n' him 'bout me, neither."

"I'm not going to ask Professor Parkhill anything, Joe," said Patches
shortly.

"You ain't?"

"Certainly not; if you don't want me to know. I'm not trying to find out
about anything that's none of my business."

Joe looked at him with a cunning leer. "Oh, you ain't, ain't you? Nick
'lows that you're sure--" Again he caught himself. "But I ain't
a-tellin' nothin' to nobody."

"Well, have _I_ ever asked you to tell me anything?" demanded Patches.

"No, you ain't--that's right--you sure been square with me, Patches,
an' I ain't fergettin' it. Be you sure 'nuf my friend, Patches?
Honest-to-God, now, be you?"

His question was pitiful, and Patches assured the poor fellow that he
had no wish to be anything but his friend, if only Yavapai Joe would
accept his help.

"Then," said Joe pleadingly, "if you mean all that you been sayin' about
wantin' to help me, you'll do somethin' fer me right now."

"What can I do, Joe?"

"You kin promise me that you won't say nothin' to nobody 'bout me an'
him back there."

Patches, to demonstrate his friendliness, answered without thought,
"Certainly, I'll promise that, Joe."

"You won't tell nobody?"

"No, I won't say a word."

The poor fellow's face revealed his gratitude. "I'm obliged to you,
Patches, I sure am, an' I ain't fergettin' nothin', either. You're my
friend, all right, an' I'm your'n. I got to be a-hittin' it up now.
Nick'll jest nachally gimme hell for bein' gone so long."

"Good-by, Joe!"

"So long, Patches! An' don't you get to thinkin' that I'm fergettin' how
me an' you is friends."

When Patches reviewed the incident, as he rode back to the ranch, he
questioned if he had done right in promising Joe. But, after all, he
reassured himself, he was under no obligation to interfere with what was
clearly none of his business. He could not see that the matter in any
possible way touched his employer's interests. And, he reflected, he
had already tried the useless experiment of meddling with other people's
affairs, and he did not care to repeat the experience.

That evening Patches asked Phil's permission to go to Prescott the next
day. It would be the first time that he had been to town since his
coming to the ranch and the foreman readily granted his request.

A few minutes later as Phil passed through the kitchen, Mrs. Baldwin
remarked, "I wonder what Patches is feeling so gay about. Ever since he
got home from the rodeo he's be