le to comprehend their
meaning.

Slowly the involved sentences burned their way into his consciousness.
As his bewilderment cleared, his concern deepened to dismay, and from
dismay to consternation. His jaw dropped slack, his face whitened, the
pupils of his eyes dilated.

"What is it? What's the matter?" exclaimed the girl.

"Matter?"--His voice was hoarse and strained. He crumpled the letter
in a convulsive grasp--"Matter? I'm ruined!--ruined! God!"

Knowles and the girl were both silent before the despair in the young
man's face. Gowan was more obtuse or else less considerate.

"Shore, you're plumb busted, partner," he ironically condoled. "Your
whole outfit has flown away on the wings of the morning. Hope you
won't tell us the pay for your veal has vamoosed with the rest."

"Oh, Kid, for shame!" reproved the girl. "Of course Daddy won't ask
for any pay--now."

Ashton burst into a jangling high-pitched laugh.

"No, no! there's still my pony and saddle and rifle and watch!" he
cried, half hysterically. "Take them! strip me! Here's my hat, too! I
paid forty-five dollars for it--silver band." He flung it on the
ground. "There's a hole in it--I wish the hole were through my head!"

"Now, now, look here, son. Keep a stiff upper lip," said Knowles.
"Don't act like you're locoed. It's all right about that veal, as
Chuckie says, and you oughtn't to make such a fuss over the loss of a
camp outfit."

"Camp outfit?" shrilled Ashton. "If that were all! if that were all!
What shall I do? Lost--all lost!--father--all! Ruined! Oh, my God!
What shall I do? Oh, my God! Oh--" Anguish and despair choked the cry
in his throat. He collapsed in a huddled, quivering heap.

"_Sho!_ It can't be as bad as that, can it?" condoled the cowman.

"Go away!" sobbed the prostrated man. "Go away! Take my pony--all!
Only leave me!"

"If ever I saw a fellow plumb locoed!" muttered Gowan, half
awe-struck.

"Maybe he'll come to his senses if we leave him," suggested Knowles.
He took a step towards Ashton. "All right, son, we'll go. But we'll
leave you half that veal, and we won't take your hawss. D'you want
help in looking for your outfit?"

Ashton shook his downbent head.

"Well, if you want to let the thieves get away with it, that's your
own lookout. You'd better strike back to the railroad."

"Go away! Leave me!" moaned Ashton.

"Gone to smash--clean busted!" commented Gowan, as he turned about to
go to his horse, his spurs ji