Casey Ryan

the back of his mind while he pulled down the gas lever a couple of notches and lunged along the muddy

n. He juggled with spark and gas and somehow kept her going, and finally stopped with nice judgment on a small island of harder clay within shouting distance of the car ahe

dry ground. If it's wet in the road, you can bank on sinkin' in to the hocks the minute you turn out." He carefully removed the mud pancakes from hi

a-plenty," he observed,

pull us out?" This was a woman's voice, an

et closer together, and he lifted his old Stetson and reset it at a consciously rakish angle. He glanced at the car, behind it

depressed one. "We was right behind the storm. Looked a sorry

ame on the roster of saints in my prayer book, if I ever said pray

Looking lower this time, he saw a pair of feet which did not seem to belong to that voice, though they were u

new comedy line," the m

s over, out front. If sh

raise the price of admis

s it to R

-five miles, mebby." Casey

e a hall to show in, Mister?" Casey saw the mud-cak

t any town, though, and it ain't got any

a powerful eye, but you've been trying to Svengali this out-fit out of the mud for

aybe," her husband retorted, not t

s were bluer than Casey's own, and she had nice teeth and showed them in a red-lipped smile. A more sophisticated man would have known that the powder on her nose was freshly applied, and that her reason for remaining so long hid

n trying to tell Jack that the shovel is not packed under the banjos, as he thinks it was, but was left back at our last camp where he was trying to dig w

her too long. Husbands of beautiful young women are frequen

was married, and therefore not to be thought of save as a coincidence; still, Casey rather regretted the existence of Jack dear, and began to wonder why

tiny island of solid ground and gathered an armful of brush, which he crowded in front of the wheels, covering himself with mud thereby; then he tied the tow rope he carried for emergencies like this, waded to the Ford, cranked and trusted the rest to luck. The Ford moved slowly

called the lady cheerfully, and he heard h

y leaned out to call back to the husband.

stopped the motor an

his own car standing hub deep in red mud and reached for the solacing plug

ether, Mister," she repeated her wi

ingly. "We'll have to pile brush in, I guess." His glance went back to

p the gentleman get some brus

outa the mud when we first stuck. Say, I wish there was a beanery of some kind in walking di

for being tied to such an insect. Immediately he was glad th

almly. "I guess you'll have to wait till you get there. I've got one piece of brea

the stuff back there to dry ground and boil some coffee and fry some bacon." He lo

just happens that we're out of everything. It's so hard to keep anything on hand when you'r

ything. He waded back to the island with a full load of provisions and cooking utensils, and in three minutes he

n presently behind Casey. "Junior, darling, just smell the bacon!

brown like his father's. He had the pinched, hungry look which Casey had seen only amongst starving Indians, and after he had kissed

he woman reproved Junior half-heartedly in an undertone, and laughed s

er a five-day fast. These people ate more than the prospector had eaten, and their eyes followed greedily every mouthful

w across her fourth cup of coffee to cool it, and between breaths bit into a huge bacon sandwic

ou p-pay for more b-bacon for me, mah-ma?" Junior licked h

another skillet full," Casey spoke hurriedly, getti

y plate," the man explained, speaking with his mouth full. "Eat all yuh want, Ju

ore real anxiety than she intended, "when you said Rhyolite is a dead one? We looked it up on the map, and it was marked like a town. We're making all the little towns that the road shows mostly miss. We give a fine show, Mister. It's been played on all the b

ed to play the best time only. We got a first-class act. One that ought to draw

the railroad for a spell. Freedom is the breath of life to he and I. W

x a-and we c-can't wash it off, a-and h-he's asleep now.

term "Mister" when applied to himself. All his life he had been plain Casey Ryan and proud of it, and his face was very red when he confesse

sey what the chances were for getting under way. Casey repacked a lightened bag, emptied the coffee grounds, shoul

ey muttered, while he dug out the wheels of his Ford, and knew that his own haste must wait upon the need of these three human beings whom he had never seen until an hour ago,

ain to Los Angeles, and that he would not, after all, be purchasing glad raiment and a luxurious car on the morrow. He regretted that, but he did not see how he could

kirts that they might use the underside of the hem for a napkin after eating bacon. I do not like to mention this; Casey did not like to think of it, either. It was with reluctance that he reflected u

ve encouragement. He towed them to dry land, untied and put away his rope and then discovered that he had not the heart to drive on at his usual hurtling pace and leave them to follow. There w