earth. Lead
that horse under here."

"Just one moment," said Miller. "I think I know this man--think
he worked for me once in New Mexico." The sooner looked at Miller
appealingly, his face blanched to whiteness. Miller took the bridle
reins out of the hands of the boy who was holding the horse, and
whispering something to the sooner said to us, "Are you all ready?"

"Just waiting on you," said Edwards. The sooner gathered up the reins.
Miller turned the horse halfway round as though he was going to lead
him under the tree, gave him a slap in the flank with his hand, and
the sooner, throwing the rowels of his spurs into the horse, shot
out from us like a startled deer. We called to him to halt, as half a
dozen six-shooters encouraged him to go by opening a fusillade on the
fleeing horseman, who only hit the high places while going. Nor did
we let up fogging him until we emptied our guns and he entered the
timber. There was plenty of zeal in this latter part, as the lead must
have zipped and cried near enough to give it reality. Our object was
to shoot as near as possible without hitting.

Other horsemen put in an appearance as we were unsaddling and
preparing to camp, for we had come to stay a week if necessary. In
about an hour Jack joined us, speechless as usual, his face wreathed
in smiles. The first step toward a home he could call his own had been
taken. We told him about the trouble we had had with the sooner, a
story which he seemed to question, until Miller confirmed it. We put
up a tent among the black-jacks, as the nights were cool, and were
soon at peace with all the world.

At supper that evening Edwards said: "When the old settlers hold their
reunions in the next generation, they'll say, 'Thirty years ago Uncle
Jack Martin settled over there on Big Turkey,' and point him out to
their children as one of the pioneer fathers."

No one found trouble in getting to sleep that night, and the next day
arts long forgotten by most of us were revived. Some plowed up the old
branding-pen for a garden. Others cut logs for a cabin. Every one
did two ordinary days' work. The getting of the logs together was the
hardest. We sawed and chopped and hewed for dear life. The first few
days Jack and one of the boys planted a fine big garden. On the fourth
day we gave up the tent, as the smoke curled upward from our own
chimney, in the way that it does in well-told stories. The last
night we spent with Jack was one long to b