I'm open to an engagement, ma'am."

The short fat man whom Maisie Winters had called Billie looked sharply
at the cowpuncher out of shrewd gray eyes.

"Where you been working?" he demanded abruptly.

"With the Lone Star outfit."

"Get fired?"

"Company gone out of business--country getting too popular, what with
homesteaders, forest rangers, and Mary's little lamb," explained Steve.

"Hm! Can you ride a bucker?"

"I can pull leather and kinder stick on."

"I'll try you out for a week at two-fifty a day if you like."

"You've hired Steve Yeager," promptly announced the owner of that name.

CHAPTER II

"ENOUGH'S A-PLENTY"

While driving his car back to Los Robles, Billie Threewit, producing
director at the border studio of the Lunar Film Manufacturers, indulged
in caustic comment on his own idiocy.

"Now, what in hell did I take on this Yeager rube for? He had just
finished crabbing one scene. Wasn't that enough without me paying him
good money to spoil more? Harrison's sore on him too. There's going to
be trouble there. He ain't going to stand for that roughhouse stuff a
little bit."

Frank Farrar, the camera man, took a more cheerful view of the
situation.

"He's a find, if you ask me--the real thing in cowpunchers. And I don't
know as this outfit has to be run to please Harrison. The big bully has
got us all stepping sideways and tiptoeing so as not to offend him. I'm
about fed up with the brute. Wish this rube would mop the earth up with
him when Harrison gets gay."

"No chance. Harrison's a bully all right, but he's one grand little
fighter too. You saw him clean up that bunch of greasers. He's there
with both feet on the Marquis of Q. business, and don't you forget it.
I put up with more from him than I ever did from a dozen other actors
because he's so mean when he's sulky."

"Here too," agreed Farrar. "It's take your hat off when you speak to Mr.
Chad Harrison. I can't yell at him that he's getting out of the picture;
I've got to pull the Alphonse line of talk.--'Mr. Harrison, if you'd be
so kind as to get that left hind hoof of yours six inches more to the
right.' He makes me good and weary."

"He gets his stuff across good. Wasn't for that I wouldn't stand for him
a minute. But we're down here, son, to get this three-reel Mexican war
dope. As long as Harrison delivers the goods we'll have to put up with
him."

"Well, I'm going to give this Yeager lad a tip what he's up against.