ent of his counter, cast his eye about and searched the length
of Main Street, one side and then the other. He expected to get sight
of some one of the crew that had brought the cattle into the
loading-pens; but they had totally disappeared. After looking into a
few likely places, and finding that he had guessed wrong, he paused on
a street corner to give the matter deeper thought.

"Come on, Al," said Toot Wilson, hastening past.

"Where at?"

"Up to the saddle-maker's. They 're in there. He is making a fine
one. Did you see it?"

"No."

"It's for young Chase. It's great work."

In John Diefenbach's workroom was a numerous company of saddle
admirers, sitting and lounging about in the seductive odor of new-mown
leather. The saddler, happily busied among his patterns and punches
and embossing-tools, turned at times and peered over the rims of his
spectacles in evident satisfaction. The heavy stock saddle, its
quantities of leather all richly beflowered, was mounted on a trestle
beside him. It was so near completion that the long saddle-strings now
hung down in pairs all round, and these thongs, being of
lighter-colored leather, and sprouting out of the hearts of embossed
primroses, looked quite as if they were the natural new growth of that
spring--in fact the whole flourishing affair might have been expected
to put on a few more layers of leather out of its own powers of
luxuriance. But there was nothing superfluous about it.

"What do you think of it, Al?" asked one of the company.

Todd looked it over, the broad hair girths fore and aft, the big cinch
rings and strong stirrup straps. The stirrups were missing. His eye
sought the hooks and pegs over the workbench.

"Do _them_ things go on it?" he asked, pointing an accusing finger.

Hanging on the wall was a pair of Mexican _tapaderas_--deep hooded
stirrups with a great superfluity of leather extending below as if they
were wings for the feet.

"Oh! no, no, no," said the saddler, turning hastily and holding up his
hand as if to quell this mental disturbance before it had gone too far.
"These go on it--these." He held out a pair of plain wooden hoops.

Todd's countenance rearranged itself at once.

"She's a jim-dandy," said Todd.

With this verdict rendered, he seated himself on a chair which had a
nail-keg for legs and gave his attention to the principal speaker as he
resumed his account of a roping-match. The story was rather long,
show