who would never rise.

There was feasting at the S Bar hacienda. The table was heavily laden
with dishes--once full of delicious viands but now empty. The men,
five in all, had brought out their "makin's." Ma Thomas, bustling
about with more coffee and a wonderful dessert she had mysteriously
prepared, beamed down on them.

"You're surely not through already, are you, boys?" she protested.
"Why, there's more pie and cake, and besides the----"

"I've et," sighed Anton, "until I'm about to bust."

There was a pause during which five matches were struck and applied to
the ends of five cigarettes.

"Well," sighed Kid Wolf, "I hope Blizzahd has enjoyed his dinnah as
much as I've enjoyed mine. He deserves it!"

"What a wonderful horse!" cried Ma Thomas. "And to think that if he
hadn't ran so fast, those terrible men----" Her voice broke off.

"Now don't yo' worry of that any mo'," drawled The Kid with a smile.
"Yo' troubles are ovah, I hope."

The Kid occupied the seat of honor, at Mrs. Thomas' right. Her son,
Harry, as happy as he had ever been in his life, sat on the other.
Anton, Wise, and Lathum were grouped about the rest of the table,
leaning back in their chairs.

"When Blizzahd is rested," said The Kid, in a matter-of-fact tone,
"we'll be strikin' westward. I'm kind of anxious to see what's doin'
ovah in New Mexico and Arizona."

"Yo're surely not goin' to leave us so soon!" they all cried.

The Kid nodded.

"Mah work seems to be done heah," he said, smiling. "And I'm just
naturally a rollin' stone, always rollin' toward new adventures. I'm
sho' yo'-all are goin' to be very happy."

"We owe it all to you!" Ma Thomas cried. "All of our good fortune. I
have the ranch and the cattle, and more wonderful than everything
else--my boy, Harry!"

Kid Wolf looked embarrassed. "Please don't try and thank me," he
murmured. "It's just mah job--to keep an eye out fo' those in need of
help."

"Won't yuh take a half interest in the S Bar, Kid?" Harry begged.

Kid Wolf shook his head.

"But, say," blurted Harry. He leaned across the table to whisper:

"How about all that money in that poker game down in Mariposa? It's
yores, not mine!"

"I did that," said The Kid, as he whispered back, "so yo' could buy Ma
a little present. Don't forget! A nice one!"

"What did I ever--ever do to deserve this happiness?" Ma Thomas sighed,
and she interrupted the furtive conversation of the two young men b