ning he heard
surprising sounds outside. Slipping on his clothes he went to the window
and looked out. Men were yelling at one another, screeching delightful
oaths, capering about hatless, coatless, in the rain that still came
steadily down. The corral yard was a mire of sticky mud in which the
horses reared and plunged in evident appreciation of the welcome change
from dry heat to lifegiving moisture. Riderless horses stood about, no
one caring about the saddles, several calves capered awkwardly in the
pasture. Norton's dog--about which he had joked to Hollis during the
latter's first ride to the Circle Bar--was yelping joyously and running
madly from one man to another.

Norton himself stood down by the door of the bunkhouse, grinning with
delight. Near him stood Lemuel Train, and several of the other small
ranchers whose stock had grazed for more than two weeks on the Circle
Bar range without objection from Hollis. They saw him and motioned for
him to come down, directing original oaths at him for sleeping so late
on so "fine a morning."

He dressed hastily and went down. They all ate breakfast in the mess
house, the cook being adjured to "spread it on for all he was
worth"--which he did. Certainly no one left the mess house hungry.
During the meal Lemuel Train made a speech on behalf of himself and the
other owners who had enjoyed Hollis's hospitality, assuring him that
they were "with him" from now on. Then they departed, each going his
separate way to round up his cattle and drive them back to the home
ranch.

The rain continued throughout the day and far into the night. The dried,
gasping country absorbed water until it was sated and then began to shed
it off into the arroyos, the gullies, the depressions, and the river
beds. Every hollow overflowed with it; it seemed there could never be
another drought.

Before dawn on the following day all the small ranchers had departed.
Several of them, on their way to their home ranches, stopped off at the
Circle Bar to shake hands with Hollis and assure him of their
appreciation. Lemuel Train did not forget to curse Dunlavey.

"We ain't likely to forget how he stood on the water proposition," he
said.

After Train had departed Norton stood looking after him. Then he turned
and looked at Hollis, his eyes narrowing quizzically. "You've got in
right with that crowd," he said. "Durned if I don't believe you knowed
all the time that it was goin' to rain before Dunlavey'