chair. "Up in the Black Hills he was. Eighteen seventy-nine. Gosh!"
And he wandered out upon his business. One by one the others also
silently dispersed.

Upon going out, Lin and I found the boy pacing up and down, eagerly in
talk with Miss Buckner. She had made friends with him, and he was now
smoothed down and deeply absorbed, being led by her to tell her about
himself. But on Lin's approach his face clouded, and he made off for the
corrals, displaying a sullen back, while I was presenting Mr. McLean to
the lady.

Overtaken by his cow-puncher shyness, Lin was greeting her with ungainly
ceremony, when she began at once, "You'll excuse me, but I just had to
have my laugh."

"That's all right, m'm," said he; "don't mention it."

"For that boy, you know--"

"I'll fix him, m'm. He'll not insult yu' no more. I'll speak to him."

"Now, please don't! Why--why--you were every bit as bad!" Miss Buckner
pealed out, joyously. "It was the two of you. Oh dear!"

Mr. McLean looked crestfallen. "I had no--I didn't go to--"

"Why, there was no harm! To see him mean so well and you mean so well,
and--I know I ought to behave better!"

"No, yu' oughtn't!" said Lin, with sudden ardor; and then, in a voice of
deprecation, "You'll think us plumb ignorant."

"You know enough to be kind to folks," said she.

"We'd like to."

"It's the only thing makes the world go round!" she declared, with an
emotion that I had heard in her tone once or twice already. But she
caught herself up, and said gayly to me, "And where's that house you
were going to build for a lone girl to sleep in?"

"I'm afraid the foundations aren't laid yet," said I.

"Now you gentlemen needn't bother about me."

"We'll have to, m'm. You ain't used to Separ."

"Oh, I am no--tenderfoot, don't you call them?" She whipped out her
pistol, and held it at the cow-puncher, laughing.

This would have given no pleasure to me; but over Lin's features went a
glow of delight, and he stood gazing at the pointed weapon and the girl
behind it. "My!" he said, at length, almost in a whisper, "she's got the
drop on me!"

"I reckon I'd be afraid to shoot that one of yours," said Miss Buckner.
"But this hits a target real good and straight at fifteen yards." And
she handed it to him for inspection.

He received it, hugely grinning, and turned it over and over. "My!"
he murmured again. "Why, shucks!" He looked at Miss Buckner with stark
rapture, caressing the polished revol