em back, Colonel?" says I; and he says they give
him a million and a half down, or something like that, and the balance
of four million and a quarter deferred, one, two, three.

That's more money than all Wyoming is worth, let alone the Yellow Bull
Valley, which we own.

"That's a good deal of money deferred, ain't it, Colonel?" says I.

"Well, I don't blame 'em," he says. "If I had to pay anybody three or
four million dollars I'd defer it as long as I could. Besides, I'm
thinking they'll defer it more than one, two and three years if they
wait for them grangers to pay 'em back their money with what they can
raise.

"But ain't it funny how you and me made all that money? It's a proof of
what industry and economy can do when they can't help theirselfs. When
Tug Patterson wished this range on me forty years ago I hated him
sinful. Yet we run the ditches in from year to year, gradual, and here
we are!

"Well, now," he goes on, "they want possession right away. We got to
pull our freight. You and me, Curly, we ain't got no home no more."

That was the truth. In three weeks we was on our way, turned out in the
world like orphans. Still, Old Man Wright he just couldn't bear to leave
without one more whirl with the boys down at the Cheyenne Club. He was
gone down there several days; and when he come back he was hungry, but
not thirsty.

"It's no use, Curly," says he. "It's my weakness and I shore deplore it;
but I can't seem to get the better of my ways."

"How much did you lose, Colonel?" I ast him.

"Lose?" says he. "I didn't lose nothing. I win four sections of land and
five hundred cows. I didn't go to do it and I'm sorry; because, what am
I going to do with them cows?"

"Deed 'em to Bonnie Bell," says I. "Trust 'em out to some square fellow
you know on shares. We may need 'em for a stake sometime."

"That's a good idea," says he. "Not that I'm scared none of going broke.
Money comes to me--I can't seem to shoo it away."

"I never had so much trouble," says I, "but if you're feeling liberal
give me a chaw of tobacco and let's talk things over."

We done that, and we both admitted we was scared to leave Wyoming and go
to Chicago. We had to make our break though.

Bonnie Bell was plumb happy. She kept on telling her pa about the things
she was going to do when she got to the city. She told him that, so far
as she was concerned, she'd never of left the range; but since he wanted
to go East and insisted so, wh