The Flying U Ranch

when the Old Man returned from the Stock Association at Helena; beside him on the buggy seat sat a stranger. The Old Man pulled up at the bunk-hou

e Golden Gate. Throw out your war-bag and make yourself to hom

ir hatband, with tassels that swept to the very edge of his gray hatbrim, to the crimson silk neckerchief draped over the pale blue bosom of his shirt; from the beautifully stamped leather cuffs, down to the exaggerated height of his

at," Irish murmured under

returned, in much the same tone with which a woman re

e sifted tobacco into a cigarette paper daintily, with his little finger extended. There was a ring upon that finger; a ring with a moonstone setting as large and round as the eye of a startled cat, and the Happy Family caught the pale gleam of

languidly, after a moment, fanning a thin sm

in that neighborhood were held in esteem, and

ine bellowed unexpectedly, close beside him.

might mean anything or nothing, and so was irritating to a degree. He did not pursue the subject further, and so se

od liberally with cayenne and his speech with Spanish words pronounced with soft, slurred vowels that made them sound unfamiliar, and against which his English contrasted sharply with its

red at the last moment in his working clothes, even Weary, the sunny

which had never before been brought into Flying U coulee. Black Angora chaps they were; long-haired, crinkly to the very hide, with three white, diamond-shaped patches running down each leg of them, and with the leather waistband stamped elaborately to match

s thrown in his direction, and swore softly to himself when he discovered where the leather had been scratched through the canvas wrappings and the end of the silver scroll ripped up. He drew out his bridle and

al poise of the Happy Family that they left him jingling richly off by

, eyeing the interloper scornfully. "It's plumb wicked to ride around with all that weal

when he comes bow-leggin' along with them whi

matrimony had given him. "You mind him asking about bad horses, last night? That Lizzie-boy never saw a bad hor

. "Only I will say old Banjo reminds me of an Irish cook rigged out i

a hoss never has any respect or admiration for a swell rig. When he gets real busy it ain't the silver filigree stuff that's g

sun can strike all that silver and bounce back in our eyes. And that braided lariat-I'd

anything, do yuh?" Irish laughed. "That there Native Son throws

ack, "he ain't any Na

ws from one field to another, and there'll be six or eight fellers, rigged up like this here tray-spot, ridin' along, important as hell, drivin' them few cows down a lane, with peach trees on both sides, by cripes, jingling their big, silver spurs, all wearin' fancy chaps to ride four or five miles down the roa

ll right," Irish agreed. "And

and took up the tale, which might have be

eback in a corral, and every feller trying to pile his rope on the same calf, by cripes! They stretch 'em out with two ropes-calves, remember! Little, weenty fellers you could pack under one arm! Yuh can't blame 'em much. They never have more

loud that Miguel left his lonely splendor and s

his chin thrust out and his eyes upon the

and glanced at one another.

a secret desire to test the temper

ft glances at Cal, blew out

y expressionless, his face blank of any emotion whatever

aughed at the whimsical humor of it. As it was, they repr

-eyed gazabo tells you, Mr. Rapponi," he

ted a thin ribbon of smoke to slide from between hi

tion it," Weary agreed a

attention," drawled Miguel, in the same expressi

sed Pink, not stopping to see whether

ed Big Medicine, qu

lemented the sil

with his pale, protruding eyes, while the Happy Family glanced meaningly at one another. Big Medicine was quit

ne could decide whether he was aware of the unfriendly proximity of Big Medicine. Weary was just on the point

ey use them in cheap restaurants for stew. I've o

ore curious than hostile, and he permitted his horse to lag a length. It is difficult to fight absolute passi

n', by golly, where

ard the speaker. "From the boarders who at

partee-turned purple and dumb. The Happy Family, forswearing loyalty in their enjoymen

of him that he failed to yield them an opportunity. It is to be hoped that he found his thoughts sufficient entertainment, since he was left to them as much as is humanly possible when half a dozen men eat and sleep and work together. It annoyed them exceedingly that Miguel did not seem to know that they held h

tt and Irish did, for they were with him-and laughed surreptitiously together while he wallow

g there, ain't it?" Pink

y, scraping the adobe off Banjo with a

ave the shine taken off him, anyway," Pi

el's Angora chaps and silver spurs, and the condition of his saddle. "Yuh better watch out and not tu

uproariously. "I'd love to see him

k sighed. "Andy'd take the

can jar the eternal calm outa that Native Son. That's what grinds me worse than his throwin' on so much dog; he's so blamed satisfied with himself! You snub him, and he looks at yuh as if you was his hired man-and then forgets a

though. The fellow all fussed up with silver and braided leather can't get out and do anything. I remember u

lly, just as Pink was relighting the cigarette which had gone out during the big scene of his story. "He was cussin' in Spanis

bluntly, and looked at Pink. "Did he call

den death, all right; he had black eyes like Mig-u-ell-but all a fe

ed a tale evidently more interesting than anythin