ody an' nobody's been
noticin' him. All at once, in tones which is low but a heap
discordant, Dave hums to himse'f something that sounds like:

'Bye O babe, lie still in slumber,
Holy angels gyard thy bed.'

"At this, Cherokee in a horrified way stops, an' we-all looks at each
other. Enright makes a dispar'in' gesture towards Dave an' says:

"'Gents, first callin' your attention to the fact that Dave ain't
over-drinkt an' that no nosepaint theery is possible in accountin' for
his acts, I asks you for your opinions. As you knows, this thing's
been goin' for'ard for some time, an' I desires to hear if from any
standp'int of public interest do you-all figger that steps should be
took?'

"In order to fully onderstand Enright in all he means, I oughter lay
bar' that Dave's been conductin' himse'f in a manner not to be
explained for mighty likely she's eight weeks. Yeretofore, thar's no
more sociable sport an' none whose system is easier to follow in all
Wolfville than Dave. While holdin' himse'f at what you might call
'par' on all o'casions, Dave is still plenty minglesome an' fraternal
with the balance of the herd, an' would no more think of donnin' airs
or puttin' on dog than he'd think of blastin' away at one of us with
his gun. Yet eight weeks prior thar shorely dawns a change.

"Which the first symptom--the advance gyard as it were of Dave's
gettin' queer--is when Dave's standin' in front of the post-office.
Thar's a faraway look to Dave at the time, like he's tryin' to settle
whether he's behind or ahead on some deal. While thus wropped in this
fit of abstraction Dan Boggs comes hybernatin' along an' asks Dave to
p'int into the Red Light for a smell of Valley Tan. Dave sort o'
rouses up at this an' fastens on Dan with his eyes, half truculent an'
half amazed, same as if he's shocked at Dan's familiarity. Then he
shakes his head decisive.

"'Don't try to braid this mule's tail none!' says Dave, an' at that he
strides off with his muzzle in the air. Boggs is abashed.

"'Which these insultin' bluffs of Dave's,' says Boggs, as we canvasses
the play a bit later, 'would cut me to the quick, but I knows it ain't
on the level, Dave ain't himse'f when he declines said nosepaint--his
intellects ain't in camp.'

"This ontoward an' onmerited rebuke to Boggs is followed, by further
breaks as hard to savey. Dave ain't no two days alike. One time he's
that haughty he actooally passes Enright himse'f in the s