ote 'em
from Australia that he was goin' to India, an' then he wrote 'em from--"

"Oh, those was only jokes," sez I. "Jim's all right; but what become of
Dick?"

"Nobody knows," sez Bill, "an' nobody cares. He's got lots better
health than Lord Wilfred, but he's got some epolepsy, too, an' he's a
mean sneak. His mother was insane, but she left him a little bunch of
money."

"She must have had more quality than the average of 'em;" sez I, "but
hanged if I wouldn't sooner do without the quality than to have all
that epolepsy thrown in with it. Jim's all right though, I'll say that
for the breed."

"Yes, Jim was a fine feller from all accounts," sez Bill, "but where
the Jink did you meet up with him?"

"It's a state secret," sez I, "or I'd let you in. Jim's doin' fine an'
I wouldn't for the world have him dragged down where he'd have to marry
up with a lot o' quality. Now while you're givin' your concert, I'm
goin' out an' check up the stars."

I was purty yell pleased with Bill. I had bothered him all I could in
the tellin' an' yet he had kept his temper an' handed out the facts;
an' I wanted to go over 'em forward an' hack till I could get the full
hang of 'em. It was wonderful queer how a ridin' man like me had
brushed shoulders, as you might say, with the Earl of Clarenden, an' I
was beginnin' to think that old Mrs. Fate was stirrin' things up a
shade extra. As a usual thing I don't go into scandal an' gossip so
prodigious; but I was hungry to have another look at Jim, now that I
knew he was the son of an Earl, an' I decided to pull out an' give the
Pan Handle a look-over as soon as it was handy. I spent about two hours
that night lookin' at the stars an' wishin' they could tell me all
they'd ever seen. They knew all that Barbie wanted to know, an' I
didn't seem able to git on the track, in spite of me readin' detective
stories every chance I had.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

CUPID

Well, I didn't go down to the Pan Handle after all. I just fatten on a
new variety of entertainment an' the sample that Bill was puttin' out
amused me to the limit. Me an' Bill drove down to Danders on the first
o' May to get some grub. Most o' this breed has a purty tol'able active
thirst, but Bill was unusual harmless when it came to storin' away
liquor. About the only excitement Danders held out to a temperance
crank was goin' down to the depot to watch the train come in. This time
the west-bound had to take a sidin' and wait