oomed indeed.

He would have been a bizarre figure at a city table; nevertheless, he
presided at his own board with dignity, and was a splendid foil for the
charming figure of Frances opposite.

In the midst of the repast the Captain said, suddenly, to the
soft-footed Chinaman:

"Ming! telephone down to Sam at the bunk-house and see if a hobo has
just struck there, on his way to Amarillo. I told him he could get chuck
and a sleep. Savvy?"

"Jes so, Clapen," said Ming, softly, and shuffled out.

It was evident that the tramp was on the Captain's mind. Pratt believed
there must be some special reason for the old ranchman's worrying over
marauders about the Bar-T.

There was nothing to mar the friendliness of the dinner, however; not
even when Ming slipped back and said in a low voice to the Captain:

"Him Slilent Slam say no hobo come to blunk-house."

They finished the meal leisurely; but on rising from the table Captain
Rugley removed a heavy belt and holster from its hook behind the
sideboard and slung it about his hips.

Withdrawing the revolver, he spun the cylinder, made sure that it was
filled, and slipped it back in the holster. All this was done quite as a
matter of course. Frances made no comment, nor did she seem surprised.

The three went back to the porch for a little while, although the night
air was growing chill. Frances insisted that her father wear his coat,
and they both sat out of the brighter radiance of the hanging lamp.

She and her guest were talking about the forthcoming pageant at the
Jackleg schoolhouse. Pratt had begun to feel enthusiastic over it as he
learned more of the particulars.

"People scarcely realize," said Frances, "that this Panhandle of ours
has a history as ancient as St. Augustine, Florida. And _that_, you
know, is called the oldest white settlement in these United States.

"Long, long ago the Spanish explorers, with Indian guides whom they had
enslaved, made a path through the swarming buffaloes up this way and
called the country _Llano Estacada_, the staked plain. Our
geographers misapplied the name 'Desert' to this vast country; but
Nebraska, Kansas, and Oklahoma threw off that designation because it was
proven that the rains fell more often than was reported."

"What has built up those states," said Pratt, with a smile, "is farming,
not cattle."

The Captain grunted, for he had been listening to the conversation.

"You ought to have seen those first haysee