ive your car?" asked Anne Marshall presently.

"He drives her in the desert and in the hills some. He drove her into a
sand-hill once clean up to her withers. When he came back,--he kind of
went ahead a spell to look over the ground, so he says,--he apologizes
to her like a gent. Oh, he likes her more 'n I do. Bruck two
searchlights at one hundred dollars a glim, but that's nothin'. Oh, yes,
Billy's got good nerve."

Overland shifted his foot to his other knee and leaned back luxuriously,
puffing fluently at his cigar.

"Billy did get to feelin' kind of down, a spell back. He had a argument
with a Gophertown gent about our claim. I wasn't there at the time, but
when I come back, I tied up Billy's leg--"

"Goodness! His leg?" exclaimed Anne.

"Yes, ma'am. The Gophertown gent snuck up and tried to stick Billy up
when Billy was readin' po'try--some of mine. Billy didn't scare so easy.
He reaches for his gun. Anyhow, the Gophertown gent's bullet hit a rock,
and shied up and stung Billy in the leg. Billy never misses a tin can
now'days, and the gent was bigger than a can. We never seen nothin' of
him again."

"Gracious, it's perfectly awful!" cried Anne.

"Yes, lady. That's what Billy said. He said he didn't object to gettin'
shot at, but he did object to gettin' hit, especially when he was
readin' po'try. Said it kind of bruck his strand of thought. That guy
was no gent."

Walter Stone again glanced at Dr. Marshall. Aunt Eleanor rose, bidding
the men good-night. Louise and Mrs. Marshall followed somewhat
reluctantly. Stone disappeared to return with cigars, whiskey and
seltzer, which he placed at Overland's elbow. "My friend Dr. Marshall is
an Easterner," he said.

Overland waved a comprehending hand, lit another cigar, and settled
back. "Now I can take the hobbles off and talk nacheral. When you gents
want me to stop, just say 'Guzzuh.'"

CHAPTER XIX

"TO CUT MY TRAIL LIKE THAT!"

Overland Red was concluding his last yarn, a most amazing account of
"The night the Plancher boys shot up Abilene."

It was exactly two o'clock by Dr. Marshall's watch.

"Both my guns was choked up with burnt powder. I reached down and
borrowed two guns off a gent what wasn't usin' his jest then. Next day I
was elected sheriff unanimous. They was seven of us left standin'. That
was back in '98." Overland yawned and stood up.

"The boys are all asleep now," said Walter Stone. "We have plenty of
room here. You'll not obj