from the tea-kettle.

"Py cosh, I vould keel der fool vot made her first von of der
automo-beels, yet!" he exclaimed unexpectedly, after a long silence, and
cast his pipe vindictively toward his bunk in one corner.

The Happy Family looked around at him, then understandingly at one
another.

"Same here, Patsy," Jack Bates agreed. "What they want of the damned
things when the country's full uh good horses gits me."

"So some Yahoo with just sense enough to put goggles on to cover up
his fool face can run over folks he ain't good enough to speak to, by
cripes!" Big Medicine glared aggressively up and down the table.

Weary got up suddenly and went out, and Slim followed him, though his
supper was half-uneaten.

"This goin' to be hard on the Little Doctor--only brother she's got,"
they heard Happy Jack point out unnecessarily; and Weary, the equable,
was guilty of slamming the door so that the whole building shook, by way
of demonstrating his dislike of speech upon the subject.

They were a sorry company who waved hands at the Little Doctor and
the Kid and the Countess, just when the afterglow of a red sunset
was merging into the vague, purple shadows of coming dusk. They stood
silent, for the most part, and let them go without the usual facetious
advice to "Be good to yourselves," and the hackneyed admonition to Chip
to keep out of jail if he could. There must have been something very
wistful in their faces, for the Little Doctor smiled bravely down upon
then from the buggy seat, and lifted up the Kid for a four-toothed smile
and an ecstatic "Bye!" accompanied by a vigorous flopping of hands,
which included then all.

"We'll telegraph first thing, boys," the Little Doctor called back, as
the rig chucked into the pebbly creek crossing. "We'll keep you posted,
and I'll write all the particulars as soon as I can. Don't think the
worst--unless you have to. I don't." She smiled again, and waved her
hand hastily because of the Kid's contortions; and, though the smile
had tears close behind it, though her voice was tremulous in spite of
herself, the Happy Family took heart from her courage and waved their
hats gravely, and smiled back as best they could.

"There's a lot uh cake you boys might just as well eat up," the Countess
called belatedly. "It'll all dry out, if yuh don't--and there ain't no
use wastin' it--and there's two lemon pies in the brown cupboard, and
what under the shinin' sun--" The wheels bumped violen