rly?"

"I was harassed outa bed by this pesterin' friend of mine who left the
circus at Cheyenne to come out fer a visit en to view the scenery. I
want ye to meet him, en he'p me answer his questions. Folks, meet
Mister Davy Lannarck, a circuser, that's curious to see how en whar we
live. Davy, that's my old friend Mister Hulls Barrow, en that's Mister
Collins, en you are Miss Maizie, I take hit," Landy added as Maizie
stood up to see what was going on. "My young friend here was cut down
to a boy's size in heft en stature but he shore makes up the
difference in askin' questions en in gaddin' about. When he roused me
out this mornin' to go gaddin', I planned to swing around this way en
let you all he'p me. But from the looks of things, you folks musta got
word that we were comin' en are makin' a hasty move to avoid sich a
visit."

The men may have smiled at Landy's quip but Maizie laughed aloud.
"It's the other way," she said. "You put off your visit until you saw
that we were moving; then you come, expecting to be entertained. Had
you come two weeks ago we could have helped."

"I wasn't here two weeks ago," interposed Davy. "Then we were in the
Northwest, looking for a town with enough money to pay the feed bills
and freight on a lot of circus animals. In fact, we had put in the
summer looking for such a place and never did find it."

"Well, we're going to where there's money--plenty of it," said Maizie.

"Take me along," pleaded the midget. "I haven't seen 'loose money'
since we opened the ticket wagon at Grand Park in April."

"What's this, Hulls!" demanded Landy. "Are ye shiftin' pastures?"

"I shore am!" replied Hulls emphatically. "I'm gittin' outa the
thistles en sage to whar thar's decent folks. I'm a-leavin' these
hellions to rot in their tracks while I have a few days of peace en
quiet. But don't say anything, Landy, until we git goin' en outa the
country."

"Shore I won't!" pledged Landy. "That's your business--not theirs.
Have ye laid out a considerable trip?"

"Yes, we're goin' to Nevady, down whar they're buildin' a big
water-dam. Archie's down thar; makin' money a-plenty. There's a big
stir on down thar. Everybody's a-workin' en Archie wants our he'p."

"Well, I'm sorry yer a-leavin' but I'm glad fer this chance. I've
wanted to see Archie ever since he he'ped me git them cattle across
the Ranty that time. I owe him and now I've got a chance to pay." Here
Landy searched a bill out of his billfol