ess so. Glory told me it's the only thing green
on the desert that the burros won't eat. Folks could have flowers here
the same as back home if water didn't cost so much, and the burros
didn't eat the plants as fast as they came up."

"It's the first castor bean _I've_ seen here."

"Why, there's a whole bunch down by the drug-store! We've passed them
dozens of times. Where are your eyes?"

Billiard's face flushed wrathfully. Toady's recent victory had made
him suddenly very important and domineering, but his fists were
certainly hard enough to deal a telling blow; so the older boy, still
caressing his swollen, aching nose, thought it wise to overlook such
sarcastic flings, and, pretending to be deeply interested in the
queer-leaved plant, he casually asked, "Do they all have such funny
burrs on them?"

"When they're big enough. That's where the castor beans themselves
grow."

Billiard gingerly picked one of the strange balls and minutely examined
the hooked prickles of the reddish covering. Then with his jack-knife
he proceeded to investigate the inside. "Do you s'pose they really
make castor oil out of these? I don't see how they can."

"Glory says they do."

"The insides _smell_ something like castor oil, but they don't look at
all oily."

"I'll bet they taste oily."

"Stump you to eat one!"

"Huh! It doesn't bother me to take castor oil. I can eat anything!"
To prove his boast, he plumped one white bean into his mouth, and
chewed it down with apparent relish.

Billiard watched him with eagle eyes to see that he actually did
swallow it, then held out another, and Toady obediently munched it.
Three, four, five,--bean by bean they disappeared down his throat; but
at last he rebelled.

"You hain't tasted one, Billiard McKittrick! How many do you think you
are going to feed _me_?"

The brother laughed derisively. "Wanted to see how big a fool you
was," he jeered. "Thought you were going to eat all there were on the
bush."

Toady made no reply. The beans tasted anything but appetizing, and
already the boy was beginning to feel queer.

"Sure you don't want some more?" teased Billiard.

"No. Guess I'll go home."

"And tat--tell about last night?" Billiard remembered all at once the
reason they were so far from the Eagles' Nest, and was alarmed lest
Toady's threatened confession should involve him also.

"Y-e-s."

"I think you're downright mean, Toady McKittrick!"

"I shan't tell