the question of medical
aid was considered. The couriers down the Beaver had returned and
reported no habitation in that direction. Fortunately the destination of
the stranger was a settlement on the Republican River, and he
volunteered to ride through that afternoon and night and secure a
surgeon. Frontier physicians were used to hundred-mile calls. The owner
of the herd, had he been present, would have insisted on medical
attention, the wounded man reluctantly consented, and the stranger,
carrying a hastily written letter to Mr. Lovell, took his departure.

Early evening found the patient installed, not in the dug-out, but in a
roomy tent. A quarter of beef hung on a willow, the one-room shack was
bountifully provisioned, while the foreman remained to await the arrival
of a physician. The day had brought forth wonders to Joel and Dell--from
the dark hour of want to the dawn of plenty, while the future was a
sealed book. In addition to the promised horses, Forrest's saddle hung
in the sod stable, while two extra ponies aroused the wonder of the
questioning boys.

"I just brought these two along," explained the foreman, "as their backs
were galled during a recent rainy spell. You can see they are unfit for
saddle, but with a little attention can be cured--I'll show you how. You
have an abundance of water, and after I leave, wash their backs, morning
and evening, and they'll be well in a month. Since you are running a
trail hospital, you want to cater to man and beast. Of course, if you
boys nurse this man through to health and strength, I'll make an appeal
to Mr. Lovell to give you these ponies. They'll come in handy, in case
you return to the Solomon, or start a little cattle ranch here."

The sun set in benediction on the little homestead. The transformation
seemed magical. Even the blight of summer drouth was toned and tempered
by the shadows of evening. The lesson of the day had filled empty hearts
with happiness, and when darkness fell, the boys threw off all former
reserve, and the bond of host and guest was firmly established. Forrest,
even, cemented the tie, by dividing any needful attention between
the boys.

"Do you know," said he to the foreman indifferently, in the presence of
the lads, "that I was thinking of calling the oldest one Doc and the
youngest one Nurse, but now I'm going to call them just plain Joel and
Dell, and they can call me Mr. Quince. Honor bright, I never met a boy
who can pour water o