him. The clanking was still among the trees a little
distance up Box Elder. It approached deliberately, while he watched for
the vehicle to emerge upon the open where his cabin stood; and then they
came, a man and a woman. At sight of her Mr. McLean half rose, but sat
down again. Neither of them had noticed him, sitting as they were in
silence and the drowsiness of a long drive. The man was weak-faced, with
good looks sallowed by dissipation, and a vanquished glance of the
eye. As the woman had stood on the platform at Separ, so she sat now,
upright, bold, and massive. The brag of past beauty was a habit settled
upon her stolid features. Both sat inattentive to each other and to
everything around them. The wheels turned slowly and with a dry, dead
noise, the reins bellied loosely to the shafts, the horse's head hung
low. So they drew close. Then the man saw McLean, and color came into
his face and went away.

"Good-evening," said he, clearing his throat. "We heard you was in
cow-camp."

The cow-puncher noted how he tried to smile, and a freakish change
crossed his own countenance. He nodded slightly, and stretched his legs
out as he sat.

"You look natural," said the woman, familiarly.

"Seem to be fixed nice here," continued the man. "Hadn't heard of it.
Well, we'll be going along. Glad to have seen you."

"Your wheel wants greasing," said McLean, briefly, his eye upon the man.

"Can't stop. I expect she'll last to Drybone. Good-evening."

"Stay to supper," said McLean, always seated on his chair.

"Can't stop, thank you. I expect we can last to Drybone." He twitched
the reins.

McLean levelled a pistol at a chicken, and knocked off its head. "Better
stay to supper," he suggested, very distinctly.

"It's business, I tell you. I've got to catch Governor Barker before
he--"

The pistol cracked, and a second chicken shuffled in the dust. "Better
stay to supper," drawled McLean.

The man looked up at his wife.

"So yus need me!" she broke out. "Ain't got heart enough in yer
played-out body to stand up to a man. We'll eat here. Get down."

The husband stepped to the ground. "I didn't suppose you'd want--"

"Ho! want? What's Lin, or you, or anything to me? Help me out."

Both men came forward. She descended, leaning heavily upon each, her
blue staring eyes fixed upon the cow-puncher.

"No, yus ain't changed," she said. "Same in your looks and same in your
actions. Was you expecting you could scare me, yo