y came
from somewhere over on the Brazos, your earlier home. Why didn't you
tell us you were a married man?"

"I ain't--I never was!" cried Curly, hotly. "I never did have no twins
nowhere. Where'd you git 'em, Tom?"

The freighter threw his leg across the seat. "Oh, they're yours all
right, I reckon, Curly," said he. "Mother's dead. No relations. They
come from Kansas, where all the twins comes from. I found 'em waitin'
up there in Vegas, billed through to you. Both dead broke, both plumb
happy, and airy one of 'em worth its weight in gold. Its name is
Susabella and Aryann, or somethin' like that. Shall I wake it up?
It's both alike."

"Now, why, my woman's folks," began Curly, "up there in Kansas--I
reckon maybe _that's_ how it happened! She had a sister done married
a Baptis' preacher, onct. Say, now, I bet a horse that's right how
this here happened. Say, they was so pore they didn't have enough to
eat."

"Letter come with 'em," said Tom, taking out a handful of tobacco from
his pocket with the missive. "I reckon, that explains it, I wouldn't
take a thousand dollars for 'em if they was mine. Here, you kids, get
out of there and come and see the nice gentlemen. Here they are,
fellers."

He haled forth from beneath the wagon cover two solemn-eyed and sleepy
little girls, perhaps five years of age, and of so close a personal
resemblance to each other as impressed all as uncanny. The four men
stepped to the wagon side, and in silence gazed at the curly-headed
pair, who looked back, equally silent, upon the strange group
confronting them. At length the twins buried their faces in Tom Osby's
overalls.

"Look here, friend," said Tom Osby to Curly, with asperity, "if you
don't want these here twins, why, I'll take 'em off your hands mighty
damn quick. They're corral broke and right well gentled now, half good
stock anyway, and is due to be right free steppers. If you don't want
'em, they're mine for the board bill."

But Curly stepped up and laid an awkward hand on the head of each of
the twins. "Fellers," said he, "I ain't got a whole lot of experience
in this here twin game, but this goes. These here twins is mine. This
is some sudden, but I expect it'll tickle the little woman about half
to death. I reckon I can get enough for 'em all to eat, somehow."

McKinney looked at him with anger in his gaze. "I told you, Curly," he
reminded the cow puncher with undue emphasis, "that you was dr