thing
or not, at that. Con whispered in my ear that he worked in a
grocery when he first struck town, dealt stud-poker for Johnny
Early, quit that and took to school-teachin', then threw that up
and preached. But what's the difference out here? He's expensive,
anyhow, and all Con could find.'

"So I wagged my legs for the house and trotted Aleck down to the
bull-pen.

"'Friend of yours there,' I told him.

"'That so?' says he. 'Who is it?'

"'Lady,' I says, kind of gay, thinkin' he'd be pleased.

"He stopped in his tracks. Then I remembered who I was talkin' to.

"'Come along, here, now!' says I, and nailed him by the neck. 'You
ain't goin' to miss your happiness if main strength can give it to
you.' His toes touched about once to the rod. I run him into the
pen.

"'There,' says I, 'is somebody you know.'

"Well, sir, old Aleck looked at the gal, and the gal looked at
Aleck, and the rest of us looked at each other. Soon's the kid got
his breath from the shock he yells, 'I never laid eyes on that lady
before!'

"Oh, Hivins, Maria! That was the awfullest minute I ever lived
through. Poor old E. G. W. S.! We all turned away from him, out
of pity. He had the expression of a man that's fell down a
hundred-foot prospect hole and been struck by lightning before he
touched bottom. He grabbed aholt of the minister and swallered and
swallered, unable to chirp.

"At last he rallied. 'You mean to tell me, Aleck,' he says, in a
voice hardly strong enough to get through his mustache, 'that I've
made a mistake?'

"Aleck was always willing to believe he was wrong. 'I'm _pretty_
sure, Zeke--I ain't never seen you, have I, Miss?'

"'No, sir--not that I know of,' answers the girl, with her eyes on
the ground.

"E. G. W. rubbed his brow.

"'Will you make good, anyhow, Aleck?' he coaxed. 'I got the
minister and all right here--it won't take a minute.'

"I'd let go of Aleck in the excitement. At these words he made one
step from where he stood in the house, through the window, to ten
foot out of doors, and a few more steps like that, and he was out
of the question.

"Then the girl put her face in her hands and begun to cry. She was
a mighty pretty, innocent, plump little thing, and we'd rather have
had most anything than that she should stand there cryin'. But we
were all hung by the feet and wandering in our minds. The simple
life of the cow-puncher doesn't fit him to grapple with problems
like