asear on account of _Collie_. It was _her_ eyes that said to go. You
know that. She never said words, but her _eyes_ said to go--and to kill!
Do you get that? That's what a woman can do to a man, without sayin' a
word. And what did Collie ever do for me? Look at that arm. _Look_ at
it! What did Collie ever do for me to get shot up this way?" And Billy
Dime began to weep. "I killed two of 'em--two of 'em. I saw 'em drop. I
was drawin' fine--_fine_, I tell you, and I couldn't miss."

Bud Light rode forward to Williams. "Billy's gone off his crust. He's
ravin' back there, Brand."

Williams drew Long's flask from his saddle-pocket. "Give him a shot of
this. Take some yourself. Miguel and I don't need any. Hold on--I'll
give Red a shot first. When it gets to workin', you yip and ride for the
hills. We'll all ride--_ride_, you understand? It'll be a dry camp, and
a hard flash, but we'll make it."

CHAPTER XXX

TWO ROSES

One morning, some three weeks after the invasion of Gophertown, Bud
Light, Billy Dime, and Brand Williams appeared at the Moonstone Ranch
office.

Quite casually they had dismounted, and jingling up had asked for Walter
Stone. Upon his appearance the younger men applied individually for
their old places. The room smelled of cigarette smoke and antiseptics.
Quite as though nothing unusual had happened the rancher reinstated
them.

"Have a good time, boys?" he asked.

"Yes, sir. Very good time. Better than we expected," replied Billy Dime.
Bud Light nodded.

Stone looked hard at Billy Dime's bandaged arm. "Miguel and Parson Long
have a good time also?"

"Stayed to help Overland Red work the claim. Overland Red got hurt a
little, doin' somethin'. He's all right now."

"None of the Moonstone boys were injured?"

"Nope. Not a one of us," replied Dime blandly.

Walter Stone's eyes twinkled, but he did not smile. "We will call it a
vacation this time, with pay. Tell Williams to step in here, please."
And the rancher dismissed his embarrassed and happy punchers with a
gesture.

The interview with Williams was not so brief. "The boys came out of it
all right?" asked Stone, shaking hands with his old foreman.

"Yes, sir."

"How did you manage that?"

"Didn't. They did."

"Any one--er--of the other side have an accident?"

"Saunders--and six gents got hurt pretty bad."

"Whew! Our boys were lucky."

"It was nothin' but luck that they ain't all back there now--on the
sand. You see, t