o colt. He was bucking
plentiful to-day, and me spitting blood before I got him conquered. Now
just you leave me to tame colts and cow-boys. I propose to rub old man
Jacob into Billy by way of liniment until he supples, yes, and works.
Dreams earn no grub."

"Take him away, Jesse, dear."

"He bin making love to you, Kate?"

My heart stood still, and to my jealous husband silence means consent.
Two bats came darkly by, with a business manner, having perhaps an
appointment with some field mouse. Then the hypocrite in me sighed, and
Jesse flinging away his cigar stub, said with an oath that Billy should
be on his way to Vancouver by daybreak.

Yes, Jesse is hard to manage, but presently he remembered about the
check, which made him for the first time in his life feel rich. He's too
rough when I let him love me. Indeed I had to do up my hair in the dark,
though the fireflies offered the dearest little lamps. Besides a little
jealousy is good for Jesse. I should not like to see his love go hungry.

III

Last night Jesse came home from Vancouver, and it being Sunday evening,
he read and expounded the Scriptures to the amazement of the three new
ranch-hands. The Chinamen, being heathens, were let off.

"Not being wise in the ways of high society, I ain't free to comment on
Mrs. Potiphar, who kep' a steward instead of doing her job as
housekeeper, or on this General Sir Something Potiphar, C.O.D., C.P.R.,
H.B.C., P.D.Q., commanding the Haw-Haw Guards, who seems to neglect his
missus. As a plain stockman I pursues after Joseph."

By this time three godless cow-punchers, crimson with suppressed
emotions, were digging one another fiercely in the ribs.

"This here Joseph is a sheep-herding swine from the desert, smooth
because he's been brung up among range animals, but mean because he's
raised for a pet by Jacob, the champion stinker of the wild west."

At that Pete exploded, and had to retire in convulsions, while the other
two infants reproached him for interruption.

"Smooth and mean is Joseph, a cream-laid young person like Pete, who's
going to have black draft to heal his cough before morning. Joseph is
all deportment and sad eyes, with a crossed-in-love droop. His brothers
is mean so far as they knows how without reading newspapers, but even
they can't stand Joseph. General and Mrs. Potiphar don't seem to like
his perfume. When he's in jail he's steward, so that the other prisoners
has dreams of grub but nary