+Miss Martin pictured them howling and dancing around the burning
+dwellings of their enemies, shooting every one they could see; Miss
+Martin had imagination, of a sort. But while she pictured the horrors
+of an Indian massacre she continued to pack her suit-case and to
+consult often her watch. When she could do no more it occurred to her
+that she would better see if someone could take her to the station.
+Fortunately for all concerned, somebody could. One might go further
+and say that somebody was quite willing to strain a point, even, in
+order to get her there in time for the next train.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+The Happy Family was gathered in Rusty Brown's place, watching Irish
+do things to a sheep-man from Lonesome Prairie, in a game of pool.
+They were just giving vent to a prolonged whoop of derision at the
+sheep-man's play, when a rig flashed by the window. Weary stopped with
+his mouth wide open and stared; leaned to the window and craned to see
+more clearly.
+
+"Mama mine!" he ejaculated incredulously. "I could swear I saw Miss
+Verbena in that rig, with her trunk, and headed towards the depot.
+Feel my pulse, Cadwolloper, and see if I'm normal."
+
+But Pink was on his way to the back door, and from there climbed like
+a cat to the roof of the coal-house, where, as he knew from
+experience, one could see the trail to the depot, and the depot
+itself.
+
+"It's sure her," he announced. "Chip's driving like hell, and the
+smoke uh the train's just coming around the bend from the big field.
+Wonder what struck her so sudden?" He turned and looked down into the
+grinning face of Andy Green.
+
+"She was real insulted because you fellows played hookey," Andy
+explained. "I tried to explain, but it didn't help none. I don't
+believe her heart went out to us like she claimed, anyhow."
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+
+
+HAPPY JACK, WILD MAN.
+
+
+Happy Jack, over on the Shonkin range, saw how far it was to the river
+and mopped the heat-crimsoned face of him with a handkerchief not
+quite as clean as it might have been. He hoped that the Flying U
+wagons would be where he had estimated that they would be; for he was
+aweary of riding with a strange outfit, where his little personal
+peculiarities failed to meet with that large tolerance accorded by the
+Happy Family. He didn't think much of the Shonkin crew; grangers and
+pilgrims, he called them disgustedly in his mind. He hoped the Old Man
+would not send him on that long trip with them south of the
+Highwoods--which is what he was on his way to find out about. What
+Happy Jack was hoping for, was to have the Old Man--as represented by
+Chip--send one of the boys back with him to bring over what Flying U
+cattle had been gathered, together with Happy's bed and string of
+horses. Then he would ride with the Happy Family on the familiar range
+that was better, in his eyes, than any other range that ever lay
+outdoors--and the Shonkin outfit could go to granny. (Happy did not,
+however, say "granny").
+
+He turned down the head of a coulee which promised to lead him, by the
+most direct route--if any route in the Badlands can be called
+direct--to the river, across which, and a few miles up on Suction
+Creek, he confidently expected to find the Flying U wagons. The coulee
+wound aimlessly, with precipitous sides that he could not climb, even
+by leading his horse. Happy Jack, under the sweltering heat of
+mid-June sunlight, once more mopped his face, now more crimson than
+ever, and relapsed into his habitual gloom. Just when he was telling
+himself pessimistically that the chances were he would run slap out on
+a cut bank where he couldn't get down to the river at all, the coulee
+turned again and showed the gray-blue water slithering coolly past,
+with the far bank green and sloping invitingly.
+
+The horse hurried forward at a shuffling trot and thrust his hot
+muzzle into the delicious coolness. Happy Jack slipped off and, lying
+flat on his stomach, up-stream from the horse, drank deep and long,
+then stood up, wiped his face and considered the necessity of
+crossing. Just at this point the river was not so wide as in others,
+and for that reason the current flowed swiftly past. Not too swiftly,
+however, if one took certain precautions. Happy Jack measured mentally
+the strength of the current and the proper amount of caution which it
+would be expedient to use, and began his preparations; for the sun was
+sliding down hill toward the western skyline, and he wished very much
+to reach the wagons in time for supper, if he could.
+
+Standing in the shade of the coulee wall, he undressed deliberately,
+folding each garment methodically as he took it off. When the pile was
+complete to socks and boots, he rolled it into a compact bundle and
+tied it firmly upon his saddle. Stranger, his horse, was a good
+swimmer, and always swam high out of water. He hoped the things would
+not get very wet; still, the current was strong, and his
+characteristic pessimism suggested that they would be soaked to the
+last thread. So, naked as our first ancestor, he urged his horse into
+the stream, and when it was too deep for kicking--Stranger was ever
+uncertain and not to be trusted too far--he caught him firmly by the
+tail and felt the current grip them both. The feel of the water was
+glorious after so long a ride in the hot sun, and Happy Jack reveled
+in the cool swash of it up his shoulders to the back of his neck, as
+Stranger swam out and across to the sloping, green bank on the home
+side. When his feet struck bottom, Happy Jack should have waded
+also--but the water was so deliciously cool, slapping high up on his
+shoulders like that; he still floated luxuriously, towed by
+Stranger--until Stranger, his footing secure, glanced back at Happy
+sliding behind like a big, red fish, snorted and plunged up and on to
+dry land.
+
+Happy Jack struck his feet down to bottom, stumbled and let go his
+hold of the tail, and Stranger, feeling the weight loosen suddenly,
+gave another plunge and went careering up the bank, snorting back at
+Happy Jack. Happy swore, waded out and made threats, but Stranger,
+seeing himself pursued by a strange figure whose only resemblance to
+his master lay in voice and profanity, fled in terror before him.
+
+Happy Jack, crippling painfully on the stones, fled fruitlessly after,
+still shouting threats. Then, as Stranger, galloping wildly,
+disappeared over a ridge, he stood and stared stupidly at the place
+where the horse had last been seen. For the moment his mind refused to
+grasp all the horror of his position; he stepped gingerly over the hot
+sand and rocks, sought the shelter of a bit of overhanging bank, and
+sat dazedly down upon a rock too warm for comfort. He shifted uneasily
+to the sand beside, found that still hotter, and returned to the rock.
+
+He needed to think; to grasp this disaster that had come so suddenly
+upon him. He looked moodily across to the southern bank, his chin
+sunken between moist palms, the while the water dried upon his person.
+To be set afoot, down here in the Badlands, away from the habitations
+of men and fifteen miles from the probable location of the Flying U
+camp, was not nice. To be set afoot _naked_--it was horrible, and
+unbelievable. He thought of tramping, barefooted and bare-legged,
+through fifteen miles of sage-covered Badlands to camp, with the sun
+beating down on his unprotected back, and groaned in anticipation. Not
+even his pessimism had ever pictured a thing so terrible.
+
+He gazed at the gray-blue river which had caused this trouble that he
+must face, and forgetting the luxury of its coolness, cursed it
+venomously. Little waves washed up on the pebbly bank, and glinted in
+the sun while they whispered mocking things to him. Happy Jack gave
+over swearing at the river, and turned his wrath upon Stranger--Stranger,
+hurtling along somewhere through the breaks, with all Happy's clothes
+tied firmly to the saddle. Happy Jack sighed lugubriously when he
+remembered how firmly. A fleeting hope that, if he followed the trail
+of Stranger, he might glean a garment or two that had slipped loose,
+died almost before it lived. Happy Jack knew too well the kind of
+knots he always tied. His favorite boast that nothing ever worked
+loose on his saddle, came back now to mock him with its absolute
+truth.
+
+The sun, dropping a bit lower, robbed him inch by inch of the shade to
+which he clung foolishly. He hunched himself into as small a space as
+his big frame would permit, and hung his hat upon his knees where they
+stuck out into the sunlight. It was very hot, and his position was
+cramped, but he would not go yet; he was still thinking--and the brain
+of Happy Jack worked ever slowly. In such an unheard-of predicament he
+felt dimly that he had need of much thought.
+
+When not even his hat could shield him from the sun glare, he got up
+and went nipping awkwardly over the hot beach. He was going into the
+next river-bottom--wherever that was--on the chance of finding a
+cow-camp, or some cabin where he could, by some means, clothe himself.
+He did not like the idea of facing the Happy Family in his present
+condition; he knew the Happy Family. Perhaps he might find someone
+living down here next the river. He hoped so--for Happy Jack, when
+things were so bad they could not well be worse, was forced to give
+over the prediction of further evil, and pursue blindly the faintest
+whisper of hope. He got up on the bank, where the grass was kinder to
+his unaccustomed feet than were the hot stones below, and hurried away
+with his back to the sun, that scorched him cruelly.
+
+In the next bottom--and he was long getting to it--the sage brush grew
+dishearteningly thick. Happy began to be afraid of snakes. He went
+slowly, stepping painfully where the ground seemed smoothest; he never
+could walk fifteen miles in his bare feet, he owned dismally to
+himself. His only hope lay in getting clothes.
+
+Halfway down the bottom, he joyfully came upon a camp, but it had long
+been deserted; from the low, tumble-down corrals, and the unmistakable
+atmosphere of the place, Happy Jack knew it for a sheep camp. But
+nothing save the musty odor and the bare cabin walls seemed to have
+been left behind. He searched gloomily, thankful for the brief shade
+the cabin offered. Then, tossed up on the rafters and forgotten, he
+discovered a couple of dried sheep pelts, untanned and stiff, almost,
+as shingles. Still, they were better than nothing, and he grinned in
+sickly fashion at the find.
+
+Realizing, in much pain, that some protection for his feet was an
+absolute necessity, he tore a pelt in two for sandals. Much search
+resulted in the discovery of a bit of rotted rope, which he unraveled
+and thereby bound a piece of sheepskin upon each bruised foot. They
+were not pretty, but they answered the purpose. The other pelt he
+disposed of easily by tying the two front legs together around his
+neck and letting the pelt hang down his back as far as it would reach.
+There being nothing more that he could do in the way of
+self-adornment, Happy Jack went out again into the hot afternoon. At
+his best, Happy Jack could never truthfully be called handsome; just
+now, clothed inadequately in gray Stetson hat and two meager
+sheepskins, he looked scarce human.
+
+Cheered a bit, he set out sturdily over the hills toward the mouth of
+Suction Creek. The Happy Family would make all kinds of fools of
+themselves, he supposed, if he showed up like this; but he might not
+be obliged to appear before them in his present state of undress; he
+might strike some other camp, first. Happy Jack was still forced to be
+hopeful. He quite counted on striking another camp before reaching the
+wagons of the Flying U.
+
+The sun slid farther and farther toward the western rim of tumbled
+ridges as Happy Jack, in his strange raiment, plodded laboriously to
+the north. The mantle he was forced to shift constantly into a new
+position as the sun's rays burned deep a new place, or the stiff hide
+galled his blistered shoulders. The sandals did better, except that
+the rotten strands of rope were continually wearing through on the
+bottom, so that he must stop and tie fresh knots, or replace the bit
+from the scant surplus which he had prudently brought along.
+
+Till sundown he climbed toilfully up the steep hills and then
+scrambled as toilfully into the coulees, taking the straightest course
+he knew for the mouth of Suction Creek; that, as a last resort, while
+he watched keenly for the white flake against green which would tell
+of a tent pitched there in the wilderness. He was hungry--when he
+forgot other discomforts long enough to think of it. Worst, perhaps,
+was the way in which the gaunt sage brush scratched his unclothed legs
+when he was compelled to cross a patch on some coulee bottom. Happy
+Jack swore a great deal, in those long, heat-laden hours, and never
+did he so completely belie the name men had in sarcasm given him.
+
+Just when he was given over to the most gloomy forebodings, a white
+square stood out for a moment sharply against a background of pines,
+far below him in a coulee where the sun was peering fleetingly before
+it dove out of sight over a hill. Happy Jack--of a truth, the most
+unhappy Jack one could find, though he searched far and long--stood
+still and eyed the white patch critically. There was only the one; but
+another might be hidden in the trees. Still, there was no herd grazing
+anywhere in the coulee, and no jingle of cavvy bells came to his ears,
+though he listened long. He was sure that it was not the camp of the
+Flying U, where he would be ministered unto faithfully, to be sure,
+yet where the ministrations would be mingled with much wit-sharpened
+raillery harder even to bear than was his present condition of
+sun-blisters and scratches. He thanked the Lord in sincere if
+unorthodox terms, and went down the hill in long, ungraceful strides.
+
+It was far down that hill, and it was farther across the coulee. Each
+step grew more wearisome to Happy Jack, unaccustomed as he was to
+using his own feet as a mode of travel. But away in the edge of the
+pine grove were food and raiment, and a shelter from the night that
+was creeping down on him with the hurried stealth of a mountain lion
+after its quarry. He shifted the sheepskin mantle for the thousandth
+time; this time he untied it from his galled shoulders and festooned
+it modestly if unbecomingly about his middle.
+
+Feeling sure of the unfailing hospitality of the rangeland, be the
+tent-dweller whom he might, Happy Jack walked boldly through the soft,
+spring twilight that lasts long in Montana, and up to the very door of
+the tent. A figure--a female figure--slender and topped by thin face
+and eyes sheltered behind glasses, rose up, gazed upon him in horror,
+shrieked till one could hear her a mile, and fell backward into the
+tent. Another female figure appeared, looked, and shrieked also--and
+even louder than did the first. Happy Jack, with a squawk of dismay,
+turned and flew incontinently afar into the dusk. A man's voice he
+heard, shouting inquiry; another, shouting what, from a distance,
+sounded like threats. Happy Jack did not wait to make sure; he ran
+blindly, until he brought up in a patch of prickly-pear, at which he
+yelled, forgetting for the instant that he was pursued. Somehow he
+floundered out and away from the torture of the stinging spines, and
+took to the hills. A moon, big as the mouth of a barrel, climbed over
+a ridge and betrayed him to the men searching below, and they shouted
+and fired a gun. Happy Jack did not believe they could shoot very
+straight, but he was in no mood to take chances; he sought refuge
+among a jumble of great, gray bowlders; sat himself down in the shadow
+and caressed gingerly the places where the prickly-pear had punctured
+his skin, and gave himself riotously over to blasphemy.
+
+The men below were prowling half-heartedly, it seemed to him--as if
+they were afraid of running upon him too suddenly. It came to him that
+they were afraid of him--and he grinned feebly at the joke. He had not
+before stopped to consider his appearance, being concerned with more
+important matters. Now, however, as he pulled the scant covering of
+the pelt over his shoulders to keep off the chill of the night, he
+could not wonder that the woman at the tent had fainted. Happy Jack
+suspected shrewdly that he could, in that rig, startle almost any one.
+
+He watched the coulee wistfully. They were making fires, down there
+below him; great, revealing bonfires at intervals that would make it
+impossible to pass their line unseen. He could not doubt that some one
+was _cached_ in the shadows with a gun. There were more than two men;
+Happy Jack thought that there must be at least four or five. He would
+have liked to go down, just out of gun range, and shout explanations
+and a request for some clothes--only for the women. Happy was always
+ill at ease in the presence of strange women, and he felt, just now,
+quite unequal to the ordeal of facing those two. He sat huddled in the
+shadow of a rock and wished profanely that women would stay at home
+and not go camping out in the Badlands, where their presence was
+distinctly inappropriate and undesirable. If the men down there were
+alone, he felt sure that he could make them understand. Seeing they
+were not alone, however, he stayed where he was and watched the fires,
+while his teeth chattered with cold and his stomach ached with the
+hunger he could not appease.
+
+Till daylight he sat there unhappily and watched the unwinking
+challenge of the flames below, and miserably wished himself elsewhere;
+even the jibes of the Happy Family would be endurable, so long as he
+had the comfort afforded by the Flying U camp. But that was miles
+away. And when daylight brought warmth and returning courage, he went
+so far as to wish the Flying U camp farther away than it probably was.
+He wanted to get somewhere, and ask help from strangers rather than
+those he knew best.
+
+With that idea fixed in his mind, he got stiffly to his bruised feet,
+readjusted the sheepskin and began wearily to climb higher. When the
+sun tinged all the hilltops golden yellow, he turned and shook his
+fist impotently at the camp far beneath him. Then he went on doggedly.
+
+Standing at last on a high peak, he looked away toward the sunrise and
+made out a white speck on a grassy side-hill; beside it, a gray square
+moved slowly over the green. Sheep, and a sheep camp--and Happy Jack,
+hater of sheep though he was, hailed the sight as a bit of rare good
+luck. His spirits rose immediately, and he started straight for the
+place.
+
+Down in the next coulee--there were always coulees to cross, no matter
+in what direction one would travel--he came near running plump into
+three riders, who were Irish Mallory, and Weary, and Pink. They were
+riding down from the direction of the camp where were the women, and
+they caught sight of him immediately and gave chase. Happy Jack had no
+mind to be rounded up by that trio; he dodged into the bushes, and
+though they dug long, unmerciful scratches in his person, clung to the
+shelter they gave and made off at top speed. He could hear the others
+shouting at one another as they galloped here and there trying to
+locate him, and he skulked where the bushes were deepest, like a
+criminal in fear of lynching.
+
+Luck, for once, was with him, and he got out into another
+brush-fringed coulee without being seen, and felt himself, for the
+present, safe from that portion of the Happy Family. Thereafter he
+avoided religiously the higher ridges, and kept the direction more by
+instinct than by actual knowledge. The sun grew hot again and he
+hurried on, shifting the sheepskin as the need impressed.
+
+When at last he sighted again the sheep, they were very close. Happy
+Jack grew cautious; he crept down upon the unsuspecting herder as
+stealthily as an animal hunting its breakfast. Herders sometimes carry
+guns--and the experience of last night burned hot in his memory.
+
+Slipping warily from rock to rock, he was within a dozen feet, when a
+dog barked and betrayed his presence. The herder did not have a gun.
+He gave a yell of pure terror and started for camp after his weapon.
+Happy Jack, yelling also, with long leaps followed after. Twice the
+herder looked over his shoulder at the weird figure in gray hat and
+flapping sheepskin, and immediately after each glance his pace
+increased perceptibly. Still Happy Jack, desperate beyond measure,
+doggedly pursued, and his long legs lessened at each jump the distance
+between. From a spectacular viewpoint, it must have been a pretty
+race.
+
+The herder, with a gasp, dove into the tent; into the tent Happy Jack
+dove after him--and none too soon. The hand of the herder had almost
+clasped his rifle when the weight of Happy bore him shrieking to the
+earthen floor.
+
+"Aw, yuh locoed old fool, shut up, can't yuh, a minute?" Happy Jack,
+with his fingers pressed against the windpipe of the other, had the
+satisfaction of seeing his request granted at once. The shrieks died
+to mere gurgling. "What I want uh _you_," Happy went on crossly,
+"ain't your lifeblood, yuh dam' Swede idiot. I want some clothes, and
+some grub; and I want to borry that pinto I seen picketed out in the
+hollow, down there. Now, will yuh let up that yelling and act white,
+or must I pound some p'liteness into yuh? Say!"
+
+"By damn, Ay tank yo' vas got soom crazy," apologized the herder
+humbly, sanity growing in his pale blue eyes. "Ay tank--"
+
+"Oh, I don't give a cuss what you _tank_," Happy Jack cut in. "I ain't
+had anything to eat sence yesterday forenoon, and I ain't had any
+clothes on sence yesterday, either. Send them darn dogs back to watch
+your sheep, and get busy with breakfast! I've got a lot to do, t'-day.
+I've got to round up my horse and get my clothes that's tied to the
+saddle, and get t' where I'm going. Get up, darn yuh! I ain't going t'
+eat yuh--not unless you're too slow with that grub."
+
+The herder was submissive and placating, and permitted Happy Jack to
+appropriate the conventional garb of a male human, the while coffee
+and bacon were maddening his hunger with their tantalizing odor. He
+seemed much more at ease, once he saw that Happy Jack, properly
+clothed, was not particularly fearsome to look upon, and talked
+volubly while he got out bread and stewed prunes and boiled beans for
+the thrice-unexpected guest.
+
+Happy Jack, clothed and fed, became himself again and prophesied
+gloomily: "The chances is, that horse uh mine'll be forty miles away
+and still going, by this time; but soon as I can round him up, I'll
+bring your pinto back. Yuh needn't t' worry none; I guess I got all
+the sense I've ever had."
+
+Once more astride a horse--albeit the pinto pony of a
+sheepherder--Happy Jack felt abundantly able to cope with the
+situation. He made a detour that put him far from where the three he
+most dreaded to meet were apt to be, and struck out at the pinto's
+best pace for the river at the point where he had crossed so
+disastrously the day before.
+
+Having a good memory for directions and localities, he easily found
+the place of unhappy memory; and taking up Stranger's trail through
+the sand from there, he got the general direction of his flight and
+followed vengefully after; rode for an hour up a long, grassy coulee,
+and came suddenly upon the fugitive feeding quietly beside a spring.
+The bundle of clothing was still tied firmly to the saddle, and at
+sight of it the face of Happy Jack relaxed somewhat from its gloom.
+
+When Happy rode up and cast a loop over his head Stranger nickered a
+bit, as if he did not much enjoy freedom while he yet bore the
+trappings of servitude. And his submission was so instant and
+voluntary that Happy Jack had not the heart to do as he had threatened
+many times in the last few hours--"to beat the hide off him." Instead,
+he got hastily into his clothes--quite as if he feared they might
+again be whisked away from him--and then rubbed forgivingly the nose
+of Stranger, and solicitously pulled a few strands of his forelock
+from under the brow-band. In the heart of Happy Jack was a great
+peace, marred only by the physical discomforts of much sun-blister and
+many deep scratches. After that he got thankfully into his own saddle
+and rode gladly away, leading the pinto pony behind him. He had got
+out of the scrape, and the Happy Family would never find it out; it
+was not likely that they would chance upon the Swede herder, or if
+they did, that they would exchange with him many words. The Happy
+Family held itself physically, mentally, morally and socially far
+above sheepherders--and in that lay the safety of Happy Jack.
+
+It was nearly noon when he reached again the sheep camp, and the Swede
+hospitably urged him to stay and eat with him; but Happy Jack would
+not tarry, for he was anxious to reach the camp of the Flying U. A
+mile from the herder's camp he saw again on a distant hilltop three
+familiar figures. This time he did not dodge into shelter, but urged
+Stranger to a gallop and rode boldly toward them. They greeted him
+joyfully and at the top of their voices when he came within shouting
+distance.
+
+"How comes it you're riding the pinnacles over here?" Weary wanted to
+know, as soon as he rode alongside.
+
+"Aw, I just came over after more orders; hope they send somebody else
+over there, if they want any more repping done," Happy Jack said, in
+his customary tone of discontent with circumstances.
+
+"Say! Yuh didn't see anything of a wild man, down next the river, did
+yuh?" put in Pink.
+
+"Aw, gwan! what wild man?" Happy Jack eyed them suspiciously.
+
+"Honest, there's a wild man ranging around here in these hills," Pink
+declared. "We've been mooching around all forenoon, hunting him. Got
+sight of him, early this morning, but he got away in the brush."
+
+Happy Jack looked guilty, and even more suspicious. Was it possible
+that they had recognized him?
+
+"The way we come to hear about him," Weary explained, "we happened
+across some campers, over in a little coulee to the west uh here. They
+was all worked up over him. Seems he went into camp last night, and
+like to scared the ladies into fits. He ain't got enough clothes on to
+flag an antelope, according to them, and he's about seven feet high,
+and looks more like a missing link than a plain, ordinary man. The one
+that didn't faint away got the best look at him, and she's ready to
+take oath he ain't more'n half human. They kept fires burning all
+night to scare him out uh the coulee, and they're going to break camp
+to-day and hike for home. They say he give a screech that'd put a
+crimp in the devil himself, and went galloping off, jumping about
+twenty feet at a lick. And--"
+
+"Aw, gwan!" protested Happy Jack, feebly.
+
+"So help me Josephine, it's the truth," abetted Pink, round-eyed and
+unmistakably in earnest. "We wouldn't uh taken much stock in it,
+either, only we saw him ourselves, not more than two hundred yards
+off. He was just over the hill from the coulee where they were camped,
+so it's bound to be the same animal. It's a fact, he didn't have much
+covering--just something hung over his shoulders. And he was sure
+wild, for soon as he seen us he humped himself and got into the brush.
+We could hear him go crashing away like a whole bunch of elephants.
+It's a damn' shame he got away on us," Pink sighed regretfully. "We
+was going to rope him and put him in a cage; we could sure uh made
+money on him, at two bits a look."
+
+Happy Jack continued to eye the three distrustfully. Too often had he
+been the victim of their humor for him now to believe implicitly in
+their ignorance. It was too good to be real, it seemed to him. Still,
+if by any good luck it _were_ real, he hated to think what would
+happen if they ever found out the truth. He eased the clothing
+cautiously away from his smarting back, and stared hard into a coulee.
+
+"It was likely some sheepherder gone clean nutty," mused Irish.
+
+"Well, the most uh them wouldn't have far to go," ventured Happy Jack,
+thinking of the Swede.
+
+"What we ought to do," said Pink, keen for the chase, "is for the
+whole bunch of us to come down here and round him up. Wonder if we
+couldn't talk Chip into laying off for a day or so; there's no herd to
+hold. I sure would like to get a good look at him."
+
+"Somebody ought to take him in," observed Irish longingly. "He ain't
+safe, running around loose like that. There's no telling what he might
+do. The way them campers read his brand, he's plumb dangerous to meet
+up with alone. It's lucky you didn't run onto him, Happy."
+
+"Well, I didn't," growled Happy Jack. "And what's more, I betche there
+ain't any such person."
+
+"Don't call us liars to our faces, Happy," Weary reproved. "We told
+yuh, a dozen times, that we saw him ourselves. Yuh might be polite
+enough to take our word for it."
+
+"Aw, gwan!" Happy Jack grunted, still not quite sure of how much--or
+how little--they knew. While they discussed further the wild man, he
+watched furtively for the surreptitious lowering of lids that would
+betray their insincerity. When they appealed to him for an opinion of
+some phase of the subject, he answered with caution. He tried to turn
+the talk to his experiences on the Shonkin range, and found the wild
+man cropping up with disheartening persistency. He shifted often in
+the saddle, because of the deep sunburns which smarted continually and
+maddeningly. He wondered if the boys had used all of that big box of
+carbolic salve which used to be kept in a corner of the mess-box; and
+was carbolic salve good for sun-blisters? He told himself gloomily
+that if there was any of it left, and if it were good for his ailment,
+there wouldn't be half enough of it, anyway. He estimated unhappily
+that he would need about two quarts.
+
+When they reached camp, the welcome of Happy Jack was overshadowed and
+made insignificant by the strange story of the wild man. Happy Jack,
+mentally and physically miserable, was forced to hear it all told over
+again, and to listen to the excited comments of the others. He was
+sick of the subject. He had heard enough about the wild man, and he
+wished fervently that they would shut up about it. He couldn't see
+that it was anything to make such a fuss about, anyway. And he wished
+he could get his hands on that carbolic salve, without having the
+whole bunch rubbering around and asking questions about something that
+was none of their business. He even wished, in that first bitter hour
+after he had eaten and while they were lying idly in the shady spots,
+that he was back on the Shonkin range with an alien crew.
+
+It was perhaps an hour later that Pink, always of an investigative
+turn of mind, came slipping quietly up through the rose bushes from
+the creek. The Happy Family, lying luxuriously upon the grass, were
+still discussing the latest excitement. Pink watched his chance and
+when none but Weary observed him jerked his head mysteriously toward
+the creek.
+
+Weary got up, yawned ostentatiously, and sauntered away in the wake of
+Pink. "What's the matter, Cadwolloper?" he asked, when he was close
+enough. "Seen a garter snake?" Pink was notoriously afraid of snakes.
+
+"You come with me, and I'll show yuh the wild man," he grinned.
+
+"Mama!" ejaculated Weary, and followed stealthily where Pink led.
+
+Some distance up the creek Pink signalled caution, and they crept like
+Indians on hands and knees through the grass. On the edge of the high
+bank they stopped, and Pink motioned. Weary looked over and came near
+whooping at the sight below. He gazed a minute, drew back and put his
+face close to the face of Pink.
+
+"Cadwolloper, go get the bunch!" he commanded in a whisper, and Pink,
+again signalling needlessly for silence, slipped hastily away from the
+spot.
+
+Happy Jack, secure in the seclusion offered by the high bank of the
+creek, ran his finger regretfully around the inside of the carbolic
+salve box, eyed the result dissatisfiedly, and applied the finger
+carefully to a deep cut on his knee. He had got that cut while going
+up the bluff, just after leaving the tent where had been the shrieking
+females. He wished there was more salve, and he picked up the cover of
+the box and painstakingly wiped out the inside; the result was
+disheartening.
+
+He examined his knee dolefully. It was beginning to look inflamed, and
+it was going to make him limp. He wondered if the boys would notice
+anything queer about his walk. If they did, there was the conventional
+excuse that his horse had fallen down with him--Happy Jack hoped that
+it would be convincing. He took up the box again and looked at the
+shining emptiness of it. It had been half full--not enough, by a long
+way--and maybe some one would wonder what had become of it. Darn a
+bunch that always had to know everything, anyway!
+
+Happy Jack, warned at last by that unnamed instinct which tells of a
+presence unseen, turned around and looked up apprehensively. The Happy
+Family, sitting in a row upon their heels on the bank, looked down at
+him gravely and appreciatively.
+
+"There's a can uh wagon dope, up at camp," Cal Emmett informed him
+sympathetically.
+
+"Aw--" Happy Jack began, and choked upon his humiliation.
+
+"I used to know a piece uh poetry about a fellow like Happy," Weary
+remarked sweetly. "It said
+
+    _'He raised his veil, the maid turned slowly round_
+    _Looked at him, shrieked, and fell upon the ground.'_
+
+Only, in this case," Weary smiled blandly down upon him, "Happy didn't
+have no veil."
+
+"Aw, gwan!" adjured Happy Jack helplessly, and reached for his
+clothes, while the Happy Family chorused a demand for explanations.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+
+
+A TAMER OF WILD ONES.
+
+
+When the days grow crisp at each end and languorous in the middle;
+when a haze ripples the skyline like a waving ribbon of faded blue;
+when the winds and the grasses stop and listen for the first on-rush
+of winter, then it is that the rangeland takes on a certain
+intoxicating unreality, and range-wild blood leaps with desire to do
+something--anything, so it is different and irresponsible and not
+measured by precedent or prudence.
+
+In days like that one grows venturesome and ignores difficulties and
+limitations with a fine disregard for probable consequences, a mental
+snapping of fingers. On a day like that, the Happy Family, riding
+together out of Dry Lake with the latest news in mind and speech,
+urged Andy Green, tamer of wild ones, to enter the rough-riding
+contest exploited as one of the features of the Northern Montana Fair,
+to be held at Great Falls in two weeks. Pink could not enter, because
+a horse had fallen with him and hurt his leg, so that he was picking
+the gentlest in his string for daily riding. Weary would not, because
+he had promised his Little Schoolma'am to take care of himself and not
+take any useless risks; even the temptation of a two-hundred-dollar
+purse could not persuade him that a rough-riding contest is perfectly
+safe and without the ban. But Andy, impelled by the leaping blood of
+him and urged by the loyal Family, consented and said he'd try it a
+whirl, anyway.
+
+They had only ridden four or five miles when the decision was reached,
+and they straightway turned back and raced into Dry Lake again, so
+that Andy might write the letter that clinched matters. Then, whooping
+with the sheer exhilaration of living, and the exultation of being
+able to ride and whoop unhindered, they galloped back to camp and let
+the news spread as it would. In a week all Chouteau County knew that
+Andy Green would ride for the purse, and nearly all Chouteau County
+backed him with all the money it could command; certainly, all of it
+that knew Andy Green and had seen him ride, made haste to find someone
+who did not know him and whose faith in another contestant was strong,
+and to bet all the money it could lay hands upon.
+
+For Andy was one of those mild-mannered men whose genius runs to
+riding horses which object violently to being ridden; one of those
+lucky fellows who never seems to get his neck broken, however much he
+may jeopardize it; and, moreover, he was that rare genius, who can
+make a "pretty" ride where other broncho-fighters resemble nothing so
+much as a scarecrow in a cyclone. Andy not only could ride--he could
+ride gracefully. And the reason for that, not many knew: Andy, in the
+years before he wandered to the range, had danced, in spangled tights,
+upon the broad rump of a big gray horse which galloped around a
+saw-dust ring with the regularity of movement that suggested a
+machine, while a sober-clothed man in the center cracked a whip and
+yelped commands. Andy had jumped through blazing hoops and over
+sagging bunting while he rode--and he was just a trifle ashamed of the
+fact. Also--though it does not particularly matter--he had, later in
+the performance, gone hurtling around the big tent dressed in the garb
+of an ancient Roman and driving four deep-chested bays abreast. As has
+been explained, he never boasted of his circus experience; though his
+days in spangled tights probably had much to do with the inimitable
+grace of him in the saddle. The Happy Family felt to a man that Andy
+would win the purse and add honor to the Flying U in the winning. They
+were enthusiastic over the prospect and willing to bet all they had on
+the outcome.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+The Happy Family, together with the aliens who swelled the crew to
+round-up size, was foregathered at the largest Flying U corral,
+watching a bunch of newly bought horses circle, with much snorting and
+kicking up of dust, inside the fence. It was the interval between
+beef-and calf-roundups, and the witchery of Indian Summer held the
+range-land in thrall.
+
+Andy, sizing up the bunch and the brands, lighted upon a rangy blue
+roan that he knew--or thought he knew, and the eyes of him brightened
+with desire. If he could get that roan in his string, he told himself,
+he could go to sleep in the saddle on night-guard; for an easier horse
+to ride he never had straddled. It was like sitting in grandma's pet
+rocking chair when that roan loosened his muscles for a long, tireless
+gallop over the prairie sod, and as a stayer Andy had never seen his
+equal. It was not his turn to choose, however, and he held his breath
+lest the rope of another should settle over the slatey-black ears
+ahead of him.
+
+Cal Emmett roped a plump little black and led him out, grinning
+satisfaction; from the white saddle-marks back of the withers he knew
+him for a "broke" horse, and he certainly was pretty to look at. Andy
+gave him but a fleeting glance.
+
+Happy Jack spread his loop and climbed down from the fence, almost at
+Andy's elbow. It was his turn to choose. "I betche that there blue
+roan over there is a good one," he remarked. "I'm going to tackle
+him."
+
+Andy took his cigarette from between his lips. "Yuh better hobble your
+stirrups, then," he discouraged artfully. "I know that roan a heap
+better than you do."
+
+"Aw, gwan!" Happy, nevertheless, hesitated. "He's got a kind eye in
+his head; yuh can always go by a horse's eye."
+
+"Can yuh?" Andy smiled indifferently. "Go after him, then. And say,
+Happy: if yuh ride that blue roan for five successive minutes, I'll
+give yuh fifty dollars. I knew that hoss down on the Musselshell; he's
+got a record that'd reach from here to Dry Lake and back." It was a
+bluff, pure and simple, born of his covetousness, but it had the
+desired effect--or nearly so.
+
+Happy fumbled his rope and eyed the roan. "Aw, I betche you're just
+lying," he hazarded; but, like many another, when he did strike the
+truth he failed to recognize it. "I betche--"
+
+"All right, rope him out and climb on, if yuh don't believe me." The
+tone of Andy was tinged with injury. "There's fifty dollars--yes, by
+gracious, I'll give yuh a _hundred_ dollars if yuh ride him for five
+minutes straight."
+
+A conversation of that character, carried on near the top of two
+full-lunged voices, never fails in the range land to bring an audience
+of every male human within hearing. All other conversations and
+interests were immediately suspended, and a dozen men trotted up to
+see what it was all about. Andy remained roosting upon the top rail,
+his rope coiled loosely and dangling from one arm while he smoked
+imperturbably.
+
+"Oh, Happy was going to rope out a sure-enough bad one for his night
+hoss, and out uh the goodness uh my heart, I put him wise to what he
+was going up against," he explained carelessly.
+
+"He acts like he has some thoughts uh doubting my word, so I just
+offered him a hundred dollars to ride him--that blue roan, over there
+next that crooked post. GET_ a reserved seat right in front of the
+grand stand where all the big acts take_ PLACE;" he sung out suddenly,
+in the regulation circus tone. "GET-a-seat-right-in-front-where-Happy-Jack-
+the-WILD-Man-rides-the-BUCKING-BRONCHO--Go on, Happy. Don't keep the
+audience waiting. Aren't yuh going to earn that hundred dollars?"
+
+Happy Jack turned half a shade redder than was natural. "Aw, gwan. I
+never said I was going to do no broncho-busting ack. But I betche yuh
+never seen that roan before he was unloaded in Dry Lake."
+
+"What'll yuh bet I don't know that hoss from a yearling colt?" Andy
+challenged, and Happy Jack walked away without replying, and cast his
+loop sullenly over the first horse he came to--which was _not_ the
+roan.
+
+Chip, coming up to hear the last of it, turned and looked long at the
+horse in question; a mild-mannered horse, standing by a crooked corral
+post and flicking his ears at the flies. "Do you know that roan?" he
+asked Andy, in the tone which brings truthful answer. Andy had one
+good point: he never lied except in an irresponsible mood of pure
+deviltry. For instance, he never had lied seriously, to an employer.
+
+"Sure, I know that hoss," he answered truthfully.
+
+"Did you ever ride him?"
+
+"No," Andy admitted, still truthfully. "I never rode him but once
+myself, but I worked right with a Lazy 6 rep that had him in his
+string, down at the U up-and-down, two years ago. I know the hoss, all
+right; but I did lie when I told Happy I knowed him from a colt. I
+spread it on a little bit thick, there." He smiled engagingly down at
+Chip.
+
+"And he's a bad one, is he?" Chip queried Over his shoulder, just as
+he was about to walk away.
+
+"Well," Andy prevaricated--still clinging to the letter, if not to the
+spirit of truth. "He ain't a hoss I'd like to see Happy Jack go up
+against. I ain't saying, though, that he can't be _rode_. I don't say
+that about _any_ hoss."
+
+"Is he any worse than Glory, when Glory is feeling peevish?" Weary
+asked, when Chip was gone and while the men still lingered. Andy,
+glancing to make sure that Chip was out of hearing, threw away his
+cigarette and yielded to temptation. "Glory?" he snorted with a fine
+contempt. "Why, Glory's--a--_lamb_ beside that blue roan! Why, that
+hoss throwed Buckskin Jimmy clean out of a corral--Did yuh ever see
+Buckskin Jimmy ride? Well, say, yuh missed a pretty sight, then;
+Jimmy's a sure-enough rider. About the only animal he ever failed to
+connect with for keeps, is that same cow-backed hoss yuh see over
+there. Happy says he's got a kind eye in his head--" Andy stopped and
+laughed till they all laughed with him. "By gracious, Happy ought to
+step up _on_ him, once, and see how _kind_ he is!" He laughed again
+until Happy, across the corral saddling the horse he had chosen,
+muttered profanely at the derision he knew was pointed at himself.
+
+"Why, I've seen that hoss--" Andy Green, once fairly started in the
+fascinating path of romance, invented details for the pure joy of
+creation. If he had written some of the tales he told, and had sold
+the writing for many dollars, he would have been famous. Since he did
+not write them for profit, but told them for fun, instead, he earned
+merely the reputation of being a great liar. A significant mark of his
+genius lay in the fact that his inventions never failed to convince;
+not till afterward did his audience doubt.
+
+That is why the blue roan was not chosen in any of the strings, but
+was left always circling in the corral after a loop had settled. That
+is why the Flying U boys looked at him askance as they passed him by.
+That is why, when a certain Mr. Coleman, sent by the board of
+directors to rake northern Montana for bad horses, looked with favor
+upon the blue roan when he came to the Flying U ranch and heard the
+tale of his exploits as interpreted--I should say created--by Andy
+Green.
+
+"We've got to have him," he declared enthusiastically. "If he's as bad
+as all that, he'll be the star performer at the contest, and make that
+two-hundred-dollar plum a hard one to pick. Some of these gay boys
+have entered with the erroneous idea that that same plum is hanging
+loose, and all they've got to do is lean up against the tree and it'll
+drop in their mouths. We've got to have that roan. I'll pay you a good
+price for him, Whitmore, if you won't let him go any other way. We've
+got a reporter up there that can do him up brown in a special article,
+and people will come in bunches to see a horse with that kind of a
+pedigree. Is it Green, here, that knows the horse and what he'll do?
+You're sure of him, are you, Green?"
+
+Andy took time to roll a cigarette. He had not expected any such
+development as this, and he needed to think of the best way out. All
+he had wanted or intended was to discourage the others from claiming
+the blue roan; he wanted him in his own string. Afterwards, when they
+had pestered him about the roan's record, he admitted to himself that
+he had, maybe, overshot the mark and told it a bit too scarey, and too
+convincingly. Under the spell of fancy he had done more than make the
+roan unpopular as a roundup horse; he had made him a celebrity in the
+way of outlaw horses. And they wanted him in the rough-riding contest!
+Andy, perhaps, had never before been placed in just such a position.
+
+"Are you sure of what the horse will do?" Mr. Coleman repeated, seeing
+that Andy was taking a long time to reply.
+
+Andy licked his cigarette, twisted an end and leaned backward while he
+felt in his pocket for a match. From the look of his face you never
+could have told how very uncomfortable he felt "Naw," he drawled. "I
+ain't never sure of what _any_ hoss will do. I've had too much
+dealings with 'em for any uh that brand uh foolishness." He lighted
+the cigarette as if that were the only matter in which he took any
+real interest, though he was thinking fast.
+
+Mr. Coleman looked nonplussed. "But I thought--you said--"
+
+"What I said," Andy retorted evenly, "hit the blue roan two years ago;
+maybe he's reformed since then; I dunno. Nobody's rode him, here." He
+could not resist a sidelong glance at Happy Jack. "There was some talk
+of it, but it never come to a head."
+
+"Yuh offered me a hundred dollars--" Happy Jack began accusingly.
+
+"And yuh never made no move to earn it, that I know of. By gracious,
+yuh all seem to think I ought to _mind_-read that hoss! I ain't seen
+him for two years. Maybe so, he's a real wolf yet; maybe so, he's a
+sheep." He threw out both his hands to point the end of the
+argument--so far as he was concerned--stuck them deep into his
+trousers' pockets and walked away before he could be betrayed into
+deeper deceit. It did seem to him rather hard that, merely because he
+had wanted the roan badly enough to--er--exercise a little diplomacy
+in order to get him, they should keep harping on the subject like
+that. And to have Coleman making medicine to get the roan into that
+contest was, to say the least, sickening. Andy's private belief was
+that a twelve-year-old girl could go round up the milk-cows on that
+horse. He had never known him to make a crooked move, and he had
+ridden beside him all one summer and had seen him in all places and
+under all possible conditions. He was a dandy cow-horse, and dead
+gentle; all this talk made him tired. Andy had forgotten that he
+himself had started the talk.
+
+Coleman went often to the corral when the horses were in, and looked
+at the blue roan. Later he rode on to other ranches where he had heard
+were bad horses, and left the roan for further consideration. When he
+was gone, Andy breathed freer and put his mind to the coming contest
+and the things he meant to do with the purse and with the other
+contestants.
+
+"That Diamond G twister is going t' ride," Happy Jack announced, one
+day when he came from town. "Some uh the boys was in town and they
+said so. He can ride, too. I betche Andy don't have no picnic gitting
+the purse away from _that_ feller. And Coleman's got that sorrel
+outlaw uh the HS. I betche Andy'll have to pull leather on that one."
+This was, of course, treason pure and simple; but Happy Jack's
+prophecies were never taken seriously.
+
+Andy simply grinned at him. "Put your money on the Diamond G twister,"
+he advised calmly. "I know him--he's a good rider, too. His name's
+Billy Roberts. Uh course, I aim to beat him to it, but Happy never
+does like to have a sure-thing. He wants something to hang his jaw
+down over. Put your money on Billy and watch it fade away, Happy."
+
+"Aw, gwan. I betche that there sorrel--"
+
+"I rode that there sorrel once, and combed his forelock with both
+spurs alternate," Andy lied boldly. "He's pickings. Take him back and
+bring me a real hoss."
+
+Happy Jack wavered. "Well, I betche yuh don't pull down that money,"
+he predicted vaguely. "I betche yuh git throwed, or something. It
+don't do to be too blame sure uh nothing."
+
+Whereat Andy laughed derisively and went away whistling. "I wish I was
+as sure uh living till I was a thousand years old, and able to ride
+nine months out of every year of 'em," he called back to Happy. Then
+he took up the tune where he had left off.
+
+For the days were still crisp at both ends and languorous in the
+middle, and wind and grasses hushed and listened for the coming of
+winter. And because of these things, and his youth and his health, the
+heart of Andy Green was light in his chest and trouble stood afar off
+with its face turned from him.
+
+It was but three days to the opening of the fair when Coleman,
+returning that way from his search for bad horses, clattered, with his
+gleanings and three or four men to help drive them, down the grade to
+the Flying U. And in the Flying U coulee, just across the creek from
+the corrals, still rested the roundup tents for a space. For the
+shipping was over early and work was not urgent, and Chip and the Old
+Man, in their enthusiasm for the rough-riding contest and the entry of
+their own man, had decided to take the wagons and crew entire to Great
+Falls and camp throughout the four days of the fair. The boys all
+wanted to go, anyway, as did everybody else, so that nothing could be
+done till it was over. It was a novel idea, and it tickled the humor
+of the Happy Family.
+
+The "rough string," as the bad horses were called, was corralled, and
+the men made merry with the roundup crew. Diamond G men they were,
+loudly proclaiming their faith in Billy Roberts, and offering bets
+already against Andy, who listened undisturbed and had very little to
+say. The Happy Family had faith in him, and that was enough. If
+everybody, he told them, believed that he would win, where would be
+the fun of riding and showing them?
+
+It was after their early supper that Coleman came down to camp at the
+heels of Chip and the Old Man. Straightway he sought out Andy like a
+man who has something on his mind; though Andy did not in the least
+know what it was, he recognized the indefinable symptoms and braced
+himself mentally, half suspecting that it was something about that
+blue roan again. He was getting a little bit tired of the blue
+roan--enough so that, though he had chosen him for his string, he had
+not yet put saddle to his back, but waited until the roundup started
+out once more, when he would ride him in his turn.
+
+It was the blue roan, without doubt. Coleman came to a stop directly
+in front of Andy, and as directly came to the point.
+
+"Look here, Green," he began. "I'm shy on horses for that contest, and
+Whitmore and Bennett say I can have that roan you've got in your
+string. If he's as bad as you claim, I certainly must have him. But
+you seem to have some doubts of what he'll do, and I'd like to see him
+ridden once. Your shingle is out as a broncho-peeler. Will you ride
+him this evening, so I can size him up for that contest?"
+
+Andy glanced up under his eyebrows, and then sidelong at the crowd.
+Every man within hearing was paying strict attention, and was eyeing
+him expectantly; for broncho-fighting is a spectacle that never palls.
+
+"Well, I can ride him, if yuh say so," Andy made cautious answer, "but
+I won't gamble he's a bad hoss _now_--that is, bad enough to take to
+the Falls. Yuh don't want to expect--"
+
+"Oh, I don't expect anything--only I want to see him ridden once. Come
+on, no time like the present. If he's bad, you'll have to ride him at
+the fair, anyhow, and a little practice won't hurt you; and if he
+isn't, I want to know it for sure."
+
+"It's a go with me," Andy said indifferently, though he secretly felt
+much relief. The roan would go off like a pet dog, and he could
+pretend to be somewhat surprised, and declare that he had reformed.
+Bad horses do reform, sometimes, as Andy and every other man in the
+crowd knew. Then there would be no more foolish speculation about the
+cayuse, and Andy could keep him in peace and have a mighty good
+cow-pony, as he had schemed. He smoked a cigarette while Chip was
+having the horses corralled, and then led the way willingly, with
+twenty-five men following expectantly at his heels. Unlike Andy, they
+fully expected an impromptu exhibition of fancy riding. Not all of
+them had seen Andy atop a bad horse, and the Diamond G men, in
+particular, were eager to witness a sample of his skill.
+
+The blue roan submitted to the rope, and there was nothing spectacular
+in the saddling. Andy kept his cigarette between his lips and smiled
+to himself when he saw the saddle bunch hazed out through the gate and
+the big corral left empty of every animal but the blue roan, as was
+customary when a man tackled a horse with the record which he had
+given the poor beast. Also, the sight of twenty-five men roosting
+high, their boot-heels hooked under a corral rail to steady them,
+their faces writ large with expectancy, amused him inwardly. He
+pictured their disappointment when the roan trotted around the corral
+once or twice at his bidding, and smiled again.
+
+"If you can't top him, Green, we'll send for Billy Roberts. _He'll_
+take off the rough edge and gentle him down for yuh," taunted a
+Diamond G man.
+
+"Don't get excited till the show starts," Andy advised, holding the
+cigarette in his fingers while he emptied his lungs of smoke. Just to
+make a pretence of caution, he shook the saddle tentatively by the
+horn, and wished the roan would make a little show of resistance,
+instead of standing there like an old cow, lacking only the cud, as he
+complained to himself, to make the resemblance complete. The roan,
+however, did lay back an ear when Andy, the cigarette again in his
+lips, put his toe in the stirrup.
+
+"Go after it, you weatherbeaten old saw-buck," he yelled, just to make
+the play strong, before he was fairly in the saddle.
+
+Then it was that the Happy Family, heart and soul and pocket all for
+Andy Green and his wonderful skill in the saddle; with many dollars
+backing their belief in him and with voices ever ready to sing his
+praises; with the golden light of early sunset all about them and the
+tang of coming night-frost in the air, received a shock that made them
+turn white under their tan.
+
+"Mama!" breathed Weary, in a horrified half-whisper.
+
+And Slim, goggle-eyed beside him, blurted, "Well, by _golly_!" in a
+voice that carried across the corral.
+
+For Andy Green, tamer of wild ones (forsooth!) broncho-twister with a
+fame that not the boundary of Chouteau County held, nor yet the
+counties beyond; Andy Green, erstwhile "Andre de Greno, champion
+bare-back rider of the Western Hemisphere," who had jumped through
+blazing hoops and over sagging bunting while he rode, turned
+handsprings and done other public-drawing feats, was prosaically,
+unequivocally "piled" at the fifth jump!
+
+That he landed lightly on his feet, with the cigarette still between
+his lips, the roosting twenty-five quite overlooked. They saw only the
+first jump, where Andy, riding loose and unguardedly, went up on the
+blue withers. The second, third and fourth jumps were not far enough
+apart to be seen and judged separately; as well may one hope to decide
+whether a whirling wheel had straight or crooked spokes. The fifth
+jump, however, was a masterpiece of rapid-fire contortion, and it was
+important because it left Andy on the ground, gazing, with an
+extremely grieved expression, at the uninterrupted convolutions of the
+"dandy little cow-hoss."
+
+The blue roan never stopped so much as to look back. He was
+busy--exceedingly busy. He was one of those perverted brutes which
+buck and bawl and so keep themselves wrought up to a high
+pitch--literally and figuratively. He set himself seriously to throw
+Andy's saddle over his head, and he was not a horse which easily
+accepts defeat. Andy walked around in the middle of the corral, quite
+aimlessly, and watched the roan contort. He could not understand in
+the least, and his amazement overshadowed, for the moment, the fact
+that he had been thrown and that in public and before men of the
+Diamond G.
+
+Then it was that the men of the Diamond G yelled shrill words of
+ironical sympathy. Then it was that the Happy Family looked at one
+another in shamed silence, and to the taunts of the Diamond Gs made no
+reply. It had never occurred to them that such a thing could happen.
+Had they not seen Andy ride, easily and often? Had they not heard from
+Pink how Andy had performed that difficult feat at the Rocking R--the
+feat of throwing his horse flat in the middle of a jump? They waited
+until the roan, leaving the big corral looking, in the fast deepening
+twilight, like a fresh-ploughed field, stopped dejectedly and stood
+with his nose against the closed gate, and then climbed slowly down
+from the top rail of the corral, still silent with the silence more
+eloquent than speech in any known language.
+
+Over by the gate, Andy was yanking savagely at the latigo; and he,
+also, had never a word to say. He was still wondering how it had
+happened. He looked the roan over critically and shook his head
+against the riddle; for he had known him to be a quiet, dependable,
+all-round good horse, with no bad traits and an easy-going disposition
+that fretted at nothing. A high-strung, nervous beast might, from
+rough usage and abuse, go "bad"; but the blue roan--they had called
+him Pardner--had never showed the slightest symptom of nerves. Andy
+knew horses as he knew himself. That a horse like Pardner should, in
+two years, become an evil-tempered past-master in such devilish
+pitching as that, was past belief.
+
+"I guess he'll do, all right," spoke Coleman at his elbow. "I've seen
+horses pitch, and I will say that he's got some specialties that are
+worth exhibiting." Then, as a polite way of letting Andy down easy, he
+added, "I don't wonder you couldn't connect."
+
+"Connect--_hell_!" It was Andy's first realization of what his failure
+meant to the others. He left off wondering about the roan, and faced
+the fact that he had been thrown, fair and square, and that before an
+audience of twenty-five pairs of eyes which had seen rough riding
+before, and which had expected of him something better than they were
+accustomed to seeing.
+
+"I reckon Billy Roberts will have to work on that cayuse a while,"
+fleered a Diamond G man, coming over to them. "He'll gentle him down
+so that anybody--_even Green_, can ride him!"
+
+Andy faced him hotly, opened his mouth for sharp reply, and closed it.
+He had been "piled." Nothing that he could say might alter that fact,
+nor explanations lighten the disgrace. He turned and went out the
+gate, carrying his saddle and bridle with him.
+
+"Aw--and you was goin' t' ride in that contest!" wailed Happy Jack
+recriminatingly. "And I've got forty dollars up on yuh!"
+
+"Shut up!" snapped Pink in his ear, heart-broken but loyal to the
+last. "Yuh going to blat around and let them Diamond Gs give yuh the
+laugh? Hunt up something you can use for a backbone till they get out
+uh camp, for Heaven's sake! Andy's our man. So help me, Josephine, if
+anybody goes rubbing it in where I can hear, he'll get his face
+punched!"
+
+"Say, I guess we ain't let down on our faces, or anything!" sighed Cal
+Emmett, coming up to them. "I thought Andy could ride! Gee whiz, but
+it was fierce! Why, _Happy_ could make a better ride than that!"
+
+"By golly, I want t' have a talk with that there broncho-tamer," Slim
+growled behind them. "I got money on him. Is he goin t' ride for that
+purse? 'Cause if he is, I ain't going a foot."
+
+These and other remarks of a like nature made up the clamor that
+surged in the ears of Andy as he went, disgraced and alone, up to the
+deserted bunk-house where he need not hear what they were saying. He
+knew, deep in his heart, that he could ride that horse. He had been
+thrown because of his own unpardonable carelessness--a carelessness
+which he could not well explain to the others. He himself had given
+the roan an evil reputation; a reputation that, so far as he knew, was
+libel pure and simple. To explain now that he was thrown simply
+because he never dreamed the horse would pitch, and so was taken
+unaware, would simply be to insult their intelligence. He was not
+supposed, after mounting a horse like that, to be taken unaware. He
+might, of course, say that he had lied all along--but he had no
+intention of making any confession like that. Even if he did, they
+would not believe him. Altogether, it was a very unhappy young man who
+slammed his spurs into a far corner and kicked viciously a box he had
+stumbled over in the dusk.
+
+"Trying to bust the furniture?" it was the voice of the Old Man at the
+door.
+
+"By gracious, it seems I can't bust _bronks_ no more," Andy made
+rueful reply. "I reckon I'll just about have to bust the furniture or
+nothing."
+
+The Old Man chuckled and came inside, sought the box Andy had kicked,
+and sat down upon it. Through the open door came the jumble of many
+voices upraised in fruitless argument, and with it the chill of frost.
+The Old Man fumbled for his pipe, filled it and scratched a match
+sharply on the box. In the flare of it Andy watched his kind old face
+with its fringe of grayish hair and its deep-graven lines of whimsical
+humor.
+
+"Doggone them boys, they ain't got the stayin' qualities I give 'em
+credit for having," he remarked, holding up the match and looking
+across at Andy, humped disconsolately in the shadows. "Them Diamond G
+men has just about got 'em on the run, right now. Yuh couldn't get a
+hundred-t'-one bet, down there."
+
+Andy merely grunted.
+
+"Say," asked the Old Man suddenly. "Didn't yuh kinda mistake that blue
+roan for his twin brother, Pardner? This here cayuse is called Weaver.
+I tried t' get hold of t'other one, but doggone 'em, they wouldn't
+loosen up. Pardner wasn't for sale at no price, but they talked me
+into buying the Weaver; they claimed he's just about as good a horse,
+once he's tamed down some--and I thought, seein' I've got some real
+_tamers_ on my pay-roll, I'd take a chance on him. I thought yuh knew
+the horse--the way yuh read up his pedigree--till I seen yuh mount
+him. Why, doggone it, yuh straddled him like yuh was just climbing a
+fence! Maybe yuh know your own business best--but didn't yuh kinda
+mistake him for Pardner? They're as near alike as two bullets run in
+the same mold--as far as _looks_ go."
+
+Andy got up and went to the door, and stood looking down the
+dusk-muffled hill to the white blotch which was the camp; listened to
+the jumble of voices still upraised in fruitless argument, and turned
+to the Old Man.
+
+"By gracious, that accounts for a whole lot," he said ambiguously.
+
+II
+
+"I don't see," said Cal Emmett crossly, "what's the use uh this whole
+outfit trailing up to that contest. If I was Chip, I'd call the deal
+off and start gathering calves. It ain't as if we had a man to ride
+for that belt and purse. Ain't your leg well enough to tackle it,
+Pink?"
+
+"No," Pink answered shortly, "it ain't."
+
+"Riding the rough bunch they've rounded up for that contest ain't
+going to be any picnic," Weary defended his chum. "Cadwolloper would
+need two good legs to go up against that deal."
+
+"I wish Irish was here," Pink gloomed. "I'd be willing to back him;
+all right. But it's too late now; he couldn't enter if he was here."
+
+A voice behind them spoke challengingly. "I don't believe it would be
+etiquette for one outfit to enter _two_ peelers. One's enough, ain't
+it?"
+
+The Happy Family turned coldly upon the speaker. It was Slim who
+answered for them all. "I dunno as this outfit has got _any_ peeler in
+that contest. By golly, it don't look like it since las' night!"
+
+Weary was gentle, as always, but he was firm. "We kinda thought you'd
+want to withdraw," he added.
+
+Andy Green, tamer of wild ones, turned and eyed Weary curiously. One
+might guess, from telltale eyes and mouth, that his calmness did not
+go very deep. "I don't recollect mentioning that I was busy penning
+any letter uh withdrawal," he said. "I got my sights raised to that
+purse and that belt. I don't recollect saying anything about lowering
+'em."
+
+"Aw, gwan. I guess _I'll_ try for that purse, too! I betche I got as
+good a show as--"
+
+"Sure. Help yourself, it don't cost nothing. I don't doubt but what
+you'd make a real pretty ride, Happy." Andy's tone was deceitfully
+hearty. He did not sound in the least as if he would like to choke
+Happy Jack, though that was his secret longing.
+
+"Aw, gwan. I betche I could make as purty a ride as we've
+saw--lately." Happy Jack did not quite like to make the thing too
+personal, for fear of what might happen after.
+
+"Yuh mean last night, don't yuh?" purred Andy.
+
+"Well, by golly, I wish you'd tell us what yuh done it for!" Slim cut
+in disgustedly. "It was nacherlay supposed you could ride; we got
+_money_ up on yuh! And then, by golly, to go and make a fluke like
+that before them Diamond G men--to go and let that blue roan pile yuh
+up b'fore he'd got rightly started t' pitch--If yuh'd stayed with him
+till he got t' swappin' ends there, it wouldn't uh looked quite so
+bad. But t' go and git throwed down right in the start--By golly!"
+Slim faced Andy accusingly. "B'fore them Diamond G men--and I've got
+money up, by golly!"
+
+"Yuh ain't lost any money yet, have yuh?" Andy inquired patiently.
+What Andy felt like doing was to "wade into the bunch"; reason,
+however, told him that he had it coming from them, and to take his
+medicine, since he could not well explain just how it had happened. He
+could not in reason wonder that the faith of the Happy Family was
+shattered and that they mourned as lost the money they had already
+rashly wagered on the outcome of the contest. The very completeness of
+their faith in him, their very loyalty, seemed to them their undoing,
+for to them the case was plain enough. If Andy could not ride the blue
+roan in their own corral, how was he to ride that same blue roan in
+Great Falls? Or, if he could ride him, how could any sane man hope
+that he could win the purse and the belt under the stringent rules of
+the contest, where "riding on the spurs," "pulling leather" and a
+dozen other things were barred? So Andy, under the sting of their
+innuendoes and blunt reproaches, was so patient as to seem to them
+cowed.
+
+"No, I ain't lost any yet, but by golly, I can see it fixin' to fly,"
+Slim retorted heavily.
+
+Andy looked around at the others, and smiled as sarcastically as was
+possible considering the mood he was in. "It sure does amuse me," he
+observed, "to see growed men cryin' before they're hurt! By gracious,
+I expect t' make a stake out uh that fall! I can get long odds from
+them Diamond Gs, and from anybody they get a chance to talk to. I'm
+kinda planning," he lied boldly, "to winter in an orange grove and
+listen at the birds singing, after I'm through with the deal."
+
+"I reckon yuh can count on hearing the birds sing, all right," Pink
+snapped back. "It'll be _tra-la-la_ for yours, if last night's a fair
+sample uh what yuh expect to do with the blue roan." Pink walked
+abruptly away, looking very much like a sulky cherub.
+
+"I s'pose yuh're aiming to give us the impression that you're going to
+ride, just the same," said Cal Emmett.
+
+"I sure am," came brief reply. Andy was beginning to lose his temper.
+He had expected that the Happy Family would "throw it into him," to a
+certain extent, and he had schooled himself to take their drubbing.
+What he had not expected was their unfriendly attitude, which went
+beyond mere disappointment and made his offence--if it could be called
+that--more serious than the occasion would seem to warrant. Perhaps
+Jack Bates unwittingly made plain the situation when he remarked:
+
+"I hate to turn down one of our bunch; we've kinda got in the habit uh
+hanging together and backing each other's play, regardless. But darn
+it, we ain't millionaires, none of us--and gambling, it is a sin. I've
+got enough up already to keep me broke for six months if I lose, and
+the rest are in about the same fix. I ain't raising no long howl,
+Andy, but you can see yourself where we're kinda bashful about sinking
+any more on yuh than what we have. Maybe you can ride; I've heard yuh
+can, and I've seen yuh make some fair rides, myself. But yuh sure fell
+down hard last night, and my faith in yuh got a jolt that fair broke
+its back. If yuh done it deliberate, for reasons we don't know, for
+Heaven's sake say so, and we'll take your word for it and forget your
+rep for lying. On the dead, Andy, did yuh fall off deliberate?"
+
+Andy bit his lip. His conscience had a theory of its own about
+truth-telling, and permitted him to make strange assertions at times.
+Still, there were limitations. The Happy Family was waiting for his
+answer, and he knew instinctively that they would believe him now. For
+a moment, temptation held him. Then he squared his shoulders and spoke
+truly.
+
+"On the dead, I hit the ground unexpected and inadvertant. I--"
+
+"If that's the case, then the farther yuh keep away from that contest
+the better--if yuh ask _me_." Jack turned on his heel and followed
+Pink.
+
+Andy stared after him moodily, then glanced at the rest. With one
+accord they avoided meeting his gaze. "Damn a bunch uh quitters!" he
+flared hotly, and left them, to hunt up the Old Man and Chip--one or
+both, it did not matter to him.
+
+Pink it was who observed the Old Man writing a check for Andy. He took
+it that Andy had called for his time, and when Andy rolled his bed and
+stowed it away in the bunk-house, saddled a horse and rode up the
+grade toward town, the whole outfit knew for a certainty that Andy had
+quit.
+
+Before many hours had passed they, too, saddled and rode away, with
+the wagons and the cavvy following after--and they were headed for
+Great Falls and the fair there to be held; or, more particularly, the
+rough-riding contest to which they had looked forward eagerly and with
+much enthusiasm, and which they were now approaching gloomily and in
+deep humiliation. Truly, it would be hard to find a situation more
+galling to the pride of the Happy Family.
+
+But Andy Green had not called for his time, and he had no intention of
+quitting; for Andy was also suffering from that uncomfortable malady
+which we call hurt pride, and for it he knew but one remedy--a remedy
+which he was impatient to apply. Because of the unfriendly attitude of
+the Happy Family, Andy had refused to take them into his confidence,
+or to ride with them to the fair. Instead, he had drawn what money was
+still placed to his credit on the pay-roll, had taken a horse and his
+riding outfit and gone away to Dry Lake, where he intended to take the
+train for Great Falls.
+
+In Dry Lake, however, he found that the story of his downfall had
+preceded him, thanks to the exultant men of the Diamond G, and that
+the tale had not shrunk in the telling. Dry Lake jeered him as openly
+as it dared, and part of it--that part which had believed in him--was
+quite as unfriendly as was the Happy Family. To a man they took it for
+granted that he would withdraw from the contest, and they were not
+careful to conceal what they thought. Andy found himself rather left
+alone, and he experienced more than once the unpleasant sensation of
+having conversation suddenly lag when he came near, and of seeing
+groups of men dissolve awkwardly at his approach. Andy, before he had
+been in town an hour, was in a mood to do violence.
+
+For that reason he kept his plans rigidly to himself. When someone
+asked him if he had quit the outfit, he had returned gruffly that the
+Flying U was not the only cow-outfit in the country, and let the
+questioner interpret it as he liked. When the train that had its nose
+pointed to the southwest slid into town, Andy did not step on, as had
+been his intention. He remained idly leaning over the bar in Rusty
+Brown's place, and gave no heed. Later, when the eastbound came
+schreeching through at midnight, it found Andy Green on the platform
+with his saddle, bridle, chaps, quirt and spurs neatly sacked, and
+with a ticket for Havre in his pocket. So the wise ones said that they
+knew Andy would never have the nerve to show up at the fair, after the
+fluke he had made at the Flying U ranch, and those whose pockets were
+not interested considered it a very good joke.
+
+At Havre, Andy bought another ticket and checked the sack which held
+his riding outfit; the ticket had Great Falls printed on it in bold,
+black lettering. So that he was twelve hours late in reaching his
+original destination, and to avoid unwelcome discovery and comment he
+took the sleeper and immediately ordered his berth made up, that he
+might pass through Dry Lake behind the sheltering folds of the berth
+curtains. Not that there was need of this elaborate subterfuge. He was
+simply mad clear through and did not want to see or hear the voice of
+any man he knew. Besides, the days when he had danced in spangled
+tights upon the broad, gray rump of a galloping horse while a
+sober-clothed man in the middle of the ring cracked a whip and yelped
+commands, had bred in him the unconscious love of a spectacular entry
+and a dramatic finish.
+
+That is why he sought out the most obscure rooming house that gave any
+promise of decency and comfort, and stayed off Central Avenue and away
+from its loitering groups of range dwellers who might know him. That
+is why he hired a horse and rode early and alone to the fair grounds
+on the opening day, and avoided, by a roundabout trail a certain
+splotch of gray-white against the brown of the prairie, which he knew
+instinctively to be the camp of the Flying U outfit, which had made
+good time and were located to their liking near the river. Andy felt a
+tightening of the chest when he saw the familiar tents, and kicked his
+hired horse ill-naturedly in the ribs. It was all so different from
+what he had thought it would be.
+
+In those last two weeks, he had pictured himself riding vaingloriously
+through town on his best horse, with a new Navajo saddle-blanket
+making a dab of bright color, and a new Stetson hat dimpled
+picturesquely as to crown and tilted rakishly over one eye, and with
+his silver-mounted spurs catching the light; around him would ride the
+Happy Family, also in gala attire and mounted upon the best horses in
+their several strings. The horses would not approve of the
+street-cars, and would circle and back--and it was quite possible,
+even probable, that there would be some pitching and some pretty
+riding before the gaping populace which did not often get a chance to
+view the real thing. People would stop and gaze while they went
+clattering by, and he, Andy Green, would be pointed out by the knowing
+ones as a fellow that was going to ride in the contest and that stood
+a good chance of winning. For Andy was but human, that he dreamed of
+these things; besides, does not the jumping through blazing hoops and
+over sagging bunting while one rides, whet insiduously one's appetite
+for the plaudits of the crowd?
+
+The reality was different. He was in Great Falls, but he had not
+ridden vaingloriously down Central Avenue surrounded by the Happy
+Family, and watched by the gaping populace. Instead, he had chosen a
+side street and he had ridden alone, and no one had seemed to know or
+care who he might be. His horse had not backed, wild-eyed, before an
+approaching car, and he had not done any pretty riding. Instead, his
+horse had scarce turned an eye toward the jangling bell when he
+crossed the track perilously close to the car, and he had gone
+"side-wheeling" decorously down the street--and Andy hated a pacing
+horse. The Happy Family was in town, but he did not know where. Andy
+kicked his horse into a gallop and swore bitterly that he did not
+care. He did not suppose that they gave him a thought, other than
+those impelled by their jeopardized pockets. And that, he assured
+himself pessimistically, is friendship!
+
+He tied the hired horse to the fence and went away to the stables and
+fraternized with a hump-backed jockey who knew a few things himself
+about riding and was inclined to talk unprofessionally. It was not at
+all as Andy had pictured the opening day, but he got through the time
+somehow until the crowd gathered and the racing began. Then he showed
+himself in the crowd of "peelers" and their friends, as unconcernedly
+as he might; and as unobtrusively. The Happy Family, he observed, was
+not there, though he met Chip face to face and had a short talk with
+him. Chip was the only one, aside from the Old Man, who really
+understood. Billy Roberts was there, and he greeted Andy
+commiseratingly, as one speaks to the sick or to one in mourning; the
+tone made Andy grind his teeth, though he knew in his heart that Billy
+Roberts wished him well--up to the point of losing the contest to him,
+which was beyond human nature. Billy Roberts was a rider and knew--or
+thought he knew--just how "sore" Andy must be feeling. Also, in the
+kindness of his heart he tried blunderingly to hide his knowledge.
+
+"Going up against the rough ones?" he queried with careful
+carelessness, in the hope of concealing that he had heard the tale of
+Andy's disgrace.
+
+"I sure am," Andy returned laconically, with no attempt to conceal
+anything.
+
+Billy Roberts opened his eyes wide, and his mouth a little before he
+recovered from his surprise. "Well, good luck to yuh," he managed to
+say, "only so yuh don't beat me to it. I was kinda hoping yuh was too
+bashful to get out and ride before all the ladies."
+
+Andy, remembering his days in the sawdust ring, smiled queerly; but
+his heart warmed to Billy Roberts amazingly.
+
+They were leaning elbows on the fence below the grand stand, watching
+desultorily the endless preparatory manoeuvres of three men astride
+the hind legs of three pacers in sulkies. "This side-wheeling business
+gives me a pain," Billy remarked, as the pacers ambled by for the
+fourth or fifth time. "I like _caballos_ that don't take all day to
+wind 'em up before they go. I been looking over our bunch. They's
+horses in that corral that are sure going to do things to us twenty
+peelers!"
+
+"By gracious, yes!" Andy was beginning to feel himself again. "That
+blue hoss--uh course yuh heard how he got me, and heard it with
+trimmings--yuh may think he's a man-eater; but while he's a bad hoss,
+all right, he ain't the one that'll get yuh. Yuh want t' watch out,
+Billy, for that HS sorrel. He's plumb wicked. He's got a habit uh
+throwing himself backwards. They're keeping it quiet, maybe--but I've
+seen him do it three times in one summer."
+
+"All right--thanks. I didn't know that. But the blue roan--"
+
+"The blue roan'll pitch and bawl and swap ends on yuh and raise hell
+all around, but he can be rode. That festive bunch up in the reserve
+seats'll think it's awful, and that the HS sorrel is a lady's hoss
+alongside him, but a real rider can wear him out. But that
+sorrel--when yuh think yuh got him beat, Billy, is when yuh want to
+watch out!"
+
+Billy turned his face away from a rolling dustcloud that came down the
+home stretch with the pacers, and looked curiously at Andy. Twice he
+started to speak and did not finish. Then: "A man can be a sure-enough
+rider, and get careless and let a horse pile him off him when he ain't
+looking, just because he knows he can ride that horse," he said with a
+certain diffidence.
+
+"By gracious, yes!" Andy assented emphatically. And that was the
+nearest they came to discussing a delicate matter which was in the
+minds of both.
+
+Andy was growing more at ease and feeling more optimistic every
+minute. Three men still believed in him, which was much. Also, the
+crowd could not flurry him as it did some of the others who were not
+accustomed to so great an audience; rather, it acted as a tonic and
+brought back the poise, the easy self-confidence which had belonged to
+one Andre de Greno, champion bareback rider. So that, when the
+rough-riding began, Andy's nerves were placidly asleep.
+
+At the corral in the infield, where the horses and men were
+foregathered, Andy met Slim and Happy Jack; but beyond his curt
+"Hello" and an amazed "Well, by golly!" from Slim, no words passed.
+Across the corral he glimpsed some of the others--Pink and Weary, and
+farther along, Cal Emmett and Jack Bates; but they made no sign if
+they saw him, and he did not go near them. He did not know when his
+turn would come to ride, and he had a horse to saddle at the command
+of the powers that were. Coleman, the man who had collected the
+horses, almost ran over him. He said "Hello, Green," and passed on,
+for his haste was great.
+
+Horse after horse was saddled and led perforce out into the open of
+the infield; man after man mounted, with more or less trouble, and
+rode to triumph or defeat. Billy Roberts was given a white-eyed little
+bay, and did some great riding. The shouts and applause from the grand
+stand rolled out to them in a great wave of sound. Billy mastered the
+brute and rode him back to the corral white-faced and with beads of
+sweat standing thick on his forehead.
+
+"It ain't going to be such damn' easy money--that two hundred," he
+confided pantingly to Andy, who stood near. "The fellow that gets it
+will sure have to earn it."
+
+Andy nodded and moved out where he could get a better view. Then
+Coleman came and informed him hurriedly that he came next, and Andy
+went back to his place. The horse he was to ride he had never seen
+before that day. He was a long-legged brown, with scanty mane and a
+wicked, rolling eye. He looked capable of almost any deviltry, but
+Andy did not give much time to speculating upon what he would try to
+do. He was still all eyes to the infield where his predecessor was
+gyrating. Then a sudden jump loosened him so that he grabbed the
+horn--and it was all over with that particular applicant, so far as
+the purse and the championship belt were concerned. He was out of the
+contest, and presently he was also back at the corral, explaining
+volubly--and uselessly--just how it came about. He appeared to have a
+very good reason for "pulling leather," but Andy was not listening and
+only thought absently that the fellow was a fool to make a talk for
+himself.
+
+Andy was clutching the stirrup and watching a chance to put his toe
+into it, and the tall brown horse was circling backwards with
+occasional little side-jumps. When it was quite clear that the horse
+did not mean to be mounted, Andy reached out his hand, got a rope from
+somebody--he did not know who, though, as a matter of fact, it was
+Pink who gave it--and snared a front foot; presently the brown was
+standing upon three legs instead of four, and the gaping populace
+wondered how it was done, and craned necks to see. After that, though
+the horse still circled backwards, Andy got the stirrup and put his
+toe in it and went up so easily that the ignorant might think anybody
+could do it. He dropped the rope and saw that it was Pink who picked
+it up.
+
+The brown at first did nothing at all. Then he gave a spring straight
+ahead and ran fifty yards or so, stopped and began to pitch. Three
+jumps and he ran again; stopped and reared. It was very pretty to look
+at, but Happy Jack could have ridden him, or Slim, or any other range
+rider. In two minutes the brown was sulking, and it took severe
+spurring to bring him back to the corral. Pitch he would not. The
+crowd applauded, but Andy felt cheated and looked as he felt.
+
+Pink edged toward him, but Andy was not in the mood for reconciliation
+and kept out of his way. Others of the Happy Family came near, at
+divers times and places, as if they would have speech with him, but he
+thought he knew about what they would say, and so was careful not to
+give them a chance. When the excitement was all over for that day he
+got his despised hired horse and went back to town with Billy Roberts,
+because it was good to have a friend and because they wanted to talk
+about the riding. Billy did not tell Andy, either, that he had had
+hard work getting away from his own crowd; for Billy was kind-hearted
+and had heard a good deal, because he had been talking with Happy
+Jack. His sympathy was not with the Happy Family, either.
+
+On the second afternoon, such is effect of rigid winnowing, there were
+but nine men to ride. The fellow who had grabbed the saddle horn,
+together with ten others, stood among the spectators and made caustic
+remarks about the management, the horses, the nine who were left and
+the whole business in general. Andy grinned a little and wondered if
+he would stand among them on the morrow and make remarks. He was not
+worrying about it, though. He said hello to Weary, Pink and Cal
+Emmett, and saddled a kicking, striking brute from up Sweetgrass way.
+
+On this day the horses were wickeder, and one man came near getting
+his neck broken. As it was, his collar-bone snapped and he was carried
+off the infield on a stretcher and hurried to the hospital; which did
+not tend to make the other riders feel more cheerful. Andy noted that
+it was the HS sorrel which did the mischief, and glanced meaningly
+across at Billy Roberts.
+
+Then it was his turn with the striking, kicking gray, and he mounted
+and prepared for what might come. The gray was an artist in his line,
+and pitched "high, wide and crooked" in the most approved fashion. But
+Andy, being also an artist of a sort, rode easily and with a grace
+that brought much hand-clapping from the crowd. Only the initiated
+reserved their praise till further trial; for though the gray was not
+to say gentle, and though it took skill to ride him, there were a
+dozen, probably twice as many, men in the crowd who could have done as
+well.
+
+The Happy Family, drawn together from habit and because they could
+speak their minds more freely, discussed Andy gravely among
+themselves. Betting was growing brisk, and if their faith had not been
+so shaken they could have got long odds on Andy.
+
+"I betche he don't win out," Happy Jack insisted with characteristic
+gloom. "Yuh wait till he goes up agin that blue roan. They're savin'
+that roan till the las' day--and I betche Andy'll git him. If he hangs
+on till the las' day." Happy Jack laughed ironically as he made the
+provision.
+
+"Any you fellows got money yuh want to put up on this deal?" came the
+voice of Andy behind them.
+
+They turned, a bit shamefaced, toward him.
+
+"Aw, I betche--" began Happy.
+
+"That's what I'm here for," cut in Andy. "What I've got goes
+up--saddle, spurs--_all_ I've got. You've done a lot uh mourning, now
+here's a chance to break even on _me_. Speak up."
+
+The Happy Family hesitated.
+
+"I guess I'll stay out," dimpled Pink. "I don't just savvy your play,
+Andy, and if I lose on yuh--why, it won't be the first time I ever
+went broke."
+
+"Well, by golly, _I'll_ take a chance," bellowed Slim, whose voice was
+ever pitched to carry long distances in a high wind. "I'll bet yuh
+fifty dollars yuh don't pull down that belt or purse. By golly,
+there's two or three men here that can _ride_."
+
+"There's only one that'll be the real star," smiled Andy with
+unashamed egotism. "Happy, how rich do _you_ want to get off me?"
+
+Happy said a good deal and "betche" several things would
+happen--things utterly inconsistent with one another. In the end, Andy
+pinned him down to twenty dollars against Andy's silver-mounted
+spurs--which was almost a third more than the spurs were worth; but
+Andy had no sympathy for Happy Jack and stuck to the price doggedly
+until Happy gave in.
+
+Jack Bates advertised his lack of faith in Andy ten dollars worth, and
+Cal Emmett did the same. Irish, coming in on the afternoon train and
+drifting instinctively to the vicinity of the Happy Family, cursed
+them all impartially for a bunch of quitters, slapped Andy on the back
+and with characteristic impetuosity offered a hundred dollars to
+anybody who dared take him up, that Andy would win. And this after he
+had heard the tale of the blue roan and before they told him about the
+two rides already made in the contest.
+
+It is true that Happy Jack endeavored to expostulate, but Irish glared
+at him in a way to make Happy squirm and stammer incoherently.
+
+"I've heard all about it," Irish cut in, "and I don't have to hear any
+more. I know a rider when I see one, and my money's on Andy from start
+to finish. You make me sick. Weary, have _you_ gone against our man?"
+The tone was a challenge in itself.
+
+Weary grinned goodnaturedly. "I haven't pulled down any bets," he
+answered mildly, "and I haven't put up my last cent and don't intend
+to. I'm an engaged young man." He shrugged his shoulders to point the
+moral. "I sure do hope Andy'll win out," he added simply.
+
+"_Hope_? Why, damn it, yuh _know_ he'll win!" stormed Irish.
+
+Men in their vicinity caught the belligerence of the tone and turned
+about, thinking there was trouble, and the Happy Family subsided into
+quieter discussion. In the end Irish, discovering that Andy had for
+the time being forsworn the shelter of the Flying U tents, stuck by
+him loyally and forswore it also, and went with Andy to share the
+doubtful comfort of the obscure lodging house. For Irish was all or
+nothing, and to find the Happy Family publicly opposed--or at most
+neutral--to a Flying U man in a rough-riding contest like this,
+incensed him much.
+
+The Happy Family began to feel less sure of themselves and a bit
+ashamed--though of just what, they were not quite clear, for surely
+they had reason a-plenty for doubting Andy Green.
+
+The last day found the Happy Family divided against itself and growing
+a bit venomous in its remarks. Andy had not as yet done anything
+remarkable, except perhaps keep in the running when the twenty had
+been culled to three: Billy Roberts, Andy and a man from the
+Yellowstone Valley, called Gopher by his acquaintances. Accident and
+untoward circumstances had thrown out the others--good riders all of
+them, or they would not have been there. Happy Jack proclaimed loudly
+in camp that Andy was still in because Andy had not had a real bad
+horse. "I seen Coleman looking over the blue roan and talkin' to them
+guys that runs things; they're goin' t' put Andy on him t-day, I
+betche--and we seen how he can _ride_ him! Piled in a heap--"
+
+"Not exactly," Pink interrupted. "I seem to remember Andy lighting on
+his feet; and he was smoking when he started, and smoking when he
+quit. It didn't strike me at the time, but that's kinda funny, don't
+yuh think?"
+
+So Pink went back to his first faith, and the Happy Family straightway
+became loud and excited over the question of whether Andy did really
+light upon his feet, or jumped up immediately, and whether he kept his
+cigarette or made a new one. The discussion carried them to the fair
+grounds and remained just where it started, so far as any amicable
+decision was concerned.
+
+Now this is a fair and true report of that last day's riding: There
+being but the three riders, and the excitement growing apace, the
+rough-riding was put first on the program and men struggled for the
+best places and the best view of the infield.
+
+In the beginning, Andy drew the HS sorrel and Billy Roberts the blue
+roan. Gopher, the Yellowstone man, got a sulky little buckskin that
+refused to add one whit to the excitement, so that he was put back and
+another one brought. This other proved to be the wicked-eyed brown
+which Andy had ridden the first day. Only this day the brown was in
+different mood and pitched so viciously that Gopher lost control in
+the rapid-fire changes, and rode wild, being all over the horse and
+everywhere but on the ground. He did not pull leather, however though
+he was accused by some of riding on his spurs at the last. At any
+rate, Andy and Billy Roberts felt that the belt lay between
+themselves, and admitted as much privately.
+
+"You've sure got to ride like a wild man if yuh beat me to it,"
+grinned Billy.
+
+"By gracious, I'm after it like a wolf myself," Andy retorted. "Yuh
+know how I'm fixed--I've just got to have it, Bill."
+
+Billy, going out to ride, made no reply except a meaning head-shake.
+And Billy certainly rode, that day; for the blue roan did his worst
+and his best. To describe the performance, however, would be to invent
+many words to supply a dearth in the language. Billy rode the blue
+roan back to the corral, and he had broken none of the stringent rules
+of the contest--which is saying much for Billy.
+
+When Andy went out--shot out, one might say--on the sorrel, the Happy
+Family considered him already beaten because of the remarkable riding
+of Billy. When the sorrel began pitching the gaping populace, grown
+wise overnight in these things, said that he was _e-a-s-y_--which he
+was not. He fought as some men fight; with brain as well as muscle,
+cunningly, malignantly. He would stop and stand perfectly still for a
+few seconds, and then spring viciously whichever way would seem to him
+most unexpected; for he was not bucking from fright as most horses do
+but because he hated men and would do them injury if he could.
+
+When the crowd thought him worn out, so that he stood with head
+drooping all that Andy would permit, then it was that Andy grew most
+wary. It was as he had said. Of a sudden, straight into the air leaped
+the sorrel, reared and went backward in a flash of red. But as he
+went, his rider slipped to one side, and when he struck the ground
+Andy struck also--on his feet. "Get up, darn yuh," he muttered, and
+when the sorrel gathered himself together and jumped up, he was much
+surprised to find Andy in the saddle again.
+
+Then it was that the HS sorrel went mad and pitched as he had never,
+even when building his record, pitched before. Then it was that Andy,
+his own temper a bit roughened by the murderous brute, rode as he had
+not ridden for many a day; down in the saddle, his quirt keeping time
+with the jumps. He was just settling himself to "drag it out of him
+proper," when one of the judges, on horseback in the field, threw up
+his hand.
+
+"Get off!" he shouted, galloping closer. "That horse's got to be rode
+again to-day. You've done enough this time."
+
+So Andy, watching his chance, jumped off when the sorrel stopped for a
+few seconds of breath, and left him unconquered and more murderous
+than ever. A man with a megaphone was announcing that the contest was
+yet undecided, and that Green and Roberts would ride again later in
+the afternoon.
+
+Andy passed the Happy Family head in air, stopped a minute to exchange
+facetious threats with Billy Roberts, and went with Irish to roost
+upon the fence near the judge's stand to watch the races. The Happy
+Family kept sedulously away from the two and tried to grow interested
+in other things until the final test.
+
+It came, when Billy Roberts, again first, mounted the HS sorrel, still
+in murderous mood and but little the worse for his previous battle.
+What he had done with Andy he repeated, and added much venom to the
+repetition. Again he threw himself backward, which Billy expected and
+so got clear and remounted as he scrambled up. After that, the sorrel
+simply pitched so hard and so fast that he loosened Billy a bit; not
+much, but enough to "show daylight" between rider and saddle for two
+or three high, crooked jumps. One stirrup he lost, rode a jump without
+it and by good luck regained it as it flew against his foot. It was
+great riding, and a gratifying roar of applause swept out to him when
+it was over.
+
+Andy, saddling the blue roan, drew a long breath. This one ride would
+tell the tale, and he was human enough to feel a nervous strain such
+as had not before assailed him. It was so close, now! and it might
+soon be so far. A bit of bad luck such as may come to any man, however
+great his skill, and the belt would go to Billy. But not for long
+could doubt or questioning hold Andy Green. He led the Weaver out
+himself, and instinctively he felt that the horse remembered him and
+would try all that was in him. Also, he was somehow convinced that the
+blue roan held much in reserve, and that it would be a great fight
+between them for mastery.
+
+When he gathered up the reins, the roan eyed him wickedly sidelong and
+tightened his muscles, as it were, for the struggle. Andy turned the
+stirrup, put in his toe, and went up in a flash, warned by something
+in the blue roan's watchful eye. Like a flash the blue roan also went
+up--but Andy had been a fraction of a second quicker. There was a
+squeal that carried to the grand stand as the Weaver, wild-eyed and
+with red flaring nostrils, pounded the wind-baked sod with high,
+bone-racking jumps; changed and took to "weaving" till one wondered
+how he kept his footing--more particularly, how Andy contrived to sit
+there, loose-reined, firm-seated, riding easily. The roan, tiring of
+that, began "swapping ends" furiously and so fast one could scarce
+follow his jumps. Andy, with a whoop of pure defiance, yanked off his
+hat and beat the roan over the head with it, yelling taunting words
+and contemptuous; and for every shout the Weaver bucked harder and
+higher, bawling like a new-weaned calf.
+
+Men who knew good riding when they saw it went silly and yelled and
+yelled. Those who did not know anything about it caught the infection
+and roared. The judges galloped about, backing away from the living
+whirlwind and yelling with the rest. Came a lull when the roan stood
+still because he lacked breath to continue, and the judges shouted an
+uneven chorus.
+
+"Get down--the belt's yours"--or words to that effect. It was
+unofficial, that verdict, but it was unanimous and voiced with
+enthusiasm.
+
+Andy turned his head and smiled acknowledgment. "All right--but wait
+till I tame this hoss proper! Him and I've got a point to settle!" He
+dug in his spurs and again the battle raged, and again the crowd, not
+having heard the unofficial decision, howled and yelled approval of
+the spectacle.
+
+Not till the roan gave up completely and owned obedience to rein and
+voiced command, did Andy take further thought of the reward. He
+satisfied himself beyond doubt that he was master and that the Weaver
+recognized him as such. He wheeled and turned, "cutting out" an
+imaginary animal from an imaginary herd; he loped and he walked,
+stopped dead still in two jumps and started in one. He leaned and ran
+his gloved hand forgivingly along the slatey blue neck, reached
+farther and pulled facetiously the roan's ears, and the roan meekly
+permitted the liberties. He half turned in the saddle and slapped the
+plump hips, and the Weaver never moved. "Why, you're an all-right
+little hoss!" praised Andy, slapping again and again.
+
+The decision was being bellowed from the megaphone and Andy, hearing
+it thus officially, trotted over to where a man was holding out the
+belt that proclaimed him champion of the state. Andy reached out a
+hand for the belt, buckled it around his middle and saluted the grand
+stand as he used to do from the circus ring when one Andre de Greno
+had performed his most difficult feat.
+
+The Happy Family crowded up, shamefaced and manfully willing to own
+themselves wrong.
+
+"We're down and ready to be walked on by the Champion," Weary
+announced quizzically. "Mama mine! but yuh sure can ride."
+
+Andy looked at them, grinned and did an exceedingly foolish thing,
+just to humiliate Happy Jack, who, he afterwards said, still looked
+unconvinced. He coolly got upon his feet in the saddle, stood so while
+he saluted the Happy Family mockingly, lighted the cigarette he had
+just rolled, then, with another derisive salute, turned a double
+somersault in the air and lighted upon his feet--and the roan did
+nothing more belligerent than to turn his head and eye Andy
+suspiciously.
+
+"By gracious, maybe you fellows'll some day own up yuh don't know it
+all!" he cried, and led the Weaver back into the corral and away from
+the whooping maniacs across the track.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+
+
+ANDY, THE LIAR
+
+
+Andy Green licked a cigarette into shape the while he watched with
+unfriendly eyes the shambling departure of their guest. "I believe the
+darned old reprobate was lyin' to us," he remarked, when the horseman
+disappeared into a coulee.
+
+"You sure ought to be qualified to recognize the symptoms," grunted
+Cal Emmett, kicking his foot out of somebody's carelessly coiled rope
+on the ground. "That your rope, Happy? No wonder you're always on the
+bum for one. If you'd try tying it on your saddle--"
+
+"Aw, g'wan. That there's Andy's rope--"
+
+"If you look at my saddle, you'll find my rope right where it
+belongs," Andy retorted. "I ain't sheepherder enough to leave it
+kicking around under foot. That rope belongs to his nibs that just
+rode off. When he caught up his horse again after dinner, he throwed
+his rope down while he saddled up, and then went off and forgot it. He
+wasn't easy in his mind--that jasper wasn't. I don't go very high on
+that hard-luck tale he told. I know the boy he had wolfing with him
+last winter, and he wasn't the kind to pull out with all the stuff he
+could get his hands on. He was an all-right fellow, and if there's
+been any rusty work done down there in the breaks, this shifty-eyed
+mark done it. He was lying--"
+
+Somebody laughed suddenly, and another chuckle helped to point the
+joke, until the whole outfit was in an uproar; for of all the men who
+had slept under Flying-U tents and eaten beside the mess-wagon, Andy
+Green was conceded to be the greatest, the most shameless and wholly
+incorrigible liar of the lot.
+
+"Aw, yuh don't want to get jealous of an old stiff like that," Pink
+soothed musically. "There ain't one of us but what knows you could lie
+faster and farther and more of it in a minute, with your tongue
+half-hitched around your palate and the deaf-and-dumb language barred,
+than any three men in Chouteau County. Don't let it worry yuh, Andy."
+
+"I ain't letting it worry me," said Andy, getting a bit red with
+trying not to show that the shot hit him. "When my imagination gets to
+soaring, I'm willing to bet all I got that it can fly higher than the
+rest of you, that have got brains about on a par with a sage-hen, can
+follow. When I let my fancy soar, I take notice the rest of yuh like
+to set in the front row, all right--and yuh never, to my knowledge,
+called it a punk show when the curtain rung down; yuh always got the
+worth uh your money, and then some.
+
+"But if yuh'd taken notice of the load that old freak was trying to
+throw into the bunch, you'd suspicion there was something scaley about
+it; there was, all right. I'd gamble on it."
+
+"From the symptoms," spoke Weary mildly, rising to an elbow, "Andy's
+about to erupt one of those wide, hot, rushing streams of melted
+imagination that bursts forth from his think-works ever so often.
+Don't get us all worked up over it, Andy; what's it going to be this
+time? A murder in the Bad-lands?"
+
+Andy clicked his teeth together, thought better of his ill-humor and
+made reply, though he had intended to remain dignifiedly silent.
+
+"Yuh rung the bell, m'son--but it ain't any josh. By gracious, I mean
+it!" He glared at those who gurgled incredulously, and went on: "No,
+sir, you bet it ain't any josh with me _this_ time. That old gazabo
+had something heavy on his conscience--and knowing the fellow he had
+reference to, I sure believe he lied a whole lot when he said Dan
+pulled out with all the stuff they'd got together, and went down
+river. Maybe he went down river, all right--but if he did, it was most
+likely to be face-down. Dan was as honest a boy as there is in the
+country, and he had money on him that he got mining down in the little
+Rockies last summer. I know, because he showed me the stuff last fall
+when I met him in Benton, and he was fixing to winter with this fellow
+that just left.
+
+"Dan was kinda queer about some things, and one of 'em was about
+money. It never made any difference how much or how little he had, he
+always packed it in his clothes; said a bank had busted on him once
+and left him broke in the middle uh winter, and he wasn't going to let
+it happen again. He never gambled none, nor blowed his money any
+farther than a couple uh glasses uh beer once in a while. He was one
+uh these saving cusses--but he was honest; I know that for a fact.
+
+"So he had all this money on him, and went down there with this
+jasper, that he'd got in with somehow and didn't know much about, and
+they wolfed all winter, according to all accounts, and must uh made
+quite a stake, the way the bounty runs up, these days. And here comes
+this darned Siwash, hiking out uh there fast as he can--and if he
+hadn't run slap onto us at this crossing, I'll gamble he'd never uh
+showed up at camp at all, but kept right on going. We didn't ask him
+no questions, did we? But he goes to all the pains uh telling us his
+tale uh woe, about how Dan had robbed him and pulled out down river.
+
+"If that was the case, wouldn't he be apt to hike out after him and
+try and get back his stuff? And wouldn't--"
+
+"How much money did this friend uh yours have?" queried Jack Bates
+innocently.
+
+"Well, when I seen him in Benton, he had somewhere between six and
+seven hundred dollars. He got it all changed into fifty-dollar
+bills--"
+
+"Oh, golly!" Jack Bates rolled over in disgust. "Andy's losing his
+grip. Why, darn yuh, if you was in a normal, lying condition, you'd
+make it ten thousand, at the lowest--and I've seen the time when you'd
+uh said fifty thousand; and you'd uh made us swallow the load, too!
+Buck up and do a good stunt, Andy, or else keep still. Why, Happy Jack
+could tell that big a lie!"
+
+"Aw, gwan!" Happy Jack rose up to avenge the insult. "Yuh needn't
+compare me to Andy Green. I ain't a liar, and I can lick the darned
+son-of-a-gun that calls me one. I ain't, and yuh can't say I am,
+unless yuh lie worse'n Andy."
+
+"Calm down," urged Weary pacifically. "Jack said yuh _could_ lie; he
+didn't say--"
+
+"By gracious, you'd think I was necked up with a whole bunch uh George
+Washingtons!" growled Andy, half-indignantly. "And what gets me is,
+that I tell the truth as often as anybody in the outfit; oftener than
+some I could mention. But that ain't the point. I'm telling the truth
+now, when I say somebody ought to hike down to their camp and see what
+this old skunk has done with Dan. I'd bet money you'd find him sunk in
+the river, or cached under a cut-bank, or something like that. If he'd
+kept his face closed I wouldn't uh give it a second thought, but the
+more I think uh the story he put up, the more I believe there's
+something wrong. He's made way with Dan somehow, and--"
+
+"Yes. Sure thing," drawled Pink wickedly. "Let's organize a searching
+party and go down there and investigate. It's only about a three or
+four days' trip, through the roughest country the Lord ever stood on
+end to cool and then forgot till it crumpled down in spots and got set
+that way, so He just left it go and mixed fresh mud for the job He was
+working on. Andy'd lead us down there, and we'd find--"
+
+"His friend Dan buried in a tomato can, maybe," supplied Jack Bates.
+
+"By golly, I'll bet yuh _could_ put friend Dan into one," Slim burst
+out. "By golly, _I_ never met up with no Dan that packed fifty-dollar
+bills around in his gun-pocket--"
+
+"Andy's telling the truth. He says so," reproved Weary. "And when Andy
+says a thing is the truth, yuh always know--"
+
+"It ain't." Cal Emmett finished the sentence, but Weary paid no
+attention.
+
+"--what to expect. Cadwolloper's right, and we ought to go down there
+and make a hunt for friend Dan and his fifty-dollar bills. How many
+were there, did yuh say?"
+
+"You go to the devil," snapped Andy, getting up determinedly. "Yuh
+bite quick enough when anybody throws a load at yuh that would choke a
+rhinoscerous, but plain truth seems to be too much for the weak heads
+of yuh. I guess I'll have to turn loose and _lie_, so yuh'll listen to
+me. There _is_ something crooked about this deal--"
+
+"We all thought it sounded that way," Weary remarked mildly.
+
+"And if yuh did go down to where them two wintered, you'd find out I'm
+right. But yuh won't, and that old cutthroat will get off with the
+murder--and the money."
+
+"Don't he lie natural?" queried Jack Bates solemnly.
+
+That was too much. Andy glared angrily at the group, picked up the
+wolfer's rope, turned on his heel and walked off to where his horse
+was tied; got on him and rode away without once looking back, though
+he knew quite well that they were watching every move he made. It did
+not help to smooth his temper that the sound of much laughing followed
+him as he swung into the trail taken by the man who had left not long
+before.
+
+Where he went, that afternoon when for some reason sufficient for the
+foreman--who was Chip Bennett--the Flying U roundup crew lay
+luxuriously snoring in the shade instead of riding hurriedly and hotly
+the high divides, no one but Andy himself knew. They talked about him
+after he left, and told one another how great a liar he was, and how
+he couldn't help it because he was born that way, and how you could
+hardly help believing him. They recalled joyously certain of his
+fabrications that had passed into the history of the Flying U, and
+wondered what josh he was trying to spring this time.
+
+"What we ought to do," advised Cal, "is to lead him on and let him lie
+his darndest, and make out we believe him. And then we can give him
+the laugh good and plenty--and maybe cure him."
+
+"Cure nothing!" exclaimed Jack Bates, getting up because the sun had
+discovered him, and going over to the mess-wagon where a bit of shade
+had been left unoccupied. "About the only way to cure Andy of lying,
+is to kill him. He was working his way up to some big josh, and if yuh
+let him alone you'll find out what it is, all right. I wouldn't worry
+none about it, if I was you." To prove that he did not worry, Jack
+immediately went to sleep.
+
+Such being the attitude of the Happy Family, when Andy rode hurriedly
+into camp at sundown, his horse wet to the tips of his ears with
+sweat, they sat up, expectancy writ large upon their faces. No one
+said anything, however, while Andy unsaddled and came over to beg a
+belated supper from the cook; nor yet while he squatted on his heels
+beside the cook-tent and ate hungrily. He seemed somewhat absorbed in
+his thoughts, and they decided mentally that Andy was a sure-enough
+good actor, and that if they were not dead next to him and his
+particular weakness, they would swallow his yarn whole--whatever it
+was. A blood-red glow was in the sky to the west, and it lighted
+Andy's face queerly, like a vivid blush on the face of a girl.
+
+Andy scraped his plate thoughtfully with his knife, looked into his
+coffee-cup, stirred the dregs absently and dipped out half a spoonful
+of undissolved sugar, which he swallowed meditatively. He tossed
+plate, cup and spoon toward the dishpan, sent knife and fork after
+them and got out his smoking material. And the Happy Family, grouped
+rather closely together and watching unobtrusively, stirred to the
+listening point. The liar was about to lie.
+
+"Talk about a guilty conscience giving a man dead away," Andy began,
+quite unconscious of the mental attitude of his fellows, and
+forgetting also his anger of the afternoon, "it sure does work out
+like that, sometimes. I followed that old devil, just out uh
+curiosity, to see if he headed for Dry Lake like he said he was going.
+_We_ didn't have any reason for keeping cases on him, or suspicioning
+anything--but he acted like we was all out on his trail, the fool!
+
+"I kinda had a hunch that if he had been up to any deviltry, it would
+show on him when he left here, and I was plumb right about it. He went
+all straight enough till he got down into Black Coulee; and right
+there it looked like he got kinda panicky and suspicious, for he
+turned square off the trail and headed up the coulee."
+
+"He must uh had 'em," Weary commented, quite as if he believed.
+
+"Yuh wait till I'm through," Andy advised, still wholly unconscious of
+their disbelief. "Yuh was all kinda skeptical when I told yuh he had a
+guilty conscience, but I was right about it, and come mighty near
+laying out on the range to-night with my toes pointing straight up,
+just because you fellows wouldn't--"
+
+"Sun-stroke?" asked Pink, coming closer, his eyes showing purple in
+the softened light.
+
+"No--yuh wait, now, till I tell yuh." Whereupon Andy smoked
+relishfully and in silence, and from the tail of his eye watched his
+audience squirm with impatience. "A man gets along a whole lot better
+without any conscience," he began at last, irrelevantly, "'specially
+if he wants to be mean. I trailed this jasper up the coulee and out on
+the bench, across that level strip between Black Coulee and Dry Spring
+Gulch, and down the gulch a mile or so. He was fogging right along,
+and seemed as if he looked back every ten rods--I know he spotted me
+just as I struck the level at the head uh Black Coulee, because he
+acted different then.
+
+"I could see he was making across country for the trail to Chinook,
+but I wanted to overhaul him and have a little casual talk about Dan.
+I don't suppose yuh noticed I took his rope along; I wanted some
+excuse for hazing after him like that, yuh see."
+
+"Uh course, such accommodating cusses as you wouldn't be none strange
+to him," fleered Cal.
+
+"Well, he never found out what I was after," sighed Andy. "It wasn't
+my fault I didn't come up with him, and my intentions were peaceful
+and innocent. But do yuh know what happened? He got out uh sight down
+Dry Spring Gulch--yuh know where that elephant-head rock sticks out,
+and the trail makes a short turn around it--that's where I lost sight
+of him. But he wasn't very far in the lead, and I was dead anxious to
+give him his rope, so I loped on down--"
+
+"You were taking long chances, old-timer; that's mighty rough going,
+along there," hinted Chip, gravely.
+
+"Sure, I was," Andy agreed easily. "But yuh recollect, I was in a
+hurry. So I'd just rounded the elephant's head, when _bing!_ something
+spats the rock, just over my right shoulder, and my horse squatted
+down on his rump and said he'd gone far enough. I kinda felt the same
+way about it, so when he wheeled and humped himself back up the trail,
+I didn't argue none with him."
+
+There was silence so deep one could hear the saddle-bunch cropping the
+thick grasses along the creek. If this were true--this tale that Andy
+was telling--The Happy Family, half tempted to believe, glanced
+furtively at one another.
+
+"Aw, gwan!" It was the familiar, protesting croak of Happy Jack. "What
+did yuh turn tail for? Why didn't yuh have it out with him?" The Happy
+Family drew a long breath, and the temptation to believe was pushed
+aside.
+
+"Because my gun was rolled up in my bed," Andy replied simply. "I
+ain't as brave as you are, Happy. I ain't got the nerve to ride right
+up on a man that's scared plumb silly and pumping lead my way fast as
+he can work the lever on his rifle, and lick him with my fists till he
+howls, and then throw him and walk up and down his person and flap my
+wings and crow. It's awful to have to confess it, but I'm willing to
+run from any man that's shooting at me when I can't shoot back. I'd
+give a lot to be as brave as you are, Happy."
+
+Happy Jack growled and subsided.
+
+"Well, by golly, there's times when _we'd_ be justified in shooting
+yuh, but I don't see what _he'd_ want to do it for," objected Slim.
+
+"Guilty conscience, I told yuh," retorted Andy. "He seen I was chasing
+him up, and I guess he thought it was somebody that had got next to
+what happened--Lord, I wish I knew what did happen, down there in the
+breaks! Boys," Andy got up and stood looking earnestly down at them in
+the twilight, "you can't make me believe that there hasn't been a
+murder done! That fellow has been up to something, or he wouldn't be
+acting so damn' queer. And if it was just plain stealing, Dan would
+sure be hot on his trail--because Dan thought more of his money than
+most men do of their wives. It was about all he lived for, and he
+wasn't any coward. That old man never would get it off him without a
+big ruction, and if he did, Dan would be right after him bigger'n a
+wolf. There's something wrong, you take my word."
+
+"What do yuh want us to do about it?" It was Chip who asked the
+question, and his tone was quite calm and impersonal.
+
+Andy looked at him reproachfully. "Do? What is there to do, except go
+down there and see? If we can find that out, we can put the sheriff
+wise and let him do the rest. It sure does seem kinda tough, if a man
+can do a murder and robbery and get off with it, just because nobody
+cares enough about it to head him off."
+
+The Happy Family stirred uneasily. Of course, it was all just a josh
+of Andy's--but he was such a convincing liar! Almost they felt guilty
+of criminal negligence that they did not at once saddle up and give
+chase to the murderer, who had tried to kill Andy for following him,
+and who was headed for Chinook after unnecessarily proclaiming himself
+bound for Dry Lake.
+
+"Do you want the whole outfit to turn out?" asked Chip calmly at last.
+
+"No-o--"
+
+"Say, is it anywheres near that prehistoric castle you found once?"
+Ping asked maliciously, unbelief getting strong hold of him again.
+
+Andy turned toward him, scowling. "No, Angel-child, it ain't," he
+snapped. "And you fellows can back up and snort all yuh darn please,
+and make idiots of yourselves. But yuh can't do any business making me
+out a hot-air peddler on _this_ deal. I stand pat, just where I stood
+at first, and it'll take a lot uh cackling to make me back down. That
+old devil _did_ lie about Dan, and he did take a shot at me--"
+
+"He took yuh for a horse-thief, most likely," explained Jack Bates.
+
+"He didn't need no field glass to see you was a suspicious character,
+by golly," chortled Slim.
+
+"He thought yuh was after what little your friend Dan had overlooked,
+chances is," added Cal Emmett.
+
+"Did the fog roll down and hide the horrible sight?" asked Jack Bates.
+
+That, and much more, brought about a distinct coldness between the
+Happy Family and one Andy Green, so that the sun went down upon Andy's
+wrath, and rose to find it still bubbling hotly in the outraged heart
+of him.
+
+It was Jack Bates who precipitated an open war by singing an adapted
+version of "Massa's In the Cold, Cold Ground," just when they were
+eating breakfast. As an alleged musical effort it was bad enough, but
+as a personal insult it was worse. One hesitates to repeat the
+doggerel, even in an effort to be exact. However, the chorus, bellowed
+shamelessly by Jack, was this:
+
+    "Down in the Bad-lands, hear that awful sound.
+    Andy Green is there a-weeping--"
+
+Jack Bates got no further than that, for Andy first threw his plate at
+Jack and then landed upon him with much force and venom, so that Jack
+went backwards and waved long legs convulsively in the air, and the
+Happy Family stood around and howled their appreciation of the
+spectacle.
+
+When it dawned upon them that Andy was very much in earnest, and that
+his fist was landing with unpleasant frequency just where it was most
+painful to receive it, they separated the two by main strength and
+argued loudly for peace. But Andy was thoroughly roused and would have
+none of it, and hurled at them profanity and insulting epithets, so
+that more than Jack Bates looked upon him with unfriendly eyes and
+said things which were not calculated to smooth roughened tempers.
+
+"That's a-plenty, now," quelled Chip, laying detaining hand upon the
+nearest, who happened to be Andy himself. "You sound like a bunch of
+old women. What do you want to do the worst and quickest, Andy?--and I
+don't mean killing off any of these alleged joshers, either."
+
+Andy clicked his teeth together, swallowed hard and slowly unclenched
+his hands and grinned; but the grin was not altogether a pleasant one,
+and the light of battle still shone in the big, gray eyes of him.
+
+"You're the boss," he said, "but if yuh don't like my plans you'll
+just have one less to pay wages to. What I'm going to do is throw my
+saddle on my private horse and ride down into the Bad-lands and see
+for myself how the cards lay. Maybe it's awful funny to the rest of
+yuh, but I'm takin' it kinda serious, myself, and I'm going to find
+out how about it before I'm through. I can't seem to think it's a josh
+when some old mark makes a play like that fellow did, and tries to put
+a bullet into my carcass for riding the same trail he took. It's me
+for the Bad-lands--and you can think what yuh damn' please about it."
+
+Chip stood quite still till he was through, and eyed him sharply. "You
+better take old Buck to pack your blankets and grub," he told him, in
+a matter-of-fact tone. "We'll be swinging down that way in two or
+three days; by next Saturday you'll find us camped at the mouth of
+Jump-off Coulee, if nothing happens. That'll give you four days to
+prowl around. Come on, boys--we've got a big circle ahead of us this
+morning, and it's going to be hot enough to singe the tails off our
+cayuses by noon."
+
+That, of course, settled the disturbance and set the official seal of
+approval upon Andy's going; for Chip was too wise to permit the affair
+to grow serious, and perhaps lose a man as good as Andy; family
+quarrels had not been entirely unknown among the boys of the Flying U,
+and with tact they never had been more than a passing unpleasantness.
+So that, although Jack Bates swore vengeance and nursed sundry bruised
+spots on his face, and though Andy saddled, packed old Buck with his
+blankets and meager camp outfit and rode off sullenly with no word to
+anyone and only a scowling glance or two for farewell, Chip mounted
+and rode cheerfully away at the head of his Happy Family, worrying not
+at all over the outcome.
+
+"I've got half a notion that Andy was telling the truth, after all,"
+he remarked to Weary when they were well away from camp. "It's worth
+taking a chance on, anyhow--and when he comes back things will be
+smooth again."
+
+When Saturday came and brought no Andy to camp, the Happy Family began
+to speculate upon his absence. When Sunday's circle took them within
+twelve or fifteen miles of the camp in the Bad-lands, Pink suddenly
+proposed that they ride down there and see what was going on. "He
+won't be looking for us," he explained, to hide a secret uneasiness.
+"And if he's there we can find out what the josh is. If he ain't,
+we'll have it on him good and strong."
+
+"I betche Andy just wanted a lay-off, and took that way uh getting
+it," declared Happy Jack pessimistically. "I betche he's in town right
+now, tearing things wide open and tickled to think he don't have to
+ride in this hot sun. Yuh can't never tell what Andy's got cached up
+his sleeve."
+
+"Chip thinks he was talking on the level," Weary mused. "Maybe he was;
+as Happy says, yuh can't tell."
+
+As always before, this brought the Happy Family to argument which
+lasted till they neared the deep, lonely coulee where, according to
+Andy, "friend Dan" had wintered with the shifty-eyed old man.
+
+"Now, how the mischief do we get down?" questioned Jack Bates
+complainingly. "This is bound to be the right place--there's the cabin
+over there against the cottonwoods."
+
+"Aw, come on back," urged Happy Jack, viewing the steep bluff with
+disfavor. "Chances is, Andy's in town right now. He ain't down--"
+
+"There's old Buck, over there by the creek," Pink announced. "I'd know
+him far as I could see him. Let's ride around that way. There's sure
+to be a trail down." He started off, and they followed him
+dispiritedly, for the heat was something to remember afterwards with a
+shudder.
+
+"Here's the place," Pink called back to them, after some minutes of
+riding. "Andy's horse is down there, too, but I don't see Andy--"
+
+"Chances is--" began Happy Jack, but found no one listening.
+
+It would be impossible to ride down, so they dismounted and prepared
+for the scramble. They could see Buck, packed as if for the homeward
+trail, and they could see Andy's horse, saddled and feeding with reins
+dragging. He looked up at them and whinnied, and the sound but
+accentuated the loneliness of the place. Buck, too, saw them and came
+toward them, whinnying wistfully; but, though they strained eyes in
+every direction, they could see nothing of the man they sought.
+
+It was significant of their apprehension that not even Happy Jack made
+open comment upon the strangeness of it. Instead, they dug bootheels
+deep where the slope was loose gravel, and watched that their horses
+did not slide down upon them; climbed over rocks where the way was
+barred, and prayed that horse and man might not break a leg. They had
+been over rough spots, and had climbed in and out of deep coulees, but
+never had they travelled a rougher trail than that.
+
+"My God! boys, look down there!" Pink cried, when yet fifty
+perpendicular feet lay between them and the level below.
+
+They looked, and drew breath sharply. Huddled at the very foot of the
+last and worst slope lay Andy, and they needed no words to explain
+what had happened. It was evident that he had started to climb the
+bluff and had slipped and fallen to the bottom, And from the way he
+was lying--The Happy Family shut out the horror of the thought and
+hurried recklessly to the place.
+
+It was Pink who, with a last slide and a stumbling recovery at the
+bottom, reached him first. It was Jack Bates who came a close second
+and helped to turn him--for he had fallen partly on his face. From the
+way one arm was crumpled back under him, they knew it to be broken.
+Further than that they could only guess and hope. While they were
+feeling for heart-beats, the others came down and crowded close. Pink
+looked up at them strainedly.
+
+"Oh, for God's sake, some of yuh get water," he cried sharply. "What
+good do yuh think you're doing, just standing around?"
+
+"We ought to be hung for letting him come down here alone," Weary
+repented. "It ain't safe for one man in this cursed country. Where's
+he hurt, Cadwolloper?"
+
+"How in hell do _I_ know?" Anxiety ever sharpened the tongue of Pink.
+"If somebody'd bring some water--"
+
+"Happy's gone. And there ain't a drop uh whisky in the crowd! Can't we
+get him into the shade? This damned sun is enough to--"
+
+"Look out how yuh lift him, man! You ain't wrassling a calf, remember!
+You take his shoulder, Jack--_easy_, yuh damned, awkward--"
+
+"Here comes Happy, with his hat full. Don't slosh it all on at once! A
+little at a time's better. Get some on his head."
+
+So with much incoherence and with everybody giving orders and each
+acting independently, they bore him tenderly into the shade of a rock
+and worked over him feverishly, their faces paler than his. When he
+opened his eyes and stared at them dully, they could have shouted for
+very relief. When he closed them again they bent over him solicitously
+and dripped more water from the hat of Happy Jack. And not one of them
+but remembered remorsefully the things they had said of him, not an
+hour before; the things they had said even when he was lying there
+alone and hurt--hurt unto death, for all they knew.
+
+When he was roused enough to groan when they moved him, however
+gently, they began to consider the problem of getting him to camp, and
+they cursed the long, hot miles that lay between. They tried to
+question him, but if he understood what they were saying he could not
+reply except by moaning, which was not good to hear. All that they
+could gather was that when they moved his body in a certain way the
+pain of it was unbearable. Also, he would faint when his head was
+lowered, or even lifted above the level. They must guard against that
+if they meant to get him to camp alive.
+
+"We'll have to carry him up this cussed hill, and then--If he could
+ride at all, we might make it."
+
+"The chances is he'll die on the road," croaked Happy Jack tactlessly,
+and they scowled at him for voicing the fear they were trying to
+ignore. They had been trying not to think that he might die on the
+road, and they had been careful not to mention the possibility. As it
+was, no one answered.
+
+How they ever got him to the top of that heartbreaking slope, not one
+of them ever knew. Twice he fainted outright. And Happy Jack,
+carefully bearing his hat full of water for just that emergency,
+slipped and spilled the whole of it just when they needed it most. At
+the last, it was as if they carried a dead man between them--Jack
+Bates and Cal Emmett it was who bore him up the last steep climb--and
+Pink and Weary, coming behind with all the horses, glanced fearfully
+into each other's eyes and dared not question.
+
+At the top they laid him down in the grass and swore at Happy Jack,
+because they must do something, and because they dared not face what
+might be before them. They avoided looking at one another while they
+stood helplessly beside the still figure of the man they had maligned.
+If he died, they would always have that bitter spot in their
+memory--and even with the fear of his dying they stood remorseful.
+
+Of a sudden Andy opened his eyes and looked at them with the light of
+recognition, and they bent eagerly toward him. "If--yuh could--on--my
+horse--I--I--could ride--maybe." Much pain it cost him, they knew by
+the look on his face. But he was game to the last--just as they knew
+he would be.
+
+"Yuh couldn't ride Twister, yuh know yuh couldn't," Pink objected
+gently. "But--if yuh could ride Jack's horse--he's dead gentle, and
+we'd help hold yuh on. Do you think yuh could?"
+
+Andy moved his head uneasily. "I--I've got to," he retorted weakly,
+and even essayed a smile to reassure them. "I--ain't all--in yet," he
+added with an evident effort, and the Happy Family gulped
+sympathetically, and wondered secretly if they would have such nerve
+under like conditions.
+
+"It's going to be one hell of a trip for yuh," Weary murmured
+commiseratingly, when they were lifting him into the saddle. Of a
+truth, it did seem absolutely foolhardy to attempt it, but there was
+nothing else to do, unless they left him there. For no wagon could
+possibly be driven within miles of the place.
+
+Andy leaned limply over the saddle-horn, his face working with the
+agony he suffered. Somehow they had got him upon the horse of Jack
+Bates, but they had felt like torturers while they did it, and the
+perspiration on their faces was not all caused by heat.
+
+"My God, I'd rather be hung than go through this again," muttered Cal,
+white under the tan. "I--"
+
+"I'll tackle--it now," gasped Andy, with a pitiful attempt to sit
+straight in the saddle. "Get on--boys--"
+
+Reluctantly they started to obey, when the horse of Jack Bates gave a
+sudden leap ahead. Many hands reached out to grasp him by the bridle,
+but they were a shade too late, and he started to run, with Andy
+swaying in the saddle. While they gazed horrified, he straightened
+convulsively, turned his face toward them and raised a hand; caught
+his hat by the brim and swung it high above his head.
+
+"Much obliged, boys," he yelled derisively. "I sure do appreciate
+being packed up that hill; it was too blamed hot to walk. Say! if
+you'd gone around that bend, you'd uh found a good trail down. Yuh
+struck about the worst place there is. So-long--I ain't all in yet!"
+He galloped away, while the Happy Family stared after him with bulging
+eyes.
+
+"The son-of-a-gun!" gasped Weary weakly, and started for his horse.
+
+"Darn yuh, you'll _be_ all in when we get hold of yuh!" screamed Jack
+Bates, and gave chase.
+
+It was when they were tearing headlong after him down the coulee's rim
+and into a shallow gully which seamed unexpectedly the level, that
+they saw his horse swerve suddenly and go bounding along the edge of
+the slope with Andy "sawing" energetically upon the bit.
+
+"What trick's he up to now?" cried Cal Emmett resentfully, feeling
+that, in the light of what had gone before, Andy could not possibly
+make a single motion in good faith.
+
+Andy brought his horse under control and turned back to meet them, and
+the Happy Family watched him guardedly until they reached the gulley
+and their own horses took fright at a dark, shambling object that
+scuttled away down toward the coulee-head. Andy was almost upon them
+before they could give him any attention.
+
+"Did you see it?" he called excitedly. "It was a bear, and he was
+digging at something under that shelving rock. Come on and let's take
+a look."
+
+"Aw, gwan!" Happy Jack adjured crossly. He was thinking of all the
+water he had carried painstakingly in his hat, for the relief of this
+conscienceless young reprobate, and he was patently suspicious of some
+new trick.
+
+"Well, by gracious!" Andy rode quite close--dangerously close,
+considering the mood they were in--and eyed them queerly. "I sure must
+have a horrible rep, when yuh won't believe your own eyes just because
+I happen to remark that a bear is a bear. I'll call it a pinto hog, if
+it'll make yuh feel any better. And I'll say it wasn't doing any
+digging; only, I'm going down there and take a look. There's an
+odor--"
+
+There was, and they could not deny it, even though Andy did make the
+assertion. And though they had threatened much that was exceedingly
+unpleasant, and what they would surely do to Andy if they ever got him
+within reach, they followed him quite peaceably.
+
+They saw him get off his horse and stand looking down at
+something--and there was that in his attitude which made them jab
+spurs against their horses' flanks. A moment later they, too, were
+looking down at something, and they were not saying a word.
+
+"It's Dan, all right," said Andy at last, and his tone was hushed. "I
+hunted the coulee over--every foot of it--and looked up some of the
+little draws, and went along the river; but I couldn't find any trace
+of him. I never thought about coming up here.
+
+"Look there. His head was smashed in with a rock or something--ugh!
+Here, let me away, boys. This thing--" He walked uncertainly away and
+sat down upon a rock with his face in his hands, and what they could
+see of his face was as white as the tan would permit. Somehow, not a
+man of them doubted him then. And not a man of them but felt much the
+same. They backed away and stood close to where Andy was sitting.
+
+"You wouldn't believe me when I told yuh," he reproached, when the
+sickness had passed and he could lift his head and look at them. "You
+thought I was lying, and yuh made yourselves pretty blamed obnoxious
+to me--but I got even for _that_." There was much satisfaction in his
+tone, and the Happy Family squirmed. "Yuh see, I was telling the
+truth, all right--and now I'm going to get even some more. I'm going
+to take--er--Pink along for a witness, and notify the outfit that yuh
+won't be back for a day or two, and send word to the sheriff. And you
+jaspers can have the pleasure uh standing guard over--_that_." He
+shivered a little and turned his glance quickly away. "And I hope," he
+added maliciously, as he mounted his own horse, "you'll make Jack
+Bates stand an all-night guard by his high lonesome. He's sure got it
+coming to him!"
+
+With Pink following close at his heels he rode away up the ridge.
+
+"Say, there's grub enough on old Buck to do yuh to-night," he called
+down to them, "in case Chip don't send yuh any till to-morrow." He
+waved a subdued farewell and turned his face again up the ridge, and
+before they had quite decided what to do about it, he was gone.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+
+
+"WOLF! WOLF!"
+
+
+Andy Green, of the Flying U, loped over the grassy level and hummed a
+tune as he rode. The sun shone just warm enough to make a man feel
+that the world was good enough for him, and the wind was just a lazy,
+whispering element to keep the air from growing absolutely still and
+stagnant. There was blue sky with white, fluffy bits of cloud like
+torn cotton drifting as lazily as the wind, and there were
+meadow-larks singing and swaying, and slow-moving range cattle with
+their calves midway to weaning time. Not often may one ride leisurely
+afar on so perfect a day, and while Andy was a sunny-natured fellow at
+all times, on such a day he owned not a care.
+
+A mile farther, and he rode over a low shoulder of the butte he was
+passing, ambled down the long slope on the far side, crossed another
+rounded hill, followed down a dry creek-bed at the foot of it, sought
+with his eye for a practicable crossing and went headlong down a
+steep, twenty-foot bank; rattled the loose rocks in the dry, narrow
+channel and went forging up a bank steeper than the first, with
+creaking saddle-leather and grunting horse, and struck again easy
+going.
+
+"She slipped on me," he murmured easily, meaning the saddle. "I'm
+riding on your tail, just about; but I guess we can stand it the rest
+uh the why, all right." If he had not been so lazy and self-satisfied
+he would have stopped right there and reset the saddle. But if he had,
+he might have missed something which he liked to live over o' nights.
+
+He went up a gentle rise, riding slowly because of the saddle, passed
+over the ridge and went down another short slope. At the foot of the
+slope, cuddled against another hill, stood a low, sod-roofed cabin
+with rusty stove-pipe rising aslant from one corner. This was the spot
+he had been aiming for, and he neared it slowly.
+
+It was like a dozen other log cabins tucked away here and there among
+the foothills of the Bear Paws. It had an air of rakish hominess, as
+if it would be a fine, snuggy place in winter, when the snow and the
+wind swept the barren land around. In the summer, it stood open-doored
+and open-windowed, with all the litter of bachelor belongings
+scattered about or hanging from pegs on the wall outside. There was a
+faint trail of smoke from the rusty pipe, and it brought a grunt of
+satisfaction from Andy.
+
+"He's home, all right. And if he don't throw together some uh them
+sour-dough biscuits uh his, there'll be something happen! Hope the
+bean-pot's full. G'wan, yuh lazy old skate." He slapped the rein-ends
+lightly down the flanks of his horse and went at a trot around the end
+of the cabin. And there he was so utterly taken by surprise that he
+almost pulled his mount into a sitting posture.
+
+A young woman was stooping before the open door, and she was pouring
+something from a white earthen bowl into a battered tin pan. Two
+waggle-tailed lambs--a black one and a white--were standing on their
+knees in their absorption, and were noisily drinking of the stuff as
+fast as it came within reach.
+
+Andy had half a minute in which to gaze before the young woman looked
+up, said "Oh!" in a breathless sort of way and retreated to the
+doorstep, where she stood regarding him inquiringly.
+
+Andy, feeling his face go unreasonably red, lifted his hat. He knew
+that she was waiting for him to speak, but he could not well say any
+of the things he thought, and blurted out an utterly idiotic question.
+
+"What are yuh feeding 'em?"
+
+The girl looked down at the bowl in her hands and laughed a little.
+
+"Rolled oats," she answered, "boiled very thin and with condensed
+cream added to taste. Good morning." She seemed about to disappear,
+and that brought Andy to his senses. He was not, as a rule, a bashful
+young man.
+
+"Good morning. Is--er--Mr. Johnson at home?" He came near saying
+"Take-Notice," but caught himself in time. Take-Notice Johnson was
+what men called the man whom Andy had ridden over to see upon a more
+or less trivial matter.
+
+"He isn't, but he will be back--if you care to wait." She spoke with a
+certain preciseness which might be natural or artificial, and she
+stood in the doorway with no symptoms of immediate disappearance.
+
+Andy slid over a bit in the saddle, readjusted his hat so that its
+brim would shield his eyes from the sunlight, and prepared to be
+friendly. "Oh, I'll wait," he said easily. "I've got all the time
+there is. Would you mind if I smoked a cigarette?"
+
+"Indeed, I was wishing you would," she told him, with surprising
+frankness. "I've so longed to see a dashing young cowboy roll a
+cigarette with deft, white fingers."
+
+Andy, glancing at her startled, spilled much tobacco down the front of
+him, stopped to brush it away and let the lazy breeze snatch the tiny
+oblong of paper from between his unwatchful fingers. Of course, she
+was joshing him, he thought uneasily, as he separated the leaves of
+his cigarette book by blowing gently upon them, and singled out
+another paper. "Are yuh so new to the country that it's anything of a
+treat?" he asked guardedly.
+
+"Yes, I'm new. I'm what you people call a pilgrim. Don't you do it
+with one hand? I thought--oh, yes! You hold the reins between your
+firm, white teeth while you roll--"
+
+"Lady, I never travelled with no show," Andy protested mildly and
+untruthfully. _Was_ she just joshing? Or didn't she know any better?
+She looked sober as anything, but somehow her eyes kind of--
+
+"You see, I know some things about you. Those are chaps" (Heavens! She
+called them the way they are spelled, without the soft sound of s!)
+"That you're wearing for--trousers" (Andy blushed modestly. He was not
+wearing them "for trousers".), "and you've got jingling rowels at your
+heels, and those are taps--"
+
+"You're going to be shy a yard or two of calico if that black
+lamb-critter has his say-so," Andy cut in remorselessly, and hastily
+made and lighted his cigarette while she was rescuing her blue calico
+skirt from the jaws of the black lamb and puckering her eyebrows over
+the chewed place. When her attention was once more given to him, he
+was smoking as unobtrusively as possible, and he was gazing at her
+with a good deal of speculative admiration. He looked hastily down at
+the lambs. "Mary had _two_ little lambs," he murmured inanely.
+
+"They're not mine," she informed him, taking him seriously--or seeming
+to do so. Andy had some trouble deciding just how much of her was
+sincere. "They were here when I came, and I can't take them back with
+me, so there's no use in claiming them. They'd be such a nuisance on
+the train--"
+
+"I reckon they would," Andy agreed, "if yuh had far to go."
+
+"Well, you can't call San Jose _close_," she observed, meditatively.
+"It takes four days to come."
+
+"You're a long way from home. Does it--are yuh homesick, ever?" Andy
+was playing for information without asking directly how long she
+intended to stay--a question which had suddenly seemed quite
+important. Also, why was she stopping here with Take-Notice Johnson,
+away off from everybody?
+
+"Seeing I've only been here four days, the novelty hasn't worn off
+yet," she replied. "But it does seem more like four weeks; and how
+I'll ever stand two months of it, not ever seeing a soul but father--"
+
+Andy looked reproachful, and also glad. Didn't she consider him a
+soul? And Take-Notice was her dad! To be sure, Take-Notice had never
+mentioned having a daughter, but then, in the range-land, men don't go
+around yawping their personal affairs.
+
+Before Take-Notice returned, Andy felt that he had accomplished much.
+He had learned that the young woman's name really was Mary, and that
+she was a stenographer in a real-estate office in San Jose, where her
+mother lived; that the confinement of office-work had threatened her
+with pulmonary tuberculosis (Andy failed, at the moment, to recognize
+the disease which had once threatened him also, and wondered vaguely)
+and that the doctor had advised her coming to Montana for a couple of
+months; that she had written to her father (it seemed queer to have
+anyone speak of old Take-Notice as "father") and that he had told her
+to "come a-running."
+
+She told Andy that she had not seen her father for five years (Andy
+knew that Take-Notice had disappeared for a whole winter, about that
+long ago, and that no one had discovered where he went) because he and
+her mother were "not congenial."
+
+He had dismounted, at her invitation, and had gone clanking to the
+doorstep and sat down--giving a furtive kick now and then at the black
+lamb, which developed a fondness for the leathern fringe on his
+chaps--and had eaten an orange which she had brought in her trunk all
+the way from San Jose, and which she had picked from a tree which
+stood by her mother's front gate. He had nibbled a ripe olive--eating
+it with what Andy himself would term "long teeth"--and had tried hard
+not to show how vile he found it. He had inspected two star-fishes
+which she had found last Fourth-of-July at Monterey and had dried; and
+had crumpled a withered leaf of bay in his hands and had smelled and
+nearly sneezed his head off; and had cracked and eaten four
+walnuts--also gathered from her mother's yard--and three almonds from
+the same source, and had stared admiringly at a note-book filled with
+funny marks which she called shorthand.
+
+Between-whiles Andy had told her his name and the name of the outfit
+he worked for; had explained what he meant by "outfit," and had drawn
+a large U in the dirt to show her what a Flying U was, and had wanted
+to murder the black lamb which kept getting in his way and trying to
+eat the stick Andy used for a pencil; had confessed that he did
+sometimes play cards for money, as do the cowboys in Western stories,
+but assured her that he had never killed off any of his friends during
+any little disagreement. He had owned to drinking a glass of whisky
+now and then, but declared that it was only for snake bite and did not
+happen oftener than once in six months or so. Yes, he had often had
+rattlers in his bed, but not to hurt. This is where he began to
+inspect the star-fishes, and so turned the conversation safely back to
+California and himself away from the temptation to revel in fiction.
+
+All of which took time, so that Take-Notice came before they quite
+felt a longing for his presence; and though the sun shone straight in
+the cabin door and so proved that it was full noon, there was no fire
+left in the stove and nothing in sight that was eatable save another
+ripe olive--which Andy had politely declined--and two more almonds and
+an orange.
+
+A stenographer, with a fluffy pompadour that dipped distractingly at
+one side, and a gold watch suspended around the neck like a locket,
+and with sleeves that came no farther than the elbow and heels higher
+than any riding boot Andy ever owned in his life, and with teeth that
+were very white and showed a glint of gold here and there, and eyes
+that looked at one with insincere gravity, and fingers with nails that
+shone--fingers that pinched red lips together meditatively--a
+stenographer who has all these entrancing attributes, Andy discovered,
+may yet lack those housewifely accomplishments that make a man dream
+of a little home for two. So far as Andy could see, her knowledge of
+cookery extended no farther than rolled oat porridge for the two
+lambs.
+
+Take-Notice it was who whittled shavings and started the fire without
+any comment upon the hour or his appetite; who went to the spring and
+brought water, half-filled the enameled teakettle which had large,
+bare patches where the enamel had been chipped off in the stress of
+baching, and sliced the bacon and mixed the "sour-dough" biscuits. To
+be sure, he had done those things for years and thought nothing of it;
+Andy, also, had done those things, many's the time, and had thought
+nothing of it, either. But to do them while a young woman sits calmly
+by and makes no offer of help, but talks of many things, unconscious
+even of her world-old, feminine duties and privileges, that struck
+Andy with a cold breath of disillusionment.
+
+He watched her unobtrusively while she talked. She never once seemed
+to feel that cooking belonged to woman, and as far as he could see
+Take-Notice did not feel so either. So Andy mentally adjusted himself
+to the novelty and joyed in her presence.
+
+To show how successful was his mental adjustment, it is necessary
+merely to state one fact: Where he had intended to stop an hour or so,
+he stayed the afternoon; ate supper there and rode home at sundown,
+his mind a jumble of sunny Californian days where one may gather
+star-fishes and oranges, bay leaves and ripe olives at will, and of
+black and white lambs which always obtrude themselves at the wrong
+moment and break off little, intimate confidences about life in a
+real-estate office, perhaps; and of polished finger-nails that never
+dip themselves in dishwater--Andy had come to believe that it would be
+neither right or just to expect them to do so common a thing.
+
+The season was what the range calls "between roundups," so that Andy
+went straight to the ranch and found the Happy Family in or around the
+bunk-house, peacefully enjoying their before-bedtime smoke. Andy,
+among other positive faults and virtues, did not lack a certain degree
+of guile. Men there were at the Flying U who would ride in haste if
+they guessed that a pompadoured young woman from California was at the
+end of the trail, and Andy, knowing well the reputation he bore among
+them, set that reputation at work to keep the trail empty of all
+riders save himself. When someone asked him idly what had kept him so
+long, he gazed around at them with his big, innocent gray eyes.
+
+"Why, I was just getting acquainted with the new girl," he answered
+simply and truthfully.
+
+Truth being something which the Happy Family was unaccustomed to from
+the lips of Andy Green, they sniffed scornfully.
+
+"What girl?" demanded Irish bluntly.
+
+"Why, Take-Notice's girl. His young lady daughter that is visiting
+him. She's mighty nice, and she's got style about her, and she was
+feeding two lambs. Her name," he added softly, "is Mary."
+
+Since no one had ever heard that Take-Notice had a daughter, the Happy
+Family could not be blamed for doubting Andy. They did doubt,
+profanely and volubly.
+
+"Say, did any of you fellows ever eat a ripe olive?" Andy broke in,
+when he could make himself heard. "Well," he explained mildly, when
+came another rift of silence in the storm-cloud of words, "When yuh
+ride over there, she'll likely give yuh one to try; but yuh take my
+advice and pass it up. I went up against one, and I ain't got the
+taste out uh my mouth yet. It's sure fierce."
+
+More words, from which Andy gathered that they did not believe
+anything he said; that he was wasting time and breath, and that his
+imagination was weak and his lies idiotic. He'd better not let
+Take-Notice hear how he was taking his name in vain and giving him a
+daughter--and so on.
+
+"Say, did yuh ever see a star-fish? Funniest thing yuh ever saw, all
+pimply, and pink, and with five points to 'em. She's got two. When yuh
+go over, you ask her to let yuh see 'em." Andy was in bed, then, and
+he spoke through the dusk toward the voices. What those voices had
+just then been saying seemed to have absolutely no effect upon him.
+
+"Oh, dry up!" Irish commanded impatiently. "Nobody's thinking uh
+riding over there, yuh chump. What kind of easy marks do yuh think we
+are?"
+
+Andy laughed audibly in his corner next the window. "Say, you fellows
+do amuse me a lot. By gracious, I'll bet five dollars some of yuh take
+the trail over there, soon or late. I--I'll bet five dollars to _one_
+that yuh do! The bet to hold good for--well, say six weeks. But yuh
+better not take me up, boys--especially Irish, that ain't got a girl
+at present. Yes, or _any_ of yuh, by gracious! It'll be a case for
+breach-uh-promise for any one uh yuh. Say, she's a bird! Got goldy
+hair, and a dimple in her chin and eyes that'd make a man--"
+
+With much reviling they accepted the wager, and after that Andy went
+peacefully to sleep, quite satisfied for the time with the effect
+produced by his absolute truthfulness; it did not matter much, he told
+himself complacently, what a man's reputation might be, so long as he
+recognized its possibilities and shaped his actions properly.
+
+It is true that when he returned from Dry Lake, not many days after,
+with a package containing four new ties and a large, lustrous silk
+handkerchief of the proper, creamy tint, the Happy Family seemed to
+waver a bit. When he took to shaving every other day, and became
+extremely fastidious about his finger-nails and his boots and the knot
+in his tie, and when he polished the rowels of his spurs with Patsy's
+scouring brick (which Patsy never used) and was careful to dent his
+hat-crown into four mathematically correct dimples before ever he
+would ride away from the ranch, the Happy Family looked thoughtful and
+discussed him privately in low tones.
+
+But when Andy smilingly assured them that he was going over to call on
+Take-Notice's girl, and asked them if they wouldn't like to come along
+and be introduced, and taste a ripe olive, and look at the
+star-fishes, and smell a crumpled leaf of bay, they backed
+figuratively from the wiles of him and asserted more or less
+emphatically he couldn't work _them_. Then Andy would grin and ride
+gaily away, and Flying U Coulee would see him no more for several
+hours. It was mere good fortune--from Andy's viewpoint--that duty did
+not immediately call the Happy Family, singly or as a whole, to ride
+across the hills toward the cabin of Take-Notice Johnson. Without a
+legitimate excuse, he felt sure of their absence from the place, and
+he also counted optimistically upon their refusing to ask any one whom
+they might meet, if Take-Notice Johnson had a daughter visiting him.
+
+Four weeks do not take much space in a calendar, nor much time to
+live; yet in the four that came just after Andy's discovery, he
+accomplished much, even in his own modest reckoning. He had taught the
+girl to watch for his coming and to stand pensively in the door with
+many good-bye messages when he said he must hit the trail. He had
+formed definite plans for the future and had promised her quite
+seriously that he would cut out gambling, and never touch liquor in
+any form--unless the snake was a _very_ big one and sunk his fangs in
+a vital spot, in which dire contingency Mary absolved him from his
+vow. He had learned the funny marks that meant his name and hers in
+shorthand and had watched with inner satisfaction her efforts to learn
+how to fry canned corn in bacon grease, and to mix sour-dough biscuits
+that were neither yellow with too much soda nor distressfully "soggy"
+with too little, and had sat a whole, blissful afternoon in his
+shirtsleeves, while Mary bent her blond pompadour domestically over
+his coat, sewing in the sleeve-linings that are prone to come loose
+and torment a man. To go back to the first statement, which includes
+all these things and much more, Andy had, in those four weeks,
+accomplished much.
+
+But a girl may not live forever in that lonely land with only Andy
+Green to discover her presence, and the rumors which at first buzzed
+unheeded in the ears of the Happy Family, stung them at last to the
+point of investigation; so that on a Sunday--the last Sunday before
+the Flying U wagons took again to the trailless range-land, Irish and
+Jack Bates rode surreptitiously up the coulee half an hour after Andy,
+blithe in his fancied security, had galloped that way to spend a long
+half-day with Mary. If he discovered them they would lose a dollar
+each--but if they discovered a girl such as Andy had pictured, they
+felt that it would be a dollar well lost.
+
+In the range-land many strange things may happen. Irish and Jack
+pulled up short when, off to their right, in a particularly, lonely
+part of that country, broken into seamed coulees and deep-scarred
+hills, they heard a faint halloo. With spurs pricking deep and
+frequent they hurried to the spot; looked down a grassy swale and saw
+Andy lying full length upon the ground in rather a peculiar pose,
+while his horse fed calmly a rein-length away.
+
+They stopped and looked at him, and at each other; rode cautiously to
+within easy rifle shot and stopped again.
+
+"Ain't yuh getting tired feelings kinda unseasonable in the day?" Jack
+Bates called out guardedly.
+
+"I--I'm hurt, boys," Andy lifted his head to say, strainedly. "My hoss
+stepped in a hole, and I wasn't looking for it. I guess--my leg's
+broke."
+
+Jack snorted. "That so? Sure it ain't your neck, now? Seems to me your
+head sets kinda crooked. Better feel it and find out, while we go on
+where we're going." He half turned his horse up the hill again,
+resenting the impulse which had betrayed him a hand's breadth from the
+trail.
+
+Andy waited a moment. Then: "On the dead, boys, my leg's broke--like
+you'd bust a dry stick. Come and see--for yourselves."
+
+"Maybe--" Irish began, uncertainly, in an undertone. Andy's voice had
+in it a note of pain that was rather convincing.
+
+"Aw, he's just trying to head us off. Didn't I help pack him up that
+ungodly bluff, last spring, thinking he was going to die before we got
+him to the top--and him riding off and giving us the horse-laugh to
+pay for it? You can bite, if yuh want to; I'm going on. I sure savvy
+Andy Green."
+
+"Come and look," Andy begged from below. "If I'm joshing--"
+
+"You can josh and be darned," finished Jack for him. "I don't pack you
+up hill more than once, old-timer. We're going to call on your
+Mary-girl. When yuh get good and refreshed up, you can come and look
+on at me and Irish acting pretty and getting a stand-in. So-long!"
+
+Irish, looking back over his shoulder, saw Andy raise his head and
+gaze after them; saw it drop upon his arms just before they went quite
+over the hill. The sight stuck persistently and unpleasantly in his
+memory.
+
+"Yuh know, he _might_ be hurt," he began tentatively when they had
+ridden slowly a hundred yards or so.
+
+"He might. But he ain't. He's up to some game again, and he wouldn't
+like anything better than to have us ride down there and feel his
+bones. If you'd been along, that day in the Bad-lands, you'd know the
+kind of bluff he can put up. Why, we all thought sure he was going to
+die. He acted that natural we felt like we was packing a corpse at a
+funeral--and him tickled to death all the while at the load he was
+throwing! No sir, yuh don't see me swallowing no such dope as _that_,
+any more. When he gets tired uh laying there, he'll recover rapid and
+come on. Don't yuh worry none about Andy Green; why, man, do yuh
+reckon any horse-critter could break _his_ leg--a rider like him? He
+knows more ways uh falling off a horse without losing the ashes off
+his cigarette than most men know how to--how to punish grub! Andy
+Green _couldn't_ get hurt with a horse! If he could, he'd uh been dead
+and playing his little harp long ago."
+
+Such an argument was more convincing than the note of pain in the
+voice of Andy, so that Irish shook off his uneasiness and laughed at
+the narrow escape he'd had from being made a fool. And speedily they
+forgot the incident.
+
+It was Take-Notice who made them remember, when they had been an hour
+or so basking themselves, so to speak, in the smiles of Mary. They had
+fancied all along that she had a curiously expectant air, and that she
+went very often to the door to see what the lambs were up to--and
+always lifted her eyes to the prairie slope down which they had ridden
+and gazed as long as she dared. They were not dull; they understood
+quite well what "lamb" it was that held half the mind of her, and they
+were piqued because of their understanding, and not disposed to
+further the cause of the absent. Therefore, when Take-Notice asked
+casually what had become of Andy, Jack Bates moved his feet
+impatiently, shot a sidelong glance at the girl (who was at that
+moment standing where she could look out of the window) and laughed
+unpleasantly.
+
+"Oh, Andy's been took again with an attack uh bluff," he answered
+lightly. "He gets that way, ever so often, you know. We left him
+laying in a sunny spot, a few miles back, trying to make somebody
+think he was hurt, so they'd pack him home and he'd have the laugh on
+them for all summer."
+
+"Wasn't he hurt?" The girl turned suddenly and her voice told how much
+it meant to her. But Jack was not sympathetic.
+
+"No, he wasn't hurt. He was just playing off. He got us once, that
+way, and he's never given up the notion that he could do it again. We
+may be easy, but--"
+
+"I don't understand," the girl broke in sharply. "Do you mean that he
+would deliberately try to deceive you into believing he was hurt, when
+he wasn't?"
+
+"Miss Johnson," Jack replied sorrowfully, "he would. He would lose
+valuable sleep for a month, studying up the smoothest way to deceive.
+I guess," he added artfully, and as if the subject was nearly
+exhausted, "yuh don't know Mr. Green very well."
+
+"I remember hearing about that job he put up on yuh," Take-Notice
+remarked, not noticing that the girl's lips were opened for speech,
+"Yuh made a stretcher, didn't yuh, and--"
+
+"No--he told it that way, but he's such a liar he couldn't tell the
+truth if he wanted to. We found him lying at the bottom of a steep
+bluff, and he appeared to be about dead. It looked as if he'd slipped
+and fallen down part way. So we packed water and sloshed in his face,
+and he kinda come to, and then we packed him up the bluff--and yuh
+know what the Bad-lands is like, Take-Notice. It was unmerciful hot,
+too, and we like to died getting him up. At the top we laid him down
+and worked over him till we got him to open his eyes, and he could
+talk a little and said maybe he could ride if we could get him on a
+horse. The--he made us _lift_ him into the saddle--and considering the
+size of him, it was something of a contract--and then he made as if he
+couldn't stay on, even. But first we knew he digs in the spurs, yanks
+off his hat and lets a yell out of him you could hear a mile, and
+says: 'Much obliged, boys, it was too blamed hot to walk up that
+hill,' and off he goes."
+
+Take-Notice stretched his legs out before him, pushed his hands deep
+down in his trousers' pockets, and laughed and laughed. "That was sure
+one on you," he chuckled. "Andy's a hard case, all right."
+
+But the girl stood before him, a little pale and with her chin high.
+"Father, how can you think it's funny?" she cried impatiently. "It
+seems to me--er--I think it's perfectly horrid for a man to act like
+that. And you say, Mr. Bates, that he's out there _now_"--she swept a
+very pretty hand and arm toward the window--"acting the same silly
+sort of falsehood?"
+
+"I don't know where he is _now_," Jack answered judicially. "That's
+what he was doing when we came past."
+
+She went to the door and stood looking vaguely out at nothing in
+particular, and Irish took the opportunity to kick Jack on the
+ankle-bone and viciously whisper, "Yuh damned chump!" But Jack smiled
+serenely. Irish, he reflected, had not been with them that day in the
+Bad-lands, and so had not the same cause for vengeance. He remembered
+that Irish had laughed, just as Take-Notice was laughing, when they
+told him about it; but Jack had never been able to see the joke, and
+his conscience did not trouble him now.
+
+More they said about Andy Green--he and Take-Notice, with Irish mostly
+silent and with the girl extremely indignant at times and at others
+slightly incredulous, but always eager to hear more. More they said,
+not with malice, perhaps, for they liked Andy Green, but with the
+spirit of reminiscence strong upon them. Many things that he had said
+and done they recalled and laughed over--but the girl did not laugh.
+At sundown, when they rode away, she scribbled a hasty note, put it in
+an envelope and entrusted it to Irish for immediate delivery to the
+absent and erring one. Then they rode home, promising each other that
+they would sure devil Andy to death when they saw him, and wishing
+that they had ridden long ago to the cabin of Take-Notice. It was not
+pleasant to know that Andy Green had again fooled them completely.
+
+None at the ranch had seen Andy, and they speculated much upon the
+nature of the game he was playing. Happy Jack wanted to bet that Andy
+really had broken his leg--but that was because he had a present
+grievance against Irish and hated to agree with anything he said. But
+when they went to bed, the Happy Family had settled unanimously upon
+the theory that Andy had ridden to Dry Lake, and would come loping
+serenely down the trail next day.
+
+Irish did not know what time it was when he found himself sitting up
+in bed listening, but he discovered Pink getting quietly into his
+clothes. Irish hesitated a moment, and then felt under his pillow for
+his own garments--long habit had made him put them there--and began to
+dress. "I guess I'll go along with yuh," he whispered.
+
+"Yuh can if yuh want to," Pink answered ungraciously. "But yuh needn't
+raise the long howl if--"
+
+"Hold on, boys; my ante's on the table," came guardedly from Weary's
+bunk, and there was a soft, shuffling sound as of moving blankets; the
+subdued scrape of boots pulled from under bunks, and the quiet
+searching for hats and gloves. There was a clank of spur-chains, the
+faint squeal of a hinge gone rusty, a creak of a loose board, and then
+the three stood together outside under the star-sprinkle and avoided
+looking at one another. Without a word they went down the deep-worn
+path to the big gate, swung it open and headed for the corral where
+slept their horses.
+
+"If them bone-heads don't wake up, nobody'll be any the wiser--and
+it's a lovely night for a ramble," murmured Weary, consoling himself.
+
+"Well, I couldn't sleep," Irish confessed, half defiantly. "I expect
+it's just a big josh, but--it won't do any hurt to make sure."
+
+"Yuh all think Andy Green lives to tell lies," snapped Pink, throwing
+the saddle on his horse with a grunt at the weight of it. The horse
+flinched away from its impact, and Pink swore at it viciously. "Yuh
+might uh gone down and made sure, anyhow," he criticised.
+
+"Well, I was going to; but Jack said--" Irish stooped to pick up the
+latigo and did not finish. "But I can't get over the way his head
+dropped down on his arms, when we were riding out uh sight. As if--oh,
+hell! If it was a josh, I'll just about beat the head off him for
+spoiling my sleep this way. Get your foot off that rein, yuh damned,
+clumsy bench!" This last to his horse.
+
+They rode slowly away from the ranch and made the greater haste when
+the sound of their galloping could not reach the dulled ears of those
+who slept. They did not talk much, and when they did it was to tell
+one another what great fools they were--but even in the telling they
+urged their horses to greater speed.
+
+"Well," Pink summed up at last, "if he's hurt, out here, we're doing
+the right thing; and if he ain't, he won't be there to have the laugh
+on us; so it's all right either way."
+
+There was black shadow in the grassy swale where they found him. His
+horse had wandered off and it was only the sure instinct of Irish that
+led them to the spot where he lay, a blacker shadow in the darkness
+that a passing cloud had made. Just at first they thought him dead,
+but when they lifted him he groaned and then spoke.
+
+"It's one on me, this time," he said, and the throat of Irish pinched
+achingly together at the sound of his voice, which had in it the note
+of pain he had been trying to forget.
+
+After that he said nothing at all, because he was a senseless weight
+in their arms.
+
+At daylight Irish was pounding vehemently the door of the White House
+and calling for the Little Doctor. Andy lay stretched unconscious upon
+the porch beside him, and down in the bunk-house the Happy Family was
+rubbing eyes and exclaiming profanely at the story Pink was telling.
+
+"And here," finished Irish a couple of hours later, when he was
+talking the thing over with the Little Doctor, "here's a note
+Take-Notice's girl gave me for him. I don't reckon there's any good
+news in it, so maybe yuh better hold it out on him till he's got over
+the fever. I guess we queered Andy a lot--but I'll ride over, soon as
+I can, and fix it up with her and tell her he broke his leg, all
+right. Maybe," he finished optimistically, "she'll come over to see
+him."
+
+Irish kept his word, though he delayed until the next day; and the
+next day it was too late. For the cabin of Take-Notice was closed and
+empty, and the black lamb and the white were nosing unhappily their
+over-turned pan of mush, and bleating lonesomely. Irish waited a while
+and started home again; rode into the trail and met Bert Rogers, who
+explained:
+
+"Take-Notice was hauling his girl, trunk and all, to the depot," he
+told Irish. "I met 'em just this side the lane. They aimed to catch
+the afternoon train, I reckon. She was going home, Take-Notice told
+me."
+
+So Irish rode thoughtfully back to the ranch and went straight to the
+White House where Andy lay, meaning to break the news as carefully as
+he knew how.
+
+Andy was lying in bed looking big-eyed at the ceiling, and in his hand
+was the note. He turned his head and glanced indifferently at Irish.
+
+"Yuh sure made a good job of it, didn't yuh?" he began calmly, though
+it was not the calm which meant peace. "I was just about engaged to
+that girl. If it'll do yuh any good to know how nice and thorough yuh
+busted everything up for me, read that." He held out the paper, and
+Irish turned a guilty red when he took it.
+
+  "Mr. Green: I have just been greatly entertained with the history
+  of your very peculiar deeds and adventures, and I wish to say that
+  I have discovered myself wholly lacking the sense of humor which
+  is necessary to appreciate you.
+
+  "As I am going home to-morrow, this is my only opportunity of
+  letting you know how thoroughly I detest falsehood in _any_ form.
+  Yours truly,
+
+  "MARY EDITH JOHNSON."
+
+"Ain't yuh proud?" Andy inquired in a peculiar, tired voice. "Maybe
+I'm a horrible liar, all right--but I never done anybody a dirty trick
+like that."
+
+Irish might have said it was Jack Bates who did the mischief, but he
+did not. "We never knew it was anything serious," he explained
+contritely. "On the dead, I'm sorry--"
+
+"And that does a damned lot uh good--if she's gone!" Andy cut in,
+miserably.
+
+"Oh, she's gone, all right. She went to-day," murmured Irish, and went
+out and shut the door softly behind him.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+
+
+FOOL'S GOLD.
+
+
+Andy Green, unshaven as to face and haggard as to eyes, leaned upon
+his stout, willow stick and looked gloomily away to the west. He was a
+good deal given to looking to the west, these days when a leg
+new-healed kept him at the ranch, though habit and inclination would
+have sent him riding fast and far over prairies untamed. Inaction
+comes hard when a man has lived his life mostly in the open, doing
+those things which keep brain and muscle keyed alike to alertness and
+leave no time for brooding.
+
+If Andy had not broken his leg but had gone with the others on
+roundup, he would never have spent the days glooming unavailingly
+because a girl with a blond pompadour and teasing eyes had gone away
+and taken with her a false impression of his morals, and left behind
+her the sting of a harsh judgment against which there seemed no
+appeal. As it was, he spent the time going carefully over his past in
+self-justification, and in remembering every moment that he had spent
+with Mary Johnson in those four weeks when she stayed with her father
+and petted the black lamb and the white.
+
+In his prejudiced view, he had never done anything to make a girl hate
+him. He had not always told the truth--he would admit that with
+candid, gray eyes looking straight into your own--but he had never
+lied to harm a man, which, it seemed to him, makes all the difference
+in the world.
+
+If he could once have told her how he felt about it, and showed her
+how the wide West breeds wider morals--he did not quite know how you
+would put these things, but he felt them very keenly. He wanted to
+make her feel the difference; to see that little things do not count
+in a man's life, after all, except when they affect him as a man when
+big things are wanted of him. A little cowardice would count, for
+instance, because it would show that the man would fail at the test;
+but a little lie? just a harmless sort of lie that was only a "josh"
+and was taken as such by one's fellows? Andy was not analytic by
+nature, and he would have stumbled vaguely among words to explain his
+views, but he felt very strongly the injustice of the girl's
+condemnation, and he would scarcely speak to Jack Bates and Irish when
+they came around making overtures for peace and goodwill.
+
+"If she hadn't gone home so sudden, I could uh squared it all right,"
+he told the Little Doctor, whenever her sympathetic attitude won him
+to speech upon the subject.
+
+"Yes, I believe you could," she would agree cheeringly. "If she's the
+right sort, and cared, you could."
+
+"She's the right sort--I know that," Andy would assert with much
+decision, though modesty forbade his telling the Little Doctor that he
+was also sure she cared. She did care, if a girl's actions count for
+anything, or her looks and smiles. Of course she cared! Else why did
+she rush off home like that, a good month before she had intended to
+go? They had planned that Andy would get a "lay-off" and go with her
+as far as Butte, because she would have to wait there several hours,
+and Andy wanted to take her out to the Columbia Gardens and see if she
+didn't think they were almost as nice as anything California could
+show. Then she had gone off without any warning because Jack Bates and
+Irish had told her a lot of stuff about him, Andy; if that didn't
+prove she cared, argued Andy to himself, what the dickens would you
+want for proof?
+
+It was from thinking these things over and over while he lay in bed,
+that Andy formed the habit of looking often towards the west when his
+hurt permitted him to hobble around the house. And when a man looks
+often enough in any direction, his feet will, unless hindered by fate
+itself, surely follow his gaze if you give them time enough.
+
+It was the excursion rates advertised in a Great Falls paper that
+first put the idea consciously into the brain of Andy. They seemed
+very cheap, and the time-limit was generous, and--San Jose was not
+very far from San Francisco, the place named in the advertisement; and
+if he could only see the girl and explain--It would be another month
+before he would be able to work, anyway, and--A man might as well get
+rid of a hundred or so travelling, as to sit in a poker game and watch
+it fade away, and he would really get more out of it. Anyhow, nobody
+need know where he had gone. They could think he was just going to
+Butte. And he didn't give a darn if they did find it out!
+
+He limped back into the house and began inspecting, with much
+dissatisfaction, his wardrobe. He would have to stake himself to new
+clothes--but he needed clothes, anyway, that fall. He could get what
+he wanted in Butte, while he waited for the train to Ogden. Now that
+Andy had made up his mind to go, he was in a great hurry and grudged
+the days, even the hours, that must pass before he could see Mary
+Edith Johnson.
+
+Not even the Little Doctor knew the truth, when Andy appeared next
+morning dressed for his journey, ate a hasty and unsatisfactory
+breakfast and took the Old Man to one side with elaborate carelessness
+and asked for a sum that made the Old Man blink. But no man might have
+charge of the Happy Family for long without attaining that state of
+mental insulation which renders a shock scientifically impossible. The
+Old Man wrote a check, twisted his mouth into a whimsical knot and
+inquired mildly: "What's the brand of devilment this time, and how
+long's it going to take yuh?" With a perceptible emphasis on the word
+_this_.
+
+For probably the first time in his life Andy blushed and stammered
+over a lie, and before he had got out more than two words, the Old Man
+seemed to understand the situation quite thoroughly. He said "Oh, I
+see. Well, git a round-trip ticket and be dead sure yuh don't out-stay
+the limit." He took out his pipe and filled it meditatively.
+
+Andy blushed again--six weeks indoors had lightened the tan on his
+face so that his blushes showed very plainly--and made desperate
+denial. "I'm only going up to Butte. But a fellow can't have any kind
+of a time there without a fair-sized roll, and--I'll be back in two or
+three weeks--soon as my leg's mended thorough. I--"
+
+"Get along with yuh!" growled the Old Man, though his eyes twinkled.
+"Doggone it, don't yuh lie to _me_. Think I was shipped in on the last
+train? A man don't git red in the face when he's just merely headed
+for Butte. Why, doggone yuh--"
+
+The last words had to serve for a farewell, because Andy was limping
+away as fast as he could, and did not come back to the house again. He
+did not even tell the Little Doctor good-by, though it was fifteen
+minutes before John Wedum, the ranchhand, had the team ready to drive
+Andy to town, and he was one of the Little Doctor's most loyal
+subjects.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Andy walked haltingly down a palm-shaded street in San Jose and
+wondered just what would be the best and quickest way in which to find
+Mary Edith Johnson. Three ways were open to him: He could hunt up all
+the Johnsons in town--there were three full pages of them in the
+directory, as he remembered with a sigh--and find out which one was
+the right one; but San Jose, as he had already discovered, was not a
+village, and he doubted if he could stand the walking. He could visit
+all the real estate offices in town--and he was just beginning to
+realize that there were almost as many real estate offices as there
+were Johnsons. And he could promenade the streets in the hope of
+meeting her. But always there was the important fact to face--the fact
+that San Jose is not a village.
+
+He came upon a particularly shady spot and a bench placed invitingly.
+Andy sat down, eased the new-healed leg out before him and rolled a
+cigarette. "This is going to be some different from hunting a stray on
+the range," he told himself, with an air of deliberate cheerfulness.
+"If I could get out and scurrup around on a hoss, and round her up
+that way--but this footing it all over town is what grinds me." He
+drew a match along the under side of the bench and held the blaze
+absently to the cigarette. "There was one thing--she told about an
+orange tree right beside her mother's front gate, Maybe--" He looked
+around him hopefully. Just across the street was a front gate, and
+beside it an orange tree; he knew because there were ripe oranges
+hanging upon it. He started to rise, his blood jumping queerly, sat
+down again and swore. "Every darned gate in town, just about, has got
+an orange tree stuck somewhere handy by. I remember 'em now, damn
+'em!"
+
+Three cigarettes he smoked while he sat there. When he started on
+again his face was grimly set toward the nearest business street. At
+the first real-estate sign he stopped, pulled together his courage,
+and went in. A girl sat in a corner of the room before a typewriter.
+Andy saw at a glance that her hair was too dark; murmured something
+and backed out. At the next place, a man was crumpled into a big
+chair, reading a paper. Behind a high desk a typewriter clicked, but
+Andy could not see the operator without going behind the railing, and
+he hesitated.
+
+"Looking for a snap?" asked the man briskly, coming up from his
+crumpled state like a spring.
+
+"Well, I was looking--"
+
+"Now, here. It may not be what you want, but I'm just going to show
+you this proposition and see what you think of it. It ain't going to
+last--somebody's goin' to snap it up before you know it. Now, here--"
+
+It was half an hour before Andy got away from that office, and he had
+not seen who was running the machine behind the desk, even then. He
+had, however, spoken rather loudly and had informed the man that he
+was from Montana, with no effect whatever upon the clicking. He had
+listened patiently to the glowing description of several "good buys,"
+and had escaped with difficulty within ten minutes after hearing the
+unseen typist addressed as "Fern."
+
+At the third place he merely looked in at the door and retreated
+hastily when the agent, like a spider on the watch, started forward.
+
+When he limped into the office of his hotel at six o'clock, Andy was
+ready to swear that every foot of land in California was for sale, and
+that every man in San Jose was trying his best to sell it and looked
+upon him, Andy Green, as a weak-minded millionaire who might be
+induced to purchase. He had not visited all the places where they kept
+bulletin-boards covered with yellowed placards abounding in large type
+and many fat exclamation points and the word ONLY with a dollar mark
+immediately after. All? He had not visited half of them, or a third!
+
+That night he dreamed feverishly of "five-room, modern cottages with
+bath," and of "ONLY $500.00 down and balance payable monthly," and of
+ten-acre "ranches" and five-acre "ranches"--he who had been used to
+numbering acres by the thousand and to whom the word "ranch" meant
+miles of wire fencing and beyond that miles of open!
+
+It took all the longing he felt for Mary Johnson to drive him out the
+next morning and to turn his face toward those placarded places which
+infested every street, but he went. He went with eyes that glared
+hostility at every man who said "buy," and with chin set to stubborn
+purpose. He meant to find Mary Edith Johnson, and he meant to find her
+without all California knowing that he was looking for her. Not once
+had he mentioned her name, or showed that he cared whether there was a
+typewriter in the office or whether it was a girl, man or Chinaman who
+clicked the keys; and yet he knew exactly how every girl typist had
+her hair dressed, and what was the color of her eyes.
+
+At two o'clock, Andy stopped suddenly and stared down at a crack in
+the pavement, and his lips moved in muttered speech. "She's worked
+three years in one of them places--and she 'thoroughly detests
+falsehood in _any_ form'! Hell!" Is exactly what he was saying out
+loud, on one of the busiest streets in San Jose.
+
+A policeman glanced at him, looked again and came slowly toward him.
+Andy took the hint and moved on decorously to the next bulletin-board,
+but the revelation that had come to him there in the street dulled
+somewhat his alertness, so that he came near committing himself to the
+purchase of one of those ubiquitous "five-room, modern cottages with
+bath" before he realized what he was doing and fled to the street
+again, on the pretense that he had to catch the car which was just
+slowing down for that crossing.
+
+He boarded the car, though he had no idea of where it was going, and
+fished in his pocket for a nickel. And just when he was reaching up
+from the step where he stood clinging--reaching over the flower-piled
+hat of a girl, to place the nickel in the outstretched palm of the
+conductor, he heard for the first time in many weeks the name of Mary
+Johnson. A girl at his elbow was asking the other: "What'n the world's
+become of Mary Johnson? She wasn't to the dance last night, and it's
+the first one--"
+
+Andy held his breath.
+
+"Oh, Mame quit her place with Kelly and Gray, two weeks ago. She's
+gone to Santa Cruz and got a place for the summer. Her and Lola
+Parsons went together, and--"
+
+Andy took advantage of another crossing, and dropped off. He wanted to
+find out when the next train left for Santa Cruz. It never occurred to
+him that there might be two Mary Johnsons in the world, which was
+fortunate, perhaps; he wasted no time in hesitation, and so, within
+twenty minutes, he was hearing the wheels of a fast train go
+_clickety-click, clickety-click_ over the switches in the suburbs of
+San Jose, and he was asking the conductor what time the train would
+reach Santa Cruz, and was getting snubbed for his anxiety.
+
+Santa Cruz, when he did reach it, seemed, on a superficial
+examination, to be almost as large as San Jose, and the real-estate
+offices closer together and even more plentifully supplied with modern
+cottages and bath--and the heart of him sank prophetically. For the
+first time since he dropped off the street-car in San Jose, it seemed
+to him that Mary Johnson was quite as far off, quite as unattainable
+as she had ever been.
+
+He walked slowly up Pacific Avenue and watched the hurrying crowds,
+and wondered if chance would be kind to him; if he should meet her on
+the street, perhaps. He did not want to canvass all the real-estate
+offices in town. "It would take me till snow flies," he murmured
+dispiritedly, forgetting that here was a place where snow never flew,
+and sought a hotel where they were not "full to the eaves" as two
+complacent clerks had already told him.
+
+At supper, he made friends with a genial-voiced insurance agent--the
+kind who does not insist upon insuring your life whether you want it
+insured or not. The agent told Andy to call him Jack and use him good
+and plenty--perhaps because something wistful and lonely in the gray
+eyes of Andy appealed to him--and Andy took him at his word and was
+grateful. He discovered what day of the week it was: Saturday, and
+that on the next day Santa Cruz would be "wide-open" because of an
+excursion from Sacramento. Jack offered to help him lose himself in
+the crowd, and again Andy was grateful. For the first time since
+leaving the Flying U he went to bed feeling not utterly alone and
+friendless, and awoke pleasantly expectant. Friend Jack was to pilot
+him down to the Casino at eleven, and he had incidentally made one
+prediction which stuck closely to Andy, even in his sleep. Jack had
+assured him that the whole town would be at the beach; and if the
+whole town were at the beach, why then, Mary would surely be somewhere
+in the crowd. And if she were in the crowd--"If she's there, I'll sure
+get a line on her before night," Andy told himself, with much
+assurance. "A fellow that's been in the habit of cutting any certain
+brand of critter out of a big herd ought to be able to spot his girl
+in a crowd"--and he hummed softly while he dressed.
+
+The excursion train was already in town, and the esplanade was,
+looking down from Beach Hill, a slow-moving river of hats, with
+splotches of bright colors and with an outer fringe of men and women.
+"That's a good-sized trail-herd uh humans," Andy remarked, and the
+insurance agent laughed appreciatively.
+
+"You wait till you see them milling around on the board walk," he
+advised impressively. "If you happen to be looking for anybody, you'll
+realize that there's some people scattered around in your vicinity. I
+had a date with a girl, down here one Sunday during the season, and we
+hunted each other from ten in the morning till ten at night and never
+got sight of each other."
+
+Andy gave him a sidelong, suspicious glance, but friend Jack was
+evidently as innocent as he looked, and so Andy limped silently down
+the hill to the Casino and wondered if fate were going to cheat him at
+the last moment.
+
+Once in the crowd, it was as Jack had told him it would be. He could
+not regard the moving mass of humanity as individuals, though long
+living where men are few had fixed upon him the habit. Now, although
+he observed far more than did Jack, he felt somewhat at a loss; the
+realization that Mary Johnson might pass him unrecognized troubled him
+greatly. It did not once occur to him that he, with his gray Stetson
+hat and his brown face and keen eyes and tall, straight-backed figure,
+looked not at all like the thousands of men all around him, so that
+many eyes turned to give him another glance when he passed. Mary
+Johnson must be unobserving in the extreme if she failed to know him,
+once she glimpsed him in the crowd.
+
+Somewhere near one o'clock he lost Jack completely, and drifted
+aimlessly alone. Jack had been hailed by a friend, had stopped for a
+minute to talk, and several hundred men, women and children had come
+between him and Andy, pushing and crowding and surging, because a band
+had started playing somewhere. Andy got down the steps and out upon
+the sand, and Jack was thereafter but a memory. He found the loose
+sand hard walking with his lame leg, and almost as crowded as the
+promenade, and as he stood for a minute looking up at the board walk
+above him, it occurred to him that if he could get somewhere and stay
+there long enough, every human being at the Casino would eventually
+pass by him. He went up the steps again and worked his way along the
+edge of the walk until he found a vacant spot on the railing and sat
+grimly down upon it to wait.
+
+Many cigarettes he smoked while he roosted there, watching until the
+eyes of him ached with the eternal panorama of faces that were
+strange. Many times he started eagerly because he glimpsed a fluffy,
+blond pompadour with blue eyes beneath, and fancied for an instant
+that it was Mary.
+
+Then, when he was speculating upon the advisability of following the
+stream of people that flowed out upon the pleasure pier, Mary passed
+by so close that her skirt brushed his toes; passed him by, and he sat
+there like a paralytic and let her go. And in the heart of him was a
+queer, heavy throb that he did not in the least understand.
+
+She was dressed in blue linen with heavy, white lace in patches here
+and there, and she had a big, white hat tilted back from her face and
+a long white plume drooping to one shoulder. Another girl was with
+her, and a man--a man with dented panama hat and pink cheeks and a
+white waistcoat and tan shoes; a man whom Andy suddenly hated most
+unreasonably.
+
+When they were all but lost in the crowd, Andy got down, gripped his
+cane vindictively and followed. After all, the man was walking beside
+the other girl, and not beside Mary--and the reflection brought much
+solace. With the nodding, white feather to guide him, he followed them
+down the walk, lost them for a second, saw them turn in at the
+wide-open doors of the natatorium, saw them pause there, just inside.
+Then a huge woman pushed before him, stood there and narrowed his
+range of vision down to her own generous hat with its huge roses, and
+when he had edged past her the three were gone.
+
+Andy waited, comforted by the knowledge that they had not come out,
+until the minutes passed his patience and he went in, searched the
+gallery unavailingly, came out again and wandered on dispiritedly to
+the pleasure pier. There, leaning over the rail, he saw her again
+almost beneath him in the sand, scantily clad in a bathing suit. The
+man, still more scantily clad, was trying to coax her into the water
+and she was hanging back and laughing a good deal, with an occasional
+squeal.
+
+Andy leaned rather heavily upon the railing and watched her
+gloweringly, incredulously. Custom has much to do with a man's (or a
+woman's) idea of propriety, and one Andrew Green had for long been
+unaccustomed to the sight of nice young women disporting themselves
+thus in so public a place. He could not reconcile it with the girl as
+he had known her in her father's cabin, and he was not at all sure
+that he wanted to do so.
+
+He was just turning gloomily away when she glanced up, saw him and
+waved her hand. "Hello, Andy," she called gaily. "Come on down and
+take a swim, why don't you?"
+
+Andy, looking reproachfully into her upturned face, shook his head. "I
+can't," he told her. "I'm lame yet." It was not at all what he had
+meant to say, any more than this was the meeting he had dreamed about.
+He resented both with inner rage.
+
+"Oh. When did you come?" she asked casually, and was whisked away by
+the man before Andy could tell her. The other girl was there also, and
+the three ran gleefully down to meet a roller larger than the others
+had been; met it, were washed, with much screaming and laughter, back
+to shore and stood there dripping. Andy glared down upon them and
+longed for the privilege of drowning the fellow.
+
+"We're going up into the plunge," called Mary. "Come on. I'll see you,
+when I come out." They scampered away, and he, calling himself many
+kinds of fool, followed.
+
+In the plunge, Andy was still more at a disadvantage, for since he was
+a spectator, a huge sign informed him that he must go up stairs. He
+went up with much difficulty into the gallery, found himself a seat
+next the rail and searched long for Mary among the bathers below. He
+would never have believed that he would fail to know her at sight, but
+with fifty women, more or less, dressed exactly alike and with ugly
+rubber caps pulled down to eyebrows and ears, recognition must
+necessarily be slow.
+
+While he leaned and stared, an avalanche of squeals came precipitately
+down the great slide; struck the water and was transformed to gurgling
+screams, and then heads came bobbing to the surface--three heads, and
+one of them was Mary's. She swept the water from her eyes, looked up
+and saw him, waved her hand and scrambled rather ungracefully over the
+rail in her wet, clinging suit. The others followed, the man trotting
+at her heels and calling something after her.
+
+Andy, his brows pulled down over unhappy eyes, glared fixedly up at
+the top of the slide. In a minute they appeared, held gesticulating
+counsel, wavered and came down together, upon their stomachs. The
+strange girl was in the lead, with Mary next holding to the girl's
+feet. Behind her slid the man, gripping tightly the ankles of Mary.
+Andy's teeth set savagely together, though he saw that others were
+doing exactly the same; old women, young women, girls, men and boys
+came hurtling down the big slide, singly, in couples, in three and
+fours.
+
+The spectacle began to fascinate him, so that for a minute or two he
+could forget Mary and the man. There was a roar of voices, the barking
+as of seals, screams, laughter and much splashing. Men and women dove
+from the sides like startled frogs into a pond; they swam, floated and
+stood panting along the walls; swung from the trapeze (Andy,
+remembering his career with the circus, when he was "Andre de Greno,"
+Champion Bareback Rider of the Western Hemisphere, wished that his leg
+was well so that he could show them a few things about that trapeze
+business) and troubled the waters with much splashing. He could not
+keep Mary always in view, but when he did get sight of her she seemed
+to be having a very good time, and not to be worrying in the least
+about him and his sins.
+
+Twice Andy Green half rose from his seat, meaning to leave the plunge,
+the Casino and the whole merry-making crowd; but each time he settled
+back, telling himself that he hated a quitter, and that he guessed
+he'd buy a few more chips and stay in the game.
+
+It seemed a long time before Mary finally emerged in the blue linen
+and the white hat, but Andy was waiting doggedly at the entrance and
+took his place beside her, forcing the man to walk beside the girl
+whom Mary introduced as Lola Parsons. The man's name was Roberts, but
+the girls called him Freddie, and he seemed composed mostly of a
+self-satisfied smile and the latest fad in male attire. Andy set
+himself to the task of "cutting Mary out of the main herd" so that he
+might talk with her. Thus it happened that, failing a secluded spot in
+the immediate neighborhood of the Casino, which buzzed like a
+disturbed hive of gigantic bees, Mary presently found herself on a car
+that was clanging its signal of departure, and there was no sign of
+Freddie and Lola Parsons.
+
+"We lost 'em, back there," Andy told her calmly when she inquired.
+"And as to where we're going, I don't know; as far as this
+lightning-wagon will take us."
+
+"This car goes clear out to the Cliffs," Mary said discouragingly.
+
+"All right. We're going out to the cliffs, then," Andy smiled blandly
+down upon the nodding, white feather in her hat.
+
+"But I promised Lola and Freddie--"
+
+"Oh, that's all right. I'll take the blame. Were yuh surprised to see
+me here?"
+
+"Why should I be? Everybody comes to Santa Cruz, sooner or later."
+
+"I came sooner," said Andy, trying to meet her eye. He wanted to bring
+the conversation to themselves, so that he might explain and justify
+himself, and win forgiveness for his sins.
+
+While they walked along the cliffs he tried, and going home he had not
+given up the attempt. But afterward, when he could sit down quietly
+and think, he was forced to admit that he had not succeeded very well.
+It seemed to him that, while Mary still liked him and was quite ready
+to be friends, she had forgotten just why she had so suddenly left
+Montana. She was sorry he had broken his leg, but in the same breath,
+almost, she told him of such a narrow escape that Freddie had last
+week, when an auto nearly ran him down. Andy regretted keenly that it
+had not.
+
+He had mentioned Irish and Jack Bates, meaning to refute the tales
+they had told of him, and she had asked about the black lamb and the
+white, and then had told him that he must go out to the whistling buoy
+and see the real whale they had anchored out there, and related with
+much detail how Freddie had taken her and Lola out, and how the water
+was so rough she got seasick, and a wave splashed over and ruined
+Freddie's new summer suit, that spotted dreadfully; it wasn't, she
+remarked, a durable color. She hoped Andy would stay a month or two,
+though the "season" was about over. She knew he would just love the
+plunge and the surf-bathing, and there was going to be a boomers'
+barbacue up at the Big Trees in two weeks--and it would seem like home
+to him, seeing a cow roasted whole! She did love Montana, and she
+hoped he brought his chaps and spurs along, for she had told Lola so
+much about him, and she wanted Lola to see him in his Wild West
+clothes.
+
+All this should have pleased Andy very much. She had not grown cold,
+and her eyes were quite as teasing and her smiles as luring as before.
+She did not even lay personal claim to Freddie, that he should be
+jealous. When she spoke of Freddie, his name was linked with Lola
+Parsons, and Andy could not glean that she had ever gone anywhere
+alone with him. She had seemed anxious that he should enjoy his
+vacation to the limit, and had mentioned three or four places that he
+must surely see, and informed him three times that she was "off" at
+five every evening, and could show him around.
+
+They had dined together at a cafe, and had gone back to the Casino for
+the band concert, and they had not been interrupted by meeting Lola
+Parsons and Freddie, and she had given him a very cordial good-night
+when they parted on the steps of her boarding house at eleven.
+
+So there was absolutely no reason for the mood Andy was in when he
+accepted his key from the hotel clerk and went up to his room. For a
+man who has traveled more than a thousand miles in search of the girl
+he had dreamed of o'nights, and who had found her and had been
+properly welcomed, he was distinctly gloomy. He sat down by the open
+window and smoked four cigarettes, said "Damn Freddy!" three times and
+with added emphasis each time, though he knew very well that Freddie
+had nothing to do with it, and then went to bed.
+
+In the morning he felt better, and went out by himself to the cliffs
+where they had been before, and sat down on a hummock covered with
+short grass, and watched the great unrest of the ocean, and wondered
+where the Flying U wagons would be camping, that night. Somehow, the
+wide reach of water reminded him of the prairie; the rolling billows
+were like many, many cattle milling restlessly in a vast herd and
+tossing white heads and horns upward. Below him, the pounding surf was
+to him the bellowing of a thirsty herd corralled.
+
+"This is sure all right," he approved, rousing a little. "It's almost
+as good as sitting up on a pinnacle and looking out over the range. If
+I had a good hoss, and my riding outfit, and could get out there and
+go to work cutting-out them white-caps and hazing 'em up here on a
+run, it wouldn't be so poor. By gracious, this is worth the trip, all
+right." It never occurred to Andy that there was anything strange in
+the remark, or that he sat there because it dulled the heavy ache that
+had been his since yesterday--the ache of finding what he had sought,
+and finding with it disillusionment.
+
+Till hunger drove him away he stayed, and his dreams were of the wide
+land he had left. When he again walked down Pacific Avenue the hall
+clock struck four, and after he had eaten he looked up at it and saw
+that it lacked but fifteen minutes of five.
+
+"I'm supposed to meet her when she quits work," he remembered, "and
+Lola and Freddie will go to the plunge with us." He stopped and stared
+in at the window of a curio store. "Say, that's a dandy Navajo
+blanket," he murmured. "It would be out-uh-sight for a saddle
+blanket." He started on, hesitated and went back. "I've got time
+enough to get it," he explained to himself. He went in, bought the
+blanket and two Mexican _serapes_ that caught his fancy, tucked the
+bundle under his arm and started down the street toward the office
+where Mary worked. It was just two minutes _to five_.
+
+He got almost to the door--so near that his toe struck against a
+corner of the belabelled bulletin board--when a sudden revulsion swept
+his desires back like a huge wave. He stood a second irresolutely and
+then turned back. "Aw--hell! What's the use?" he muttered.
+
+The clock was just on the last stroke of five when he went up to the
+clerk in his hotel. "Say, when does the next train pull out?--I don't
+give a darn in what direction," he wanted to know. When the clerk told
+him seven-thirty, he grinned and became undignifiedly loquacious.
+
+"I want to show yuh a couple of dandy _serapes_ I just glommed, down
+street," he said, and rolled the bundle open upon the desk. "Ain't
+they a couple uh beauts? I got 'em for two uh my friends; they done me
+a big favor, a month or two ago, and I wanted to kinda square the
+deal. That's why I got 'em just alike. Yes, you bet they're peaches;
+yuh can't get 'em like this in Montana. The boys'll sure appreciate
+'em." He retied the bundle, took his room-key from the hand of the
+smiling clerk and started up the stairway, humming a tune under his
+breath as he went.
+
+At the first turn he stopped and looked back. "Send the bell-hop up to
+wake me at seven," he called down to the clerk. "I'm going to take a
+much-needed nap--and it'll be all your life's worth to let me miss
+that train!"
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+
+
+LORDS OF THE POTS AND PANS
+
+
+The camp of the Flying U, snuggled just within the wide-flung arms of
+an unnamed coulee with a pebbly-bottomed creek running across its
+front, looked picturesque and peaceful--from a distance.
+Disenchantment lay in wait for him who strayed close enough to hear
+the wrangling in the cook-tent, however, or who followed Slim to where
+he slumped bulkily down into the shade of a willow fifty yards or so
+from camp--a willow where Pink, Weary, Andy Green and Irish were lying
+sprawled and smoking comfortably.
+
+Slim grunted and moved away from a grass-hidden rock that was gouging
+him in the back. "By golly, things is getting pretty raw around this
+camp," he growled, by way of lifting the safety-valve of his anger.
+"I'd like to know when that darned grub-spoiler bought into the
+outfit, anyhow. He's been trying to run it to suit himself all
+spring--and if he keeps on, by golly, he'll be firing the wagon-boss
+and giving all the orders himself!"
+
+It would seem that sympathy should be offered him; as if the pause he
+made plainly hinted that it was expected. Andy Green rolled over and
+sent him a friendly glance just to hearten him a bit.
+
+"We were listening to the noise of battle," he observed, "and we were
+going over, in a minute, to carry off the dead. You had a kinda
+animated discussion over something, didn't yuh?" Andy was on his good
+behavior, as he had been for a month. His treatment of his fellows
+lately was little short of angelic. His tone soothed Slim to the point
+where he could voice his woe.
+
+"Well, by golly, I guess he knows what I think of him, or pretty near.
+I've stood a lot from Patsy, off and on, and I've took just about all
+I'm going to. It's got so yuh can't get nothing to eat, hardly, when
+yuh ride in late, unless yuh fight for it. Why, by golly, I caught him
+just as he was going to empty out the coffee-boiler--and he knew
+blamed well I hadn't eat. He'd left everything go cold, and he was
+packing away the grub like he was late breaking camp and had a forty
+mile drive before dinner, by golly! I just did save myself some
+coffee, and that was all--but it was cold as that creek, and--" Habit
+impelled him to stop there long enough to run his tongue along the
+edge of a half-rolled cigarette, and accident caused his eyes to catch
+the amused quirk on the lips of Pink and Irish, and the laughing
+glance they exchanged. Possibly if he could have looked in all
+directions at the same time he would have been able to detect signs of
+mirth on the faces of the others as well; for Slim's grievances never
+seemed to be taken seriously by his companions--which is the price
+which one must pay for having a body shaped like Santa Claus and a
+face copied after our old friend in the moon.
+
+"Well, by golly, maybe it's funny--but I took notice yuh done some
+yowling, both uh yuh, the other day when yuh didn't get no pie," he
+snorted, lighting his cigarette with unsteady fingers.
+
+"We wasn't laughing at that," lied Pink pacifically.
+
+"And then, by golly, the old devil lied to me and said there wasn't no
+pie left," went on Slim complainingly, his memory stirred by the taunt
+he had himself given. "But I wouldn't take his word for a thing if I
+knew it was so; I went on a still-hunt around that tent on my own
+hook, and I found a pie--a _whole pie_, by golly!--cached away under
+an empty flour-sack behind the stove! That," he added, staring,
+round-eyed, at the group, "that there was right where me and Patsy
+mixed. The lying old devil said he never knew a thing about it being
+there at all."
+
+Pink turned his head cautiously so that his eyes met the eyes of Andy
+Green. The two had been at some pains to place that pie in a safe
+place so that they might be sure of something appetizing when they
+came in from standing guard that night, but neither seemed to think it
+necessary to proclaim the fact and clear Patsy.
+
+"I'll bet yuh didn't do a thing to the pie when yuh did find it?" Pink
+half questioned, more anxious than he would have owned.
+
+"By golly, I eat the whole thing and I cussed Patsy between every
+mouthful!" boasted Slim, almost in a good-humor again. "I sure got the
+old boy stirred up; I left him swearin' Dutch cuss-words that sounded
+like he was peevish. But I'll betche he won't throw out the coffee
+till I've had what I want after this, by golly!"
+
+"Happy Jack is out yet," Weary observed after a sympathetic silence.
+"You oughtn't to have put Patsy on the fight till everybody was filled
+up, Slim. Happy's liable to go to bed with an empty tummy, if yuh
+don't ride out and warn him to approach easy. Listen over there!"
+
+From where they lay, so still was the air and so incensed was Patsy,
+they could hear plainly the rumbling of his wrath while he talked to
+himself over the dishwashing. When he appeared at the corner of the
+tent or plodded out toward the front of the wagon, his heavy tread and
+stiff neck proclaimed eloquently the mood he was in. They watched and
+listened and were secretly rather glad they were fed and so need not
+face the storm which Slim had raised; for Patsy thoroughly roused was
+very much like an angry bull: till his rage cooled he would charge
+whoever approached him, absolutely blind to consequences.
+
+"Well, I ain't going to put nobody next," Slim asserted. "Happy's got
+to take chances, same as I did. And while we're on the subject, Patsy
+was on the prod before I struck camp, or he wouldn't uh acted the way
+he done. Somebody else riled him up, by golly--I never."
+
+"Well, you sure did put the finishing touches to him," contended
+Irish, guiltily aware that he himself was originally responsible; for
+Patsy never had liked Irish very well because of certain incidents
+connected with his introduction to Weary's double. Patsy never could
+quite forget, though he might forgive, and resentment lay always close
+to the surface of his mood when Irish was near.
+
+Happy Jack, hungry and quite unconscious that he was riding straight
+into the trail of trouble, galloped around a ragged point of
+service-berry bushes, stopped with a lurch at the prostrate corral and
+unsaddled hastily. Those in the shade of the willow watched him, their
+very silence proclaiming loudly their interest. They might have warned
+him by a word, but they did not; for Happy Jack was never eager to
+heed warnings or to take advice, preferring always to abide by the
+rule of opposites. Stiff-legged from long riding, the knees of his
+old, leather chaps bulging out in transient simulation of bowed limbs,
+he came clanking down upon the cook-tent with no thought but to ease
+his hunger.
+
+Those who watched saw him stoop and thrust his head into the tent,
+heard a bellow and saw him back out hastily. They chuckled unfeelingly
+and strained ears to miss no word of what would follow.
+
+"Aw, gwan!" Happy Jack expostulated, not yet angry. "I got here quick
+as I could--and _I_ ain't heard nothing about no new laws uh getting
+here when the whistle blows. Gimme what there is, anyhow."
+
+Some sentences followed which, because of guttural tones and German
+accent emphasized by excitement, were not quite coherent to the
+listeners. However, they did not feel at all mystified as to his
+meaning--knowing Patsy as they did.
+
+"Aw, come off! Somebody must uh slipped yuh a two-gallon jug uh
+something. I've rode the range about as long as you've cooked on it,
+and I never knowed a man to go without his supper yet, just because he
+come in late. I betche yuh dassent stand and say that before Chip, yuh
+blamed old Dutch--" Just there, Happy Jack dodged and escaped getting
+more than a third of the basin of water which came splashing out of
+the tent.
+
+The group under the willows could no longer lie at ease while they
+listened; they jumped up and moved closer, just as a crowd always does
+surge nearer and nearer to an exciting centre. They did not, however,
+interfere by word or deed.
+
+"If yuh wasn't just about ready t' die of old age and general
+cussedness," stormed Happy Jack, "I'd just about kill yuh for that."
+This, however, is a revised version and not intended to be exact. "I
+want my supper, and I want it blame quick, too, or there'll be a dead
+Dutchman in camp. No, yuh don't! You git out uh that tent and lemme
+git in, or--" Happy Jack had the axe in his hand by then, and he swung
+it fearsomely and permitted the gesture to round out his sentence.
+
+Perhaps there would have been something more than words between them,
+for even a Happy Jack may be goaded too far when he is hungry; but
+Chip, who had been washing out some handkerchiefs down by the creek,
+heard the row and came up, squeezing a ball of wet muslin on the way.
+He did not say much when he arrived, and he did not do anything more
+threatening than hang the handkerchiefs over the guy-ropes to dry,
+tying the corners to keep the wind from whipping them away up the
+coulee, but the result was satisfying--to Happy Jack, at least. He ate
+and was filled, and Patsy retired from the fray, sullenly owning
+defeat for that time at least. He went up the creek out of sight from
+camp, and he stayed there until the dusk was so thick that his big,
+white-aproned form was barely distinguishable in the gloom when he
+returned.
+
+At daylight he was his old self, except that he was perhaps a trifle
+gruff when he spoke and a good deal inclined to silence, and harmony
+came and abode for a season with the Flying U.
+
+Patsy had for years cooked for Jim Whitmore and his "outfit"; so many
+years it was that memory of the number was never exact, and even the
+Old Man would have been compelled to preface the number with a few
+minutes of meditation and a "Lemme see, now; Patsy's been cooking for
+me--eighty-six was that hard winter, and he come the spring--no, the
+fall before that. I know because he like to froze before we got the
+mess-house chinked up good--I'll be doggoned if Patsy ain't gitting
+_old_!" That was it, perhaps: Patsy was getting old. And old age does
+not often sweeten one's temper, if you notice. Those angelic old men
+and old ladies have nearly all been immortalized in stories and songs,
+and the unsung remainder have nerves and notions and rheumatism and
+tongues sharpened by all the disappointments and sorrows of their long
+lives.
+
+Patsy never had been angelic; he had always been the victim of more or
+less ill-timed humor on the part of the Happy Family, and the victim
+of hunger-sharpened tempers as well. He had always grumbled and
+rumbled Dutch profanity when they goaded him too hard, and his
+amiability had ever expressed itself in juicy pies and puddings rather
+than in words. On this roundup, however, he was not often amiable and
+he was nearly always rumbling to himself. More than that, he was
+becoming resentful of extra work and bother and he sometimes permitted
+his resentment to carry him farther than was wise.
+
+To quarrel with Patsy was rapidly becoming the fashion, and to gossip
+about him and his faults was already a habit; a habit indulged in too
+freely, perhaps, for the good of the camp. Isolation from the world
+brings small things into greater prominence than is normally their
+due, and large troubles are born of very small irritations.
+
+For two days there was peace of a sort, and then Big Medicine, having
+eaten no dinner because of a headache, rode into camp about three
+o'clock and headed straight for the mess-wagon, quite as if he had a
+right that must not be questioned. Custom did indeed warrant him in
+lunching without the ceremony of asking leave of the cook, for Patsy
+even in his most unpleasant moods had never until lately tried to stop
+anyone from eating when he was hungry.
+
+On this day, however, Big Medicine unthinkingly cut into a fresh-baked
+pie set out to cool. There were other pies, and in cutting one Big
+Medicine was supported by precedent; but Patsy chose to consider it an
+affront and snatched the pie from under Big Medicine's very nose.
+
+"You fellers vot iss always gobbling yet, you iss quit it alreatty!"
+rumbled Patsy, bearing the pie into the tent with Big Medicine's knife
+still lying buried in the lately released juice. "I vork und vork mine
+head off keeping you fellers filled oop tree times a day alreatty; I
+not vork und vork to feed you effery hour, py cosh. You go mitout till
+supper iss reaty for you yet."
+
+Big Medicine, his frog-like eyes standing out from his sun-reddened
+face, stared agape. "Well, by cripes!" He hesitated, looking about
+him; but whether his search was for more pie or for moral support he
+did not say. Truth to tell, there was plenty of both. He reached for
+another pie and another knife, and he grinned his wide grin at Irish,
+who had just come up. "Dutchy's trying to run a whizzer," he remarked,
+cutting a defiant gash clean across the second pie. "What do yuh know
+about that?"
+
+"He's often took that way," said Irish soothingly. "You don't want all
+that pie--give me about half of it."
+
+Big Medicine, his mouth too full for coherent utterance, waved his
+hand and his knife toward the shelf at the back of the mess-wagon
+where three more pies sat steaming in the shade. "Help yourself," he
+invited juicily when he could speak.
+
+Those familiar with camp life in the summer have perhaps observed the
+miraculous manner in which a million or so "yellow-jackets" will come
+swarming around when one opens a can of fruit or uncovers the sugar
+jar. It was like that. Irish helped himself without any hesitation
+whatever, and he had not taken a mouthful before Happy Jack, Weary and
+Pink were buzzing around for all the world like the "yellow-jackets"
+mentioned before. Patsy buzzed also, but no one paid the slightest
+attention until the last mouthful of the last pie was placed in
+retirement where it would be most appreciated. Then Weary became aware
+of Patsy and his wrath, and turned to him pacifically.
+
+"Oh, yuh don't want to worry none about the pie," he smiled winningly
+at him. "Mamma! How do you expect to keep pies around this camp when
+yuh go right on making such good ones? Yuh hadn't ought to be such a
+crackajack of a cook, Patsy, if you don't want folks to eat themselves
+sick."
+
+If any man among them could have soothed Patsy, Weary would certainly
+have been the man; for next to Chip he was Patsy's favorite. To say
+that he failed is only one way of making plain how great was Patsy's
+indignation.
+
+"Aw, yuh made 'em to be eat, didn't yuh?" argued Happy Jack. "What
+difference does it make whether we eat 'em now or two hours from now?"
+
+Patsy tried to tell them the difference. He called his hands and his
+head to help his rage-tangled tongue and he managed to make himself
+very well understood. They did not argue the fine point of gastronomic
+ethics which he raised, though they felt that his position was not
+unassailable and his ultimate victory not assured.
+
+Instead, they peered into boxes and cans which were covered, gleaned a
+whole box of seeded raisins and some shredded cocoanut just to tease
+him and retired to wrangle ostentatiously over their treasure trove in
+the shade of the bed-tent, leaving Patsy to his anger and his empty
+tins.
+
+Other men straggled in, drifted with the tide of their appetites to
+the cook-tent, hovered there briefly and retired vanquished and still
+hungry. They invariably came over to the little group which was
+munching raisins and cocoanut and asked accusing questions. What was
+the matter with Patsy? Who had put him on the fight like that? and
+other inquiries upon the same subject.
+
+Just because they were all lying around camp with nothing to do but
+eat, Patsy was late with his supper that night. It would seem that he
+dallied purposely and revengefully, and though the Happy Family flung
+at him taunts and hurry-up orders, it is significant that they shouted
+from a distance and avoided coming to close quarters.
+
+Just how and when they began their foolish little game of imitation
+broncho-fighting does not matter. When work did not press and red
+blood bubbled they frequently indulged in "rough-riding" one another
+to the tune of much taunting and many a "Bet yuh can't pitch _me_
+off!" Before supper was called they were hard at it and they quite
+forgot Patsy.
+
+"I'll give any man a dollar that can ride me straight up, by cripes!"
+bellowed Big Medicine, going down upon all fours by way of invitation.
+
+"Easy money, and mine from the start!" retorted Irish and immediately
+straddled Big Medicine's back. Horses and riders pantingly gave over
+their own exertions and got out of the way, for Big Medicine played
+bronk as he did everything else: with all his heart and soul and
+muscles, and since he was strong as a bull, riding him promised much
+in the way of excitement.
+
+"Yuh can hold on by my collar, but if yuh choke me down I'll murder
+yuh in cold blood," he warned Irish before he started. "And don't yuh
+dig your heels in my ribs neither, or I'm liable to bust every bone
+yuh got to your name. I'm ticklish, by cripes!"
+
+"I'll ride yuh with my arms folded if yuh say so," Irish offered
+generously. "Move, you snail!" He struck Big Medicine spectacularly
+with his hat, yelled at the top of his voice and the riding began
+immediately and tumultuously.
+
+It is very difficult to describe accurately and effectively the
+evolutions of a horse when he "pitches" his worst and hardest. It is
+still more difficult to set down in words the gyrations of a man when
+he is playing that he is a broncho and is trying to dislodge the
+fellow upon his back. Big Medicine reared and kicked and bellowed and
+snorted. He came down upon a small "pin-cushion" cactus and was
+obliged to call a recess while he extracted three cactus spines from
+his knee with his smallest knife-blade and some profanity.
+
+He rolled down his trousers' leg, closed his knife and tossed it to
+Pink for fear he might lose it, examined critically a patch of grass
+to make sure there were no more cacti hidden there and bawled: "Come
+on, now, I'll sure give yuh a run for your money _this_ time, by
+cripes!" and began all over again.
+
+How human muscles can bear the strain he put upon his own must be
+always something of a mystery. He described curves in the air which
+would sound incredible; he "swapped ends" with all the ease of a real
+fighting broncho and came near sending Irish off more than once.
+Insensibly he neared the cook-tent, where Patsy so far forgot himself
+as to stand just without the lifted flap and watch the fun with sour
+interest.
+
+"Ah-h _want_ yuh!" yelled Big Medicine, quite purple but far from
+surrender, and gave a leap.
+
+"Go _get_ me!" shouted Irish, whipping down the sides of his mount
+with his hat.
+
+Big Medicine answered the taunt by a queer, twisted plunge which he
+had saved for the last. It brought Irish spread-eagling over his head,
+and it landed him fairly in the middle of Patsy's great pan of soft
+bread "sponge"--and landed him upon his head into the bargain. Irish
+wriggled there a moment and came up absolutely unrecognizable and a
+good deal dazed. Big Medicine rolled helplessly in the grass, laughing
+his big, bellowing laugh.
+
+It was straight into that laugh and the great mouth from where it
+issued, that Patsy, beside himself with rage at the accident,
+deposited all the soft dough which was not clinging to the head and
+face of Irish. He was not content with that. While the Happy Family
+roared appreciation of the spectacle, Patsy returned with a kettle of
+meat and tried to land that neatly upon the dough.
+
+"Py cosh, if dat iss der vay you wants your grub, py cosh, dat iss der
+vay you gets it alreatty!" he brought the coffee-boiler and threw that
+also at the two, and followed it with a big basin of stewed corn.
+
+Irish, all dough as he was, went for him blindly and grappled with
+him, and it was upon this turbulent scene which Chip looked first when
+he rode up. The Happy Family crowded around him gasping and tried to
+explain.
+
+"They were doing some rough-riding--"
+
+"By golly, Patsy no business to set his bread dough on the ground!"
+
+"He's throwed away all the supper there is, and I betche--"
+
+"Mamma! Yuh sure missed it, Chip. You ought--"
+
+"By cripes, if that Dutch--"
+
+"Break away there, Irish!" shouted Chip, dismounting hurriedly. "Has
+it got so you must fight an old man like that?"
+
+"Py cosh, _I'll_ fight mit him alreatty! I'll fight mit any mans vat
+shpoils mine bread. Maybe I'm old yet but I ain't dead yet und I could
+fight--" The words came disjointedly, mere punctuation points to his
+wild sparring.
+
+It was plain that Irish, furious though he was, was trying not to hurt
+Patsy very much; but it took four men to separate them for all that.
+When they had dragged Irish perforce down to the creek by which they
+had camped, and had yelled to Big Medicine to come on and feed the
+fish, quiet should have been restored--but it was not.
+
+Patsy was, in American parlance, running amuck. He was jumbling three
+languages together into an indistinguishable tumult of sound and he
+was emptying the cook-tent of everything which his stout, German
+muscles could fling from it. Not a thing did he leave that was eatable
+and the dishes within his reach he scattered recklessly to all the
+winds of heaven. When one venturesome soul after another approached to
+calm him, he found it expedient to duck and run to cover. Patsy's aim
+was terribly exact.
+
+The Happy Family, under cover or at a safe distance from the hurtling
+pans, cans and stove wood, caressed sundry bumps and waited meekly.
+Irish and Big Medicine, once more disclosing the features God had
+given them, returned by a circuitous route and joined their fellows.
+
+"Look at 'em over there--he's emptying every grain uh rolled oats on
+the ground!" Happy Jack was a "mush-fiend." "Somebody better go over
+and stop 'im--"
+
+"You ain't tied down," suggested Cal Emmett rather pointedly, and
+Happy Jack said no more.
+
+Chip, usually so incisively clear as to his intentions and his duties,
+waited irresolutely and dodged missiles along with the rest of them.
+When Patsy subsided for the very good reason that there was nothing
+else which he could throw out, Chip took the matter up with him and
+told him quite plainly some of the duties of a cook, a few of his
+privileges and all of his limitations. The result, however, was not
+quite what he expected. Patsy would not even listen.
+
+"Py cosh, I not stand for dose poys no more," he declared, wagging his
+head with its shiny crown and the fringe of grizzled hair around the
+back. "I not cook grub for dat Irish und dat Big Medicine und Happy
+Jack und all dose vat cooms und eats mine pies und shpoils mine pread
+und makes deirselves fools all der time. If dose fellers shtay on dis
+camp I quits him alreatty." To make the bluff convincing he untied his
+apron, threw it spitefully upon the ground and stamped upon it
+clumsily, like a maddened elephant.
+
+"Well, quit then!" Chip was fast losing his own temper, what with the
+heat and his hunger and a general distaste for camp troubles. "This
+jangling has got to stop right here. We've had about enough of it in
+the last month. If you can't cook for the outfit peaceably--" He did
+not finish the sentence, or if he did the distance muffled the words,
+for he was leading his horse back to the vicinity of the rope corral
+that he might unsaddle and turn him loose.
+
+He heard several voices muttering angrily, but his wrath was ever of
+the stiff-necked variety so that he would not look around to see what
+was the matter. The tumult grew, however, until when he did turn he
+saw Patsy stalking off across the prairie with his hat on and his coat
+folded neatly over his arm, and Irish and Big Medicine fighting
+wickedly in the open space between the two tents. He finished
+unsaddling and then went stalking over to quell this latest
+development.
+
+"They're trying to find out who was to blame," Weary informed him when
+he was quite close. "Bud hasn't got much tact: he called Irish a
+dough-head. Irish didn't think it was true humor, and he hit Bud on
+the nose. He claims that Bud pitched him into that dishpan uh dough
+with malice aforethought. Better let 'em argue the point to a finish,
+now they're started. It's black eyes for the peacemaker--you believe
+_me_."
+
+While the dusk folded them close and the nighthawks swooped from afar,
+the Happy Family gathered round and watched them fight. Chip and Weary
+thoughtfully went into the bed-tent and got the guns which were stowed
+away in the beds of the combatants, so that when their anger reached
+the killing point they must let it bubble harmlessly until the fires
+which fed it went cold. Which was exceeding wise of the two, for Big
+Medicine and Irish did get to that very point and raged all over the
+camp because they could not shoot each other.
+
+The hottest battle must perforce end sometime, and so the camp of the
+Flying U did at last settle into some semblance of calm. Irish rolled
+his bed, saddled a horse and rode off toward town, quite as if he were
+going for good and all. Big Medicine went down to the creek for the
+second time that evening to wash away the marks of strife, and when he
+returned he went straight to bed without a word to anyone. Patsy was
+gone, no man knew whither, and the cook-tent was as nearly wrecked as
+might be.
+
+"Makes me think uh that time we had the ringtailed tiger in camp,"
+sighed Andy Green, shaking sand out of the teakettle so that it could
+be refilled.
+
+"By golly, I'd ruther have a whole band uh tagers than this fighting
+bunch," Slim affirmed earnestly. Slim was laboring sootily with the
+stove-pipe which Patsy had struck askew with a stick of wood.
+
+Outside, Happy Jack was protesting in what he believed to be an
+undertone against being installed in Patsy's place. "Aw, that's always
+the way! Anything comes up, it's 'Happy, you git in and rustle some
+chuck.' _I_ ain't no cook--or if I be they might pay me cook's wages.
+I betche there ain't another man in camp would stand for it.
+Somebody's got to take that bacon down to the creek and wash it off,
+if yuh want any meat for supper. There ain't no time to boil beef. If
+I'd a been boss uh this outfit, I betche no blame cook on earth would
+uh made rough-house like Patsy done." But no one paid the slightest
+attention to Happy Jack, having plenty to think of and to do before
+they slept.
+
+Not even the sun, when it shone again, could warm their hearts to a
+joy in living. Happy Jack cooked the breakfast, but his coffee was
+weak and his biscuits "soggy," and Patsy had managed to make the
+butter absolutely uneatable with sand; also they were late and Chip
+was surly over the double loss of cook and cowboy. Happy Jack packed
+food and dishes in much the same spirit which Patsy had shown the
+night before, climbed sullenly to the high seat, gathered up the reins
+of the four restive horses, released the brake and let out a yell
+surcharged with all the bitterness bottled within his soul. _He_ had
+not done anything to precipitate the trouble. Beyond eating half a pie
+he had been an innocent spectator, not even taking part in the
+rough-riding. Yet here he was, condemned to the mess-wagon quite as if
+he were to blame for Patsy's leaving. The eyes of Happy Jack gazed
+gloomily upon the world, and his driving seemed a reckless invitation
+to disaster. "I betche I'll make 'em good and sick uh _my_ cooking!"
+he plotted while he went rattling and bumping over the untrailed
+prairie.
+
+He succeeded so well that two days later Chip gave a curt order or two
+and headed his wagons, horses and his lean-stomached bunch of riders
+for Dry Lake, passing by even the Flying U coulee in his haste. Just
+outside the town, upon the creek which saves the inhabitants from
+dying of thirst or _delirium tremens_, he left the wagons with Happy
+Jack, Slim and one alien to set up camp and rode dust-dogged to the
+little, red depot.
+
+The telegram which went speeding to Great Falls and to a friend there
+was brief, but it was eloquent and not quite flattering to Happy Jack.
+It read like this:
+
+  "JOHN G. SCOTT,
+
+  "The Palace, Great Falls.
+
+  "For God's sake send me a cook by return train; must deliver goods
+  or die hard.
+
+  "BENNETT, Flying U."
+
+Whether the cook must die hard, or whether he meant the friend, Chip
+did not trouble to make plain. Telegrams are bound by such rigid
+limitations, and he had gone over the ten-word rate as it was. But he
+told Weary to receive the cook, be he white or black, have him restock
+the mess-wagon to his liking and then bring the outfit to the ranch,
+when Chip would again take it in hand. He said that he was going home
+to get a square meal, and he mentioned Happy Jack along with several
+profane words. "Johnny Scott will send a cook, and a good one,"; he
+added hopefully. "Johnny never threw down a friend in his life and he
+never will. And say, Weary, if he wires, you collect the message and
+act accordingly. I'm going to have a decent supper, to-night!" He was
+riding a good horse and there was no reason why he should be late in
+arriving, especially if he kept the gait at which he left town.
+
+In two hours Weary, Pink and Andy Green were touching hat-brims over a
+telegram from Johnny Scott--a telegram which was brief as Chip's, and
+more illuminating:
+
+    "CHIP BENNETT,
+
+    "Dry Lake.
+
+    "Kidnaped Park hotel chef best cook in town will be on next train.
+    J.G. SCOTT."
+
+"Sounds good," mused Andy, reading it for the fourth time. "But
+there's thirteen words in that telegram, if yuh notice."
+
+"I wish yuh wouldn't try to butt in on Happy Jack's specialty," Weary
+remonstrated, folding the message and slipping it inside the yellow
+envelope. "If this is the same jasper that cooked there a month ago,
+we're going to eat ourselves plumb to death; a better meal I never
+laid away inside me than the one I got at the Park Hotel when I was up
+there last time. Come on over to the hotel and eat; their chuck isn't
+the best in the world, but it could be a lot worse and still beat
+Happy Jack to a jelly."
+
+
+PART TWO
+
+
+The whole Happy Family--barring Happy Jack, who was sulking in camp
+because of certain things which had been said of his cooking and which
+he had overheard--clanked spurs impatiently upon the platform and
+waited for the arrival of the train from the West. When at last it
+snorted into town and nosed its way up to the platform they bunched
+instinctively and gazed eagerly at the steps which led down from the
+smoker.
+
+A slim little man in blue serge, a man with the complexion of a strip
+of rawhide and the mustache of a third-rate orchestra leader, felt his
+way gingerly down by the light of the brakeman's lantern, hesitated
+and then came questioningly toward them, carrying with some difficulty
+a bulky suitcase.
+
+"It's him, all right," muttered Pink while they waited.
+
+The little man stopped apologetically before the group, indistinct in
+the faint light from the office window. Already the train was sliding
+away into the dark. "Pardon," he apologized. "I am looking for the U
+fich flies."
+
+"This is it," Weary assured him gravely. "We'll take yuh right on out
+to camp. Pretty dark, isn't it? Let me take your grip--I know the way
+better than you do." Weary was not in the habit of making himself a
+porter for any man's accommodation, but the way back to where they had
+left the horses was dark, and the new cook was very small and slight.
+They filed silently back to Rusty Brown's place, invited the cook in
+for a drink and were refused with soft-voiced regret and the gracious
+assurance that he would wait outside for them.
+
+Weary it was, and Pink to bear him company, who piloted the stranger
+out to camp and showed him where he might sleep in Patsy's bed. Patsy
+had left town, the Happy Family had been informed, with the
+declaration often repeated that he was "neffer cooming back alreatty."
+He had even left behind him his bed and his clothes rather than meet
+again any member of the Flying U outfit.
+
+"We'd like breakfast somewhere near sunrise," Weary told the cook at
+parting. "Soon as the store opens in the morning, we'll drive in and
+you can stock up the wagon; we're pretty near down to cases, judging
+from the meals we have been getting lately. Hope yuh make out all
+right."
+
+"I will do very nicely, I thank you," smiled the new cook in the light
+of the lantern which stood upon the fireless cook-stove. "I wish you
+good-night, gentlemen, and sweet dreams of loved ones."
+
+"Say, he's a polite son-of-a-gun," Pink commented when they were
+riding back to town. "'The U fich flies'--that's a good one! What is
+he, do you thing? French?"
+
+"He's liable to be most anything, and I'll gamble he can build a good
+dinner for a hungry man. That's the main point," said Weary.
+
+At daybreak Weary woke and heard him humming a little tune while he
+moved softly about the cook-tent and the mess-wagon, evidently
+searching mostly for the things which were not there, to judge from
+stray remarks which interrupted the love song. "Rolled oat--I do not
+find him," he heard once. And again: "Where the clean towels they are,
+that I do not discover." Weary smiled sleepily and took another nap.
+
+The cook's manner of announcing breakfast was such that it awoke even
+Jack Bates, notoriously a sleepy-head, and Cal Emmett who was almost
+as bad. Instead of pounding upon a pan and lustily roaring
+"_Grub-pi-i-ile!_" in the time-honored manner of roundup cooks, he
+came softly up to the bed-tent, lifted a flap deprecatingly and
+announced in a velvet voice:
+
+"Breakfast is served, gentlemen."
+
+Andy Green, whose experiences had been varied, sat up and blinked at
+the gently swaying flap where the cook had been standing. "Say, what
+we got in camp?" he asked curiously. "A butler?"
+
+"By golly, that's the way a cook _oughta_ be!" vowed Slim, and reached
+for his hat.
+
+They dressed hastily and trooped down to the creek for their morning
+ablutions, and hurried back to the breakfast which waited. The new
+cook was smiling and apologetic and anxious to please. The Happy
+Family felt almost as if there were a woman in camp and became very
+polite without in the least realizing that they were not behaving in
+the usual manner, or dreaming that they were unconsciously trying to
+live up to their chef.
+
+"The breakfast, it is of a lacking in many things fich I shall
+endeavor to remedy," he assured them, pouring coffee as if he were
+serving royalty. He was dressed immaculately in white cap and apron,
+and his mustache was waxed to a degree which made it resemble a cat's
+whiskers. The Happy Family tasted the coffee and glanced eloquently at
+one another. It was better than Patsy's coffee, even; and as for Happy
+Jack--
+
+There were biscuits, the like of which they never had tasted before.
+The bacon was crisp and delicately brown and delicious, the potatoes
+cooked in a new and enticing way. The Happy Family showed its
+appreciation as seemed to them most convincing: They left not a scrap
+of anything and they drank two cups of coffee apiece when that was not
+their habit.
+
+Later, they hitched the four horses to the mess-wagon, learned that
+the new cook, though he deeply regretted his inefficiency, did not
+drive anything. "The small burro," he explained, "I ride him, yes, and
+also the automobile drive I when the way is smooth. But the horses I
+make not acquainted with him. I could ride upon the elevated seat,
+yes, but to drive the quartet I would not presume."
+
+"Happy, you'll have to drive," said Weary, his tone a command.
+
+"Aw, gwan!" Happy Jack objected, "He rode out here all right last
+night--unless somebody took him up in front on the saddle, which I
+hain't heard about nobody doing. A cook's supposed to do his own
+driving. I betche--"
+
+Weary went close and pointed a finger impressively. "Happy, you
+_drive_," he said, and Happy Jack turned without a word and climbed
+glumly up to the seat of the mess-wagon.
+
+"Well, are yuh coming or ain't yuh?" he inquired of the cook in a tone
+surcharged with disgust.
+
+"If you will so kindly permit, it give me great pleasure to ride with
+you and to make better friendship. It now occurs to me that I have not
+yet introduce. Gentlemen, Jacques I have the honor to be name. I am
+delighted to meet you and I hope for pleasant association." The bow he
+gave the group was of the old school.
+
+Big Medicine grinned suddenly and came forward. "Honest to grandma,
+I'm happy to know yuh!" he bellowed, and caught the cook's hand in a
+grip that sent him squirming upon his toes. "These here are my
+friends: Happy Jack up there on the wagon, and Slim and Weary and Pink
+and Cal and Jack Bates and Andy Green--and there's more scattered
+around here, that don't reely count except when it comes to eating. We
+like you, by cripes, and we like your cookin' fine! Now, you amble
+along to town and load up with the best there is--huh?" It occurred to
+him that his final remarks might be construed as giving orders, and he
+glanced at Weary and winked to show that he meant nothing serious. "So
+long, Jakie," he added over his shoulder and went to where his horse
+waited.
+
+Jacques--ever afterward he was known as "Jakie" to the Flying
+U--clambered up the front wheel and perched ingratiatingly beside
+Happy Jack, and they started off behind the riders for the short mile
+to Dry Lake. Immediately he proceeded to win Happy from his glum
+aloofness.
+
+"I would say, Mr. Happy, that I should like exceeding well to be
+friends together," he began purringly. "So superior a gentleman must
+win the admiration of the onlooker and so I could presume to question
+for advisement. I am experience much dexterity for cooking, yes, but I
+am yet so ignorant concerning the duties pertaining to camp. If the
+driving of these several horses transpire to pertain, I will so gladly
+receive the necessary instruction and endeavor to fulfil the
+accomplishment. Yes?"
+
+Happy Jack, more in stupefaction at the cook's vocabulary than
+anything else, turned his head and took a good look at him. And the
+trustful smile of Jakie went straight to the big, soft heart of him
+and won him completely. "Aw, gwan," he adjured gruffly to hide his
+surrender. "I don't mind driving for yuh. It ain't that I was kicking
+about."
+
+"I thank you for the so gracious assurement. If I transgress not too
+greatly, I should like for inquire what is the chuck for which I am
+told to fill the wagon. I do not," he added humbly, "understand yet
+all the language of your so glorious country, for fich I have so
+diligently study the books. Words I have not yet assimilated
+completely, and the word chuck have yet escape my knowledge."
+
+"Chuck," grinned Happy Jack, "is grub."
+
+"Chuck, it is grub," repeated Jakie thoughtfully. "And grub, that
+is--Yes?"
+
+Happy Jack struggled mentally with the problem. "Well, grub is grub;
+all the stuff yuh eat is grub. Meat and flour and coffee and--"
+
+"Ah, the light it dawns!" exclaimed Jakie joyously. "Grub it is the
+supply of provision fich I must obtain for camping, yes? I thank you
+so graciously for the information; because," he added a bit wistfully,
+"that little word chuck she annoy me exceeding and make me for not
+sleep that I must grasp the meaning fich elude. I am now happy that I
+do not make the extensive blunder for one small word fich I apprehend
+must be a food fich I must buy and perhaps not to understand the
+preparation of it. Yes? It is the excellent jest at the expense of
+me."
+
+"There ain't much chuck in camp," Happy observed helpfully, "so yuh
+might as well start in and get anything yuh want to cook. The outfit
+is good about one thing They don't never kick on the stuff yuh eat.
+The cook always loads up to suit himself, and nobody don't ask
+questions or make a holler--so long as there's plenty and it's good."
+
+Jakie listened attentively, twisting his mustache ends absently. "It
+is simply that I purchase the supplies fich I shall choose for my
+judgment," he observed, to make quite sure that he understood. "I am
+to have _carte blanche_, yes?"
+
+"Sure, if yuh want it," said Happy Jack. "Only they might not keep it
+here. Yuh can't get _everything_ in a little place like this." It is
+only fair to Happy Jack to state that he would have understood the
+term if he had seen it in print. It was the pronunciation which made
+the words strange to him.
+
+Jakie looked puzzled, but being the soul of politeness he made no
+comment--perhaps because Happy Jack was at that moment bringing his
+four horses to a reluctant stand at the wide side-door of the store.
+
+"The horses, they are of the vivacious temperament, yes?" Jakie had
+scrambled from the seat to within the door and was standing there
+smiling appreciatively at the team.
+
+"Aw, they're all right. You go on in--I guess Weary's there. If he
+ain't, you go ahead and get what yuh want. I'll be back after awhile."
+Thirst was calling Happy Jack; he heeded the summons and disappeared,
+leaving the new cook to his own devices.
+
+So, it would seem, did every other member of the Flying U. Weary had
+been told that Miss Satterly was in town, and he forgot all about
+Jakie in his haste to find her. No one else seemed to feel any
+responsibility in the matter, and the store clerks did not care what
+the Flying U outfit had to eat. For that reason the chuck-wagon
+contained in an hour many articles which were strange to it, and
+lacked a few things which might justly be called necessities.
+
+"Say, you fellows are sure going to live swell," one of the clerks
+remarked, when Happy Jack finally returned. "Where did yuh pick his
+nibs? Ain't he a little bit new and shiny?"
+
+"Aw, he's all right," Happy Jack defended jealously. "He's a real
+_chaff_, and he can build the swellest meals yuh ever eat. Patsy can't
+cook within a mile uh him. And _clean_--I betche _he_ don't keep his
+bread-dough setting around on the ground for folks to tromp on." Which
+proves how completely Jakie had subjugated Happy Jack.
+
+That night--nobody but the horse-wrangler and Happy Jack had shown up
+at dinner-time--the boys of the Flying U dined luxuriously at their
+new-made camp upon the creek-bank at the home ranch, and ate things
+which they could not name but which pleased wonderfully their palates.
+There was a salad to tempt an epicure, and there was a pudding the
+like of which they had never tasted. It had a French name which left
+them no wiser than before asking for it, and it looked, as Pink
+remarked, like a snowbank with the sun shining on it, and it tasted
+like going to heaven.
+
+"It makes me plumb sore when I think of all the years I've stood for
+Patsy's slops," sighed Cal Emmett, rolling over upon his back because
+he was too full for any other position--putting it plainly.
+
+"By golly, I never knowed there was such cookin' in the world," echoed
+Slim. "Why, even Mis' Bixby can't cook that good."
+
+"The Countess had ought to come down and take a few lessons," declared
+Jack Bates emphatically. "I'm going to take up some uh that pudding
+and ask her what she thinks of it."
+
+"Yuh can't," mourned Happy Jack. "There ain't any left--and I never
+got more'n a taste. Next time, I'm going to tell Jakie to make it in a
+wash tub, and make it full; with some uh you gobblers in camp--"
+
+He looked up and discovered the Little Doctor approaching with Chip.
+She was smiling a friendly welcome, and she was curious about the new
+cook. By the time she had greeted them all and had asked all the
+questions she could think of and had gone over to meet Jakie and to
+taste, at the urgent behest of the Happy Family, a tiny morsel of
+salad which had been overlooked, it would seem that the triumph of the
+new cook was complete and that no one could possibly give a thought to
+old Patsy.
+
+The Little Doctor, however, seemed to regret his loss--and that in the
+face of the delectable salad and the smile of Jakie. "I do think it's
+a shame that Patsy left the way he did," she remarked to the Happy
+Family in general, being especially careful not to look toward Big
+Medicine. "The poor old fellow _walked_ every step of the way to the
+ranch, and Claude"--that was Chip's real name--"says it was
+twenty-five or six miles. He was so lame and he looked so old and
+so--well, friendless, that I could have _cried_ when he came limping
+up to the house! He had walked all night, and he got here just at
+breakfast time and was too tired to eat.
+
+"I dosed him and doctored his poor feet and made him go to bed, and he
+slept all that day. He wanted to start that night for Dry Lake, but of
+course we wouldn't let him do that. He was wild to leave, however, so
+J.G. had to drive him in the next day. He went off without a word to
+any of us, and he looked so utterly dejected and so--so _old_. Claude
+says he acted perfectly awful in camp, but I'm sure he was sorry for
+it afterwards. J.G. hasn't got over it yet; I believe he has taken it
+to heart as much as Patsy seemed to do. He's had Patsy with him for so
+long, you see--he was like one of the family." She stopped and
+regarded the Happy Family a bit anxiously. "This new cook is a very
+nice little man," she added after a minute, "but after all, he isn't
+Patsy."
+
+The Happy Family did not answer, and they refrained from looking at
+one another or at the Little Doctor.
+
+At last Big Medicine brought his big voice into the awkward silence.
+"Honest to grandma, Mrs. Chip," he said earnestly, "I'd give a lot
+right now to have old Patsy back--er--just to have _around_, if it
+made him feel bad to leave. I reckon maybe that was my fault: I hadn't
+oughta pitched quite so hard, and I had oughta looked where I was
+throwin' m' rider. I reelize that no cook likes to have a fellow
+standin' on his head in a big pan uh bread-sponge, on general
+principles if not on account uh the bread. Uh course, we've all knowed
+old Patsy to take just about as great liberties himself with his
+sponge--but we've got to recollect that it was _his_ dough, by cripes,
+and that pipe ashes ain't the same as a fellow takin' a shampoo in the
+pan. No, I reelize that I done wrong, and I'm willin' to apologize for
+it right here and now. At the same time," he ended dryly, "I will own
+that I'm dead stuck on little Jakie, and I'd ruther ride for the
+Flying U and eat Jakie's grub than any other fate I can think of right
+now. Whilst I'm sorry for what I done, yuh couldn't pry me loose from
+Jakie with a stick uh dynamite--and that's a fact, Mrs. Chip."
+
+The Little Doctor laughed, pushed back her hair in the way she had,
+glanced again at the unresponsive faces of the original members of the
+Happy Family and gave up as gracefully as possible.
+
+"Oh, of course Patsy's an old crank, and Jakie's a waxed angel," she
+surrendered with a little grimace. "You think so now, but that's
+because you are being led astray by your appetites, like all men. You
+just wait: You'll be _homesick_ for a sight of that fat, bald-headed,
+cranky old Patsy bouncing along on the mess-wagon and swearing in
+Dutch at his horses, before you're through. If you're not so
+completely gone over to Jakie that you will eat nothing but what he
+has cooked, come on up to the house. The Countess is making a
+twogallon freezer of ice-cream for you, and she has a big pan of angel
+cake to go with it! You don't deserve it--but come along anyway."
+Which was another endearing way of the Little Doctor's--the way of
+sweetening all her lectures with something very nice at the end.
+
+The Happy Family felt very much ashamed and very sorry that they could
+not feel kindly toward Patsy, even to please the Little Doctor. They
+sincerely wanted to please her and to have her unqualified approval;
+but wanting Patsy back, or feeling even the slightest regret that he
+was gone, seemed to them a great deal too much to ask of them. Since
+this is a story of cooks and of eating, one may with propriety add,
+however, that the invitation to ice cream and angel cake, coming
+though it did immediately after that wonderful supper of Jakie's, was
+accepted with alacrity and their usual thoroughness of accomplishment;
+not for the world would they have offended the Little Doctor by
+declining so gracious an invitation--the graciousness being manifested
+in her smile and her voice rather than in the words she spoke--leaving
+out the enchantment which hovers over the very name of angel cake and
+ice cream. The Happy Family went to bed that night as complacently
+uncomfortable as children after a Christmas dinner.
+
+Not often does it fall to the lot of a cowboy to have served to him
+stuffed olives and lobster salad with mayonnaise dressing, French
+fried potatoes and cream puffs from the mess-tent of a roundup outfit.
+During the next week it fell to the lot of the Happy Family, however.
+When the salads and the cream puffs disappeared suddenly and the smile
+of Jakie became pensive and contrite, the Happy Family, acting
+individually but unanimously, made inquiries.
+
+"It is that I no more possess the fresh vegetables, nor the eggs,
+gentlemen," purred Jakie. "Many things of a deliciousness must I now
+abstain because of the absence of two, three small eggs! But see, one
+brief arrival in the small town would quickly remedy, yes? It is that
+we return with haste that I may buy more of the several articles for
+fich I require?" He spread his small hands appealingly.
+
+"By golly, _Patsy_ never had no eggs--" began Slim traitorously.
+
+"Aw, gwan! Patsy never fed yuh like Jakie does, neither!" Happy Jack
+was heart and soul the slave of the chef. "If Chip don't care, I'll
+ride over to Nelson's and git some eggs. Jakie said he'd make some
+more uh that pudding if he had some. It ain't but six or seven miles."
+
+"Should you but obtain the juvenile hen, yes, I should be delighted to
+serve the chicken salad for luncheon. It is the great misfortune that
+the fresh vegetable are not obtain, but I will do the best and
+substitute with a cleverness fich will conceal the defect--yes?"
+Jakie's caps and aprons had lost their first immaculate freshness, but
+his manner was as royally perfect as ever and his smile as wistfully
+friendly.
+
+"Well, I'll ask Chip about it," Happy Jack yielded.
+
+Eggs and young chickens were of a truth strange to a roundup in full
+blast, but so was a chef like Jakie, and so were the salads, stuffed
+olives and cream puffs; and the white caps and the waxed mustache and
+the beautiful flow of words and the smile. The Happy Family was in no
+condition, mentally or digestively, to judge impartially. A month ago
+they would have whooped derision at the suggestion of riding anywhere
+after fresh eggs and "juvenile hens," but now it seemed to them very
+natural and very necessary. So much for the demoralization of expert
+cookery and white caps and a smile.
+
+Chip also seemed to have fallen under the spell. It may have been that
+the heavenly peace which wrapped the Flying U was, in his mind, too
+precious to be lightly disturbed. At any rate he told Happy Jack
+briefly to "Go ahead, if you want to," and so left unobstructed the
+path to the chicken salad and cream puffs. Happy Jack wiped his hands
+upon an empty flour sack, rolled down his shirtsleeves and hurried off
+to saddle a horse.
+
+Happy Jack did not realize that he was doing two thirds of the work
+about the cook-tent, but that was a fact. Because Jakie could not
+drive the mess-wagon team, Happy Jack had been appointed his
+assistant. As assistant he drove the wagon from one camping place to
+another, "rustled" the wood, peeled the potatoes, tended fires and
+washed dishes, and did the thousand things which do not require expert
+hands, and which, in time of stress, usually falls to the
+horse-wrangler. Jakie was ever smiling and always promising, in his
+purring voice, to cook something new and delicious, and left with the
+leisure which Happy's industry gave him, he usually kept his promise.
+
+"Now, Mr. Happy," he would smile, "I am agreeable to place the
+confidence in your so gracious person that you prepare the potatoes,
+yes? And that you attend to the boiling of meat and the unpacking and
+arrangement of those necessary furnishings for fich you possess the
+great understanding. And I shall prepare the so delicious dessert of
+the floating island, what you call in America. Yes? Our friends will
+have the so delightful astonishment when they arrive. They shall
+exclaim and partake joyously, is it not? And for your reward, Mr.
+Happy, I shall be so pleased to set aside a very extensive portion of
+the delicious floating island, so that you can eat no more except you
+endanger your handsome person from the bursting. Yes?" And oh, the
+smile of him!
+
+A man of sterner stuff than Happy Jack would have fallen before such
+guile and would have labored willingly--nay, gladly in the service of
+so delightful a diplomat as Jakie. Except for that willing service,
+Jakie would have been quite overwhelmed by the many and peculiar
+duties of a roundup cook. He would have been perfectly helpess before
+the morning and noon packing of dishes and food, and the skilful haste
+necessary to unpack and prepare a meal for fifteen ravenous appetites
+within the time limit would have been utterly impossible. Jakie was a
+chef, trained to his profession in well-appointed kitchens and with
+assistance always at hand; which is a trade apart from cooking for a
+roundup crew.
+
+Happy Jack, in the fulness of time, returned with the eggs. That is,
+he returned with six eggs and a quart or two of a yellowish mixture
+thickly powdered with shell. He took the pail to Jakie and he saw the
+seraphic smile fade from his face and an unpleasant glitter creep into
+his eyes.
+
+"It is the omelet fich you furnish, yes? The six eggs, they will not
+make the pudding. The omelet--I do not perceive yet the desirableness
+of the omelet. And the juvenile hen--yes?"
+
+"Aw, they wouldn't sell no chickens." Happy Jack's face had gone long
+and scarlet before the patent displeasure of the other. "And my horse
+was scared uh the bucket and pitched with me."
+
+Jackie looked again into the pail, felt gingerly the yellow mess and
+discovered one more egg which retained some semblance of its original
+form. "The misfortune distresses me," he murmured. "It is that you
+return hastily, Mr. Happy, and procure other eggs fich you will place
+unbroken in my waiting hands, yes?"
+
+Happy Jack mopped his forehead and glanced at the sun, burning hotly
+down upon the prairie. They had made a short move that day and it was
+still early. But the way to Nelson's and back had been hot and
+tumultuous and he was tired. For the first time since his abject
+surrender to the waxed smile, Happy Jack chafed a bit under the yoke
+of voluntary servitude. "Aw, can't yuh cook something that don't take
+so many eggs?" he asked in something like his old, argumentative tone.
+
+The unpleasant glitter in the eyes of Jakie grew more pronounced; grew
+even snaky, in the opinion of Happy Jack. "It is that I am no more
+permitted the privilege of preparing the food for fich I have the
+judgment, yes?" His voice purred too much to be convincing. "It is
+that I am no more the chef to be obeyed by my servant?"
+
+"Aw, gwan! I ain't anybody's servant that I ever heard of!" Happy Jack
+felt himself bewilderedly slipping from his loyalty. What had come
+over Jakie, to act like this? He walked away to where there was some
+shade and sat down sullenly. Jakie's servant, was he? Well! "The
+darned little greasy-faced runt," he mumbled rebelliously, and
+immediately felt the better for it.
+
+Two cigarettes brought coolness and calm. Happy Jack wanted very much
+to lie there and take a nap, but his conscience stirred uneasily. The
+boys were making a long circle that day and would come in with the
+appetites--and the tempers--of wolves. It occurred to Happy Jack that
+their appetites were much keener than they had ever been before, and
+he sat there a little longer while he thought about it; for Happy
+Jack's mind was slow and tenacious, and he hated to leave a new idea
+until he had squeezed it dry of all mystery. He watched Jakie moving
+in desultory fashion about the tent--but most of the time Jakie stayed
+inside.
+
+"I betche the boys ain't gitting enough old stand-by-yuh chuck," he
+decided at length. "Floatin' island and stuffed olives--for them that
+likes stuffed olives--and salad and all that junk _tastes_ good--but I
+betche the boys need a good feed uh beans!" Which certainly was
+brilliant of Happy Jack, even if it did take him a full hour to arrive
+at that conclusion. He got up immediately and started for the
+cook-tent.
+
+"Say, Jakie," he began before he was inside, "ain't there time enough
+to boil a pot uh beans if I make yuh a good fire? I betche the boys
+would like a good feed--"
+
+"A-a-hh!" Happy Jack insisted afterward that it sounded like the
+snarling of a wolf over a bone. "Is it that you come here to give the
+orders? Is it that you _insult_?" Followed a torrent of molten French,
+as it were. Followed also Jakie, with the eyes of a snake and the
+toothy grin of a wild animal and with a knife which Happy Jack had
+never seen before; a knife which caught the sunlight and glittered
+horridly.
+
+Happy Jack backed out as if he had inadvertently stirred a nest of
+hornets. Jakie almost caught him before he took to his heels. Happy
+never waited to discover what the new cook was saying, or whether he
+was following or remaining at the tent. He headed straight for the
+protection of the horse-wrangler, who watched his cavvy not far away,
+and his face was the color of stale putty.
+
+The horse-wrangler saw him coming and came loping up to meet him.
+"What's eating yuh, Happy?" he inquired inelegantly.
+
+"Jakie--he's gone nutty! He come at me with a knife, and he'd uh
+killed me if I'd stayed!" Happy Jack pantingly recovered himself. "I
+didn't have no time ta git my gun," he added in a more natural tone,
+"or I'd uh settled him pretty blame quick. So I come out to borrow
+yourn. I betche _I'll_ have the next move."
+
+The horse-wrangler grinned heartlessly. "I reckon he's about half
+shot," he said, sliding over in the saddle and getting out the
+inevitable tobacco sack and papers. "Old Pete Williams rode past while
+you were gone, loaded to the guards and with a bottle uh whisky in
+each saddle-pocket and two in his coat. He gave me a drink, and then
+he went on and stopped at camp. He was hung up there for quite a
+spell, I noticed. I didn't _see_ him pass any uh the vile liquor to
+little Jakie, but--" he twirled a blackened match stub in his fingers
+and then tossed it from him.
+
+"Aw, gwan! Jakie wouldn't touch nothing when he was in town," Happy
+Jack objected. "I betche he's gone crazy, or else--"
+
+"Well," interrupted the horse-wrangler, "I've told yuh what I know and
+all I know. Take it or leave it." He rode back to turn the lead-horse
+from climbing a ridge where he did not want the herd to follow. He did
+not lend Happy Jack his gun, and for that reason--perhaps--Jakie
+remained alive and unpunctured until the first of the riders came
+loping in to camp.
+
+The first riders happened to be Pink and Big Medicine. They were met
+by a tearful, contrite Jakie--a Jakie who seemed much inclined to
+weeping upon their shirt-fronts and to confessing all his sins,
+particularly the sin of trying to carve Happy Jack. That perturbed
+gentleman made his irate appearance as soon as he found that
+reinforcements had arrived.
+
+Big Medicine disengaged himself from the clinging arms of the chef,
+sniffed suspiciously and wiped away the tears from his vest. "Well,
+say," he bellowed in his usual manner of trying to make all Chouteau
+County hear what he had to say, "I ain't t' blame if he got away on
+yuh. Yuh hadn't ought to uh done it--or else yuh oughta made a clean
+job of it sos't we could hang yuh proper. Supper ready?"
+
+"It is that the supply of eggs is inadequate," wept Jakie, steadying
+himself against the tent-pole while he wiped his eyes upon his apron.
+"Because of it I could not prepare the floating island--and without
+the dessert I have not the heart to prepare the dinner, yes? It is
+that I am breaking of the heart that I assail the good friend of me.
+Oh, Mr. Happy, it is that I crave pardon!"
+
+Happy Jack came near taking to his heels again when he saw Jakie start
+for him; he did back up hastily, and his evident reluctance to embrace
+and forgive started afresh the tears of remorse. Jakie wailed volubly
+and, catching Pink unaware, he wept upon his bosom.
+
+Others came riding in, saw the huddle before the mess-tent and came up
+to investigate. With every fresh arrival Jakie began anew his
+confession that he had attempted to murder his good friend, Mr. Happy,
+and with every confession he wept more copiously than before.
+
+The Happy Family tacitly owned itself helpless. A warlike cook they
+could deal with. A lazy cook they could kick into industry. A weeping,
+wailing, conscience-stricken cook, a cook who steadfastly refused to
+be comforted, was an absolutely new experience. They told him to buck
+up, found that he only broke out anew, threatened, cajoled and argued.
+Jakie clung to whoever happened to be within reach and mixed the
+English language unmercifully.
+
+"Happy, you'll have to forgive him," said Weary at last. "Go tell him
+yuh don't feel hard towards him. We want some supper."
+
+"Aw, gwan. I _ain't_ forgive him, and I never will. I--"
+
+Big Medicine stepped into the breach. With his face contorted into a
+grin to crimple one's spine, with a voice to make one's knees buckle,
+he went up to Happy Jack and thrust that horrible grin into Happy's
+very face. "By cripes, you forgive Jakie, and you do it quick!" he
+thundered. "Think you're going to ball up the eating uh the whole
+outfit whilst you stand around acting haughty? Why, by cripes, I've
+killed men in the Coconino County for _half_ what you're doing! You'll
+wish, by cripes, that Jakie _had_ slit your hide; you'll consider that
+woulda been an easy way out, before I git half through with yuh. You
+walk right up and shake hands with him, and you tell him that yuh love
+him to death and are his best friend and always will be! Yuh _hear_
+me?"
+
+Happy Jack heard. The Happy Family considerately moved aside and left
+him a clear path, and they looked on without a word while he took
+Jakie's limp hand, muttered tremulously, "Aw, fergit it, Jakie. I know
+yuh didn't mean nothing by it, and I forgive yuh," and backed away
+again.
+
+Jakie wept, this time with gratitude. They got him inside a tent,
+unrolled his bed and persuaded him to lie down upon it. They searched
+the mess-box, found all that was left of a quart bottle of whisky,
+took it outside and divided it gravely and appreciatively among
+themselves. There was not much to divide.
+
+Happy Jack took charge of the pots and pans, with the whole Happy
+Family to help him hurry supper, while Jakie forgot his woes in sleep
+and the sun set upon a quiet camp.
+
+Next morning, Jakie was up and cooking breakfast at the appointed
+time, and the camp felt that the incident of the evening before might
+well be forgotten. The coffee was unusually good that morning, even
+for Jakie. He was subdued, was Jakie, and his soft, brown eyes were
+humble whenever they met the eyes of Happy Jack. His smile was
+infrequent and fleeting, and his voice more deprecating than ever.
+Aside from these minor changes everything seemed the same as before
+the sheepmen had stopped at camp.
+
+That afternoon, however, came an aftermath in the shape of Happy Jack
+galloping wildly out to where the others were holding a herd and
+"cutting out." He was due to come and help, so nobody paid any
+attention to his haste, though it was his habit to take his time. He
+shot recklessly by the outer fringes of the "cut" and yelled in a way
+to stampede the whole bunch. "Jakie's _dying_," he shouted, wild-eyed.
+"He's drunk up all the lemon extract and most uh the v'nilla before I
+could stop him!"
+
+Chip and Weary, riding in hot haste to the camp, found that it was
+true as far as the drinking was concerned. Jakie was stretched upon
+his back breathing unpleasantly, and beside him were two flat bottles
+of half-pint size, one empty and the other very nearly so; the tent
+and Jakie's breath reeked of lemon and vanilla. Chip sent back for
+help.
+
+For the second time the Flying U roundup was brought to an involuntary
+pause because of its cook. There was but one thing to do, and Chip did
+it. He broke camp, loaded Jakie into the bed-wagon, and headed at a
+gallop for Dry Lake in an effort to catch the next train for Great
+Falls. Whether he sent Jakie to the hospital or to the undertaker was
+a question he did not attempt to answer; one thing was certain,
+however, that he must send him to one of those places as soon as might
+be.
+
+That night, just before the train arrived, he sent another telegram to
+Johnny Scott at rush rates. He said simply:
+
+  "Send another cook immediately this one all in am returning him in
+  baggage coach this train.
+
+  "C. BENNETT."
+
+Just after midnight he went to the station and received an answer,
+which is worth repeating:
+
+  "C. BENNETT, Dry Lake: Supply cooks running low am sending only
+  available don't kill this one or may have to go without season on
+  cooks closed fine attached to killing, running with dogs or
+  keeping in captivity this one drunk look for him in Pullman have
+  bribed porter. J.G. SCOTT."
+
+It was sent collect, which accounts perhaps for the facetious remarks
+which it contained.
+
+It was morning when that train arrived, because it was behind time for
+some reason, but Chip, Weary, Pink and Big Medicine were at the depot
+to meet it. The new cook having been reported drunk, they wanted to
+make sure of getting him off the train in case he proved unruly. They
+were wise in the ways of intoxicated cooks. They ran to the steps of
+the only Pullman on the train and were met by the grinning porter.
+
+"Yas sah, he's in dah--but Ah cyan't git 'im off, sah, to save mah
+soul," he explained toothily. "Ah put 'im next de front end, sah, but
+he's went to sleep and Ah cyan't wake 'em up, an' Ah cyan't tote 'em
+out nohow. Seems lak he weighs a ton!"
+
+"By cripes, _we'll_ tote him out," declared Big Medicine, pushing
+ahead of Chip in his enthusiasm. "You hold the train, and we'll git
+'im. Show us the bunk."
+
+The porter pointed out the number and retreated to the steps that he
+might signal the conductor. The four pushed up through the vestibule
+and laid hold upon the berth curtains.
+
+"Mamma!" ejaculated Weary in a stunned tone. "Look what's in here,
+boys!"
+
+They thrust forward their heads and peered in at the recumbent form.
+
+"Honest to grandma--it's old Patsy!" The voice of Big Medicine brought
+heads out all along down the car.
+
+"Come out uh that!" Four voices made up the chorus, and Patsy opened
+his eyes reluctantly.
+
+"Py cosh, I not cook chuck for you fellers ven I'm sick," he mumbled
+dazedly.
+
+"Come out uh that, you damned Dutch belly-robber!" bawled Big Medicine
+joyously, and somewhere behind a curtain a feminine shriek was heard
+at the shocking sentence.
+
+Four pairs of welcoming hands laid hold upon Patsy; four pairs of
+strong arms dragged him out of the berth and through the narrow aisle
+to the platform. The conductor, the head brakeman and the porter were
+chafing there, and they pulled while the others pushed. So Patsy was
+deposited upon the platform, grumbling and only half sober.
+
+"Anyway, we've got him back," Weary remarked with much satisfaction
+the next day when they were once more started toward the range land.
+"When Irish blows in again, we'll be all right."
+
+"By cripes, yuh just give me a sight uh that Irish once, and he'll
+_come_, if I have to rope and drag 'im!" Big Medicine took his own way
+of intimating that he held no grudge. "Did yuh hear what Patsy said,
+by cripes, when he was loading up the chuck-wagon at the store? He
+turned in all that oil and them olives and _anchovies_, yuh know, and
+he told Tom t' throw in about six cases uh blueberries. I was standin'
+right handy by, and he turns around and scowls at me and says: 'Py
+cosh, der vay dese fellers eats pie mit derselves, I have to fill oop
+der wagon mit pie fruit alreatty!' And then the old devil turns around
+with his back to me, but yuh can skin me for a coyote if I didn't
+ketch a grin on 'is face!"
+
+They turned and looked back to where Patsy, seated high upon the
+mess-wagon, was cracking his long whip like pistol shots and swearing
+in Dutch at his four horses as he came bouncing along behind them.
+
+"Well, there's worse fellers than old Patsy," Slim admitted
+ponderously. "I don't want no more Jakie in mine, by golly."
+
+"I betche Jakie cashes in, with all that lemon in him," prophesied
+Happy Jack with relish. "Dirty little Dago--it'd serve him right.
+Patsy wouldn't uh acted like that in a thousand years."
+
+They glanced once more behind them, as if they would make sure that
+the presence of Patsy was a reality. Then, with content in their
+hearts, they galloped blithely out of the lane and into the grassy
+hills.
+
+
+THE END.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+
+
+_WHAT THE CRITICS SAY OF_
+
+CHIP OF THE FLYING U.
+
+BY M. BOWER.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+"'Chip' is all right. Better than 'The Virginian.'"
+
+--_Brooklyn Eagle_.
+
+
+"The name of B.M. Bower will stand for something readable in the
+estimation of every man, and most every woman, who reads this fine new
+story of Montana ranch and its dwellers."--_Publisher & Retailer_.
+
+
+"Its qualities and merit can be summed up in the brief but sufficient
+statement that it is thoroughly delightful."
+
+--_Albany Times-Union_.
+
+
+"For strength of interest, vivid description, clever and convincing
+character, drawing and literary merit it is the surprise of the year."
+
+--_Walden's Stationer and Printer_.
+
+
+"It is an appealing story told in an active style which fairly
+sparkles in reproducing the atmosphere of the wild and woolly West. It
+is consistently forceful and contains a quantity of refreshing
+comedy."
+
+--_Philadelphia Press_.
+
+
+"Bound to stand among the famous novels of the year."
+
+--_Baltimore American_.
+
+
+"'The Virginian' has found many imitators, but few authors have come
+as near duplicating Owen Wister's magnetic hero as has B.M. Bower,
+'Chip of the Flying U.'"--_Philadelphia Item_.
+
+
+"B.M. Bower has portrayed but few characters, but these he has
+pictured with the strong and yet delicate stroke of a true master. The
+atmosphere of the West is perfect; one sees and feels the vibrant,
+vital life of the ranch activities all through the telling of the
+story."
+
+--_Cincinnati Times-Star_.
+
+
+"It brims over with humor showing the bright and laughing side of
+ranch life. It is a story which will delightfully entertain the
+reader."
+
+--_Portland Journal_.
+
+
+"The story contains strength of interest, vivid descriptions, clever
+and convincing character drawing and literary merits, and the author
+lays on the colors with a master's touch."--_Albany Evening Journal_.
+
+
+12MO, CLOTH BOUND, COLOR ILLUSTRATIONS, $.25
+
+G.W. DILLINGHAM CO., PUBLISHERS, NEW YORK
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+
+
+WHAT THE CRITICS SAY OF
+
+THE RANGE DWELLERS.
+
+BY B.M. BOWER.
+
+
+"A clever and humorous story, delightfully clean and wholesome, and
+possessing enough of the dramatic and dangerous element to keep the
+imagination excited to the end."--_The Nashville American_.
+
+
+"A bright, jolly, entertaining yarn without a dull page."--_The
+Chicago Inter-Ocean_.
+
+
+"One of the most charming and appealing of all Western novels. There
+is action and vivacity at all times, and the reader's interest never
+sways for an instant. The story is admirably written and runs along
+smoothly at all times."--_Philadelphia Press_.
+
+
+"Here are every day, genuine cowboys, just as they really exist,
+spirited action, a range feud between two families, and a Romeo and
+Juliet courtship in the Far West which make easy reading. Mr. Bower
+knows his wild west intimately and writes of it entertainingly."--_Des
+Moines Register and Leader_.
+
+
+"Told with a good deal of humor and a lot of unusual spirit. A very
+clever book--one that has more atmosphere than usual, and which can be
+picked up at any time to fill a long felt want for excitement."
+--_Philadelphia Inquirer_.
+
+
+"A tale to set the blood tingling. It is a story of the West, with the
+scene laid on a Montana cattle ranch. A story well told and a story
+worth reading."--_St. Louis Republic_.
+
+
+"Mr. Bower has portrayed but few characters, but these he has pictured
+with the strong and yet delicate stroke of a true master. The
+atmosphere of the West is perfect; one sees and feels the vibrant
+vital life of the ranch activities all through the telling of the
+story."--_Pittsburgh Dispatch_.
+
+
+"Has many stirring situations and exciting incidents illustrative of
+existence in the open."--_Boston Budget-Beacon_.
+
+
+"The book is vigorous, with the bracing open air of the Far
+West."--_Rochester Herald_.
+
+
+_12mo, Cloth Bound_
+
+_Beautiful Color Illustrations by Charles M. Russell, $1.25_
+
+G.W. DILLINGHAM CO., Publishers, NEW YORK
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+
+
+RAW GOLD
+
+BY BERTRAND W. SINCLAIR
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+"This is a stirring story of the Canadian Northwest and the Northwest
+Mounted Police. The unwritten history of this wonderful and intrepid
+body of men must be a long way from the dry-as-dust histories on the
+shelves. It is an open question if people do not get more real history
+in a clear, clean-cut tale of this kind, with its strong character
+portrayal and its vivid local coloring, than could be obtained in any
+other way."
+
+--_St. Louis Times_.
+
+
+"Action enough to thrill the dullest sort of reader."
+
+--_Albany Times-Union_.
+
+
+"The delineation of characters in this tale of the Northwest Mounted
+Police is splendidly portrayed. They are flesh-and-blood
+personalities. There is something of mystery, bits of sharp action,
+color, description, life. A well-told story."
+
+--_Pittsburg Dispatch_.
+
+
+"The story is sensational, but is full of animation. Scenes shift
+rapidly and the actors play the game of life fearlessly and like men.
+The love theme runs through it all and pleasantly."
+
+--_Chicago Tribune_.
+
+
+"It is strong, virile, captivating and well told."
+
+--_Denver Republican_.
+
+
+"A rattling good story. There is sentiment of the kind that fits with
+the open sky and life in the saddle, and the whole story moves with a
+swing and reality that are refreshing in the extreme."--_New York
+Times_.
+
+
+"Wild, indeed, is the West pictured by Mr. Sinclair."
+
+--_Boston Transcript_.
+
+
+"The tale, rapid in action and clearly told, is one of the best
+written on the Canadian West."--_Louisville Courier-Journal_.
+
+
+_12mo, Cloth bound, Illustrated, $1.50._
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+G.W. DILLINGHAM CO., PUBLISHERS, NEW YORK
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+
+
+WYOMING
+
+_A STORY OF THE OUTDOOR WEST_
+
+BY
+
+WILLIAM MACLEOD RAINE
+
+_Author of "Ridgeway of Montana," "A Daughter of Raasay," Etc._
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+In this vivid story the author has captured the breezy charm of
+"Cattleland," and brings to us the turbid life of the frontier with
+all its engaging dash and vigor. It is the kind of book one reads at a
+sitting far into the night.
+
+A young woman, fresh from the conventional East, drives her motor car
+into an absorbing adventure which is the first of a series of dramatic
+events that tread upon each other's heels and grow more intense and
+thrilling from page to page.
+
+The gallant vagabond, Ned Bannister, who enthralls the heroine's
+fancy, against her will, is reputed to be a lawless desperado of the
+worst type. Yet the reader joins with the wholly delightful young
+heroine in yielding him full sympathy. How the mystery is solved to
+the satisfaction of all is one of the pleasures that must be reserved
+for a reading.
+
+The characters each and all are drawn with masterly vigor and help
+forward the swift movement of the plot.
+
+
+_12mo. Illustrated. Cloth bound, $1.50._
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+G.W. DILLINGHAM COMPANY
+
+PUBLISHERS NEW YORK
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+
+
+WHAT THEY SAY ABOUT
+
+RIDGWAY OF MONTANA
+
+BY WILLIAM MACLEOD RAINE
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+"To-day I had it out with 'Ridgway.' I opened the book and I did not
+lay it down till I had raced eagerly through it. I find it a story
+with many elements of power in its treatment of plot and personality.
+The men are all well-marked types. The women are all possible and
+pleasant beings. The story gives dramatically the inner life of a
+mining camp. The atmosphere of wild nature and primeval human passion
+is well sustained. The exuberance of detail and suggestion, the easy
+drawing of character, the fine massing of effects, all show a strength
+and fire in the author which ought to give us a line of good books
+from his pen in the coming days."
+
+--EDWIN MARKHAM, in _The New York American_.
+
+
+"Whatever else the reader of this novel may say, he certainly will be
+forced to admit that it is highly interesting. Mr. Raine is not only
+skillful in devising incidents which compel unwearied attention; he
+also has the rarer and finer craftsmanship which enables him to create
+characters that have a high degree of personal charm."--_Boston
+Transcript_.
+
+
+"A story engrossing all the way through."--_New York World_.
+
+
+"It is a real pleasure to pick up a book like this one. To use an old
+phrase, the story is one which can hardly be put down."
+
+--_Minneapolis Tribune_.
+
+
+"The action starts with the first line, and there is no suspension
+until the last word is written. It is a story of thrilling situations,
+busy people and stirring times. Once started to read it there is no
+quitting the book."--_Denver Republican_.
+
+
+"Full of action and written with remarkable vigor."
+
+--_Charleston News and Courier_.
+
+
+"Mr. Raine's experience as a newspaper man has stood him in good
+stead. He knows the corrupt workings of politicians, the venality of
+biased courts, the weakness of the human heart when tempted by gold.
+More, he knows the details by which all these are made manifest in
+unjust laws, unfair verdicts and treachery to one's best friends."
+
+--_Denver Post_.
+
+
+"The political contest, the love scenes, and the character drawing
+give this story of life in the mining country great strength and
+charm."--_Pittsburg Dispatch_.
+
+
+"Western stories are always in demand, and of these William MacLeod
+Raine is the most popular and successful writer. This is an
+exceptionally entertaining book."--_Albany Times-Union_.
+
+
+_12mo. Cloth bound. Illustrated, $1.50_
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+G.W. DILLINGHAM CO., PUBLISHERS, NEW YORK
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Happy Family, by Bertha Muzzy Bower
+
+*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE HAPPY FAMILY ***
+
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