nobserved. Then he stepped farther toward the hotel
door. He met the Littlest Girl just emerging from the building, whither
she had gone upon the same errand as his own.

"She ain't here, Mr. Anderson," explained the Littlest Girl; "her and her
pa has just went to the post-office."

He looked at her silently. "Oh, I know who you come to see," asserted
the Littlest Girl, "and I don't blame you. It's _time_ you did, too."

Without a word he turned and walked with her up the street, there to miss
Constance by three moments, which, potentially, might have been a
life-time.

CHAPTER XXI

JUSTICE AT HEART'S DESIRE

_The Story of a Sheriff and Some Bad Men; showing also a Day's Work,
and a Man's Medicine_

"Dad, you've been drinking!" burst out Constance as her father met her
at the door of Curly's house. She had heard footsteps, and hastened to
meet the visitor. Perhaps it was disappointment, perhaps indignation
with herself that she had listened, that she had waited, which caused
her to greet her parent with such asperity.

"You wrong me, daughter!" protested Mr. Ellsworth, solemnly; "only took
one or two little ones, to celebrate the saving of the twin. You've
made a great hit with those people over there. They'd all celebrate,
if there was anything to drink. I had to stock the Lone Star myself
out of my valise. They won't have anything in till Tom Osby comes.

"I say," he resumed, taking his daughter's arm with genial gallantry as
they stepped out into the sunlight together, "these people are not so
bad. They're warming up right along now. If you and I could stay here
awhile, we'd get along with 'em all right--better understanding all
around."

Her face brightened. "Then you don't give up the railroad?"

"No; by no means. I never give up a thing I want. Besides, I wouldn't
mind coming here to live for a while. The climate's glorious."

"You live here? You'd look well in a wide hat and a blue shirt,
wouldn't you, dad?"

"More irreverence! Of course I'd look well. And it's worth something
to eat the way I do here. I'm getting better every day. Why, they
tell me no one has died out here in a hundred years. A man can eat
anything from cactus to sole leather, and keep hearty. I saw a lot of
fellows over there just now, sitting flat on the ground in the sun out
in the middle of the street, eating dried beef and canned tomatoes, and
they looked so happy that I sat down and took a bite