uah. Carryin' two of them six-guns. You figgah he's elopin' wiv
that gal?"

The conductor surveyed his aide disdainfully.

"You've been seeing too many cheap picture-shows lately, Clem," he said.
"Eloping with that young girl? I wouldn't hint it to him if I were you.
Don't you know a he-man when you see one?"

CHAPTER X

SANDY RETURNS

Eight days passed before Sandy came riding back on Goldie, leading the
bay, reaching the Three Star at the end of sunset. Mormon was in his
chair with the one letter that Sandy had written on his lap. It was
almost too dark to read it. Mormon's eyes were beginning to fail him at
anything short of long distance but he knew the contents by heart, yet
he liked to keep the letter near him as a dog loves a favorite bone long
after all the nourishment from it has been absorbed. Mormon was still
penitent. He knew that the sheriff had just failed to make the train,
but he did not cease to blame himself for submitting Sandy and Molly to
so close a chance, neither did Sam forget occasionally to remind him of
his lapse of tongue.

Sandy pulled in the mare beyond the corral. He could hear the sound of
Sam's harmonica and pictured him with the instrument cuddled up under
his great mustache. Sam was playing _The Girl I Left Behind Me_ and he
managed to breathe a good deal of pathos into the primitive mouth organ.

"It's sure good to be home, Goldie," said Sandy. The mare whinnied. The
bay nickered. Answers came back from the corral. Pronto, Sandy's first
string horse, came trotting cross the corral, head up.

"Hello, you ol' pie-eater!" said Sandy. "You sure look good to me.
C'udn't take you erlong this trip, son, but we'll be out ter-morrer
together." Then he let out a mighty, "Hello, the house!"

Sam's lilt ceased abruptly. The riders came hurrying. Sam appeared, with
Mormon waddling after, too swiftly for his best ease or grace of motion,
both grabbing at Sandy, swatting him on the back as he off-saddled.

"Lemme go," said Sandy. "I'm hungry as a spring b'ar. Where's Pedro?
Pedro, I'm hungry--_muy hambriento_. _Despachese Vd. Pronto!
Huevos--seis huevos--fritos! Frijoles! Jamon! Cafe! Panecilos! Todo el
rancho! Pronto!_"

"_Si, senor, inmediatamente._" And, with a yell for Joe the half-breed,
Pedro hurried away, grinning, to prepare the six fried eggs, the ham,
the coffee, the muffins, everything in the larder!

His two partners watched him eat, plying him with food and then wi