led by his
strange surroundings. The new-comer was a fat youth with a round and
smiling face, who, as he raked down the bedding, talked in a pleasing
drawl.

"Pat," he began, shoving him over gently, "you're shore some cayuse.
Wouldn't mind ownin' a piece o' you myself. But I was goin' for to say
there's trouble come onto you. That mighty likable pardner o' yours is
gone in complete--sick to death. We've telephoned for the doc, but he's
off somewheres, and we've got to wait till he gits back. But it's shore
too bad--all of it. Steve he's got a nasty arm and shoulder, and he's
all gone generally. Mighty distressin' I call it."

With this he slapped Pat heartily and left him.

When he had gone Pat felt a depression creeping over him. It became
heavier as the hours passed. He knew that his young friend was somewhere
about, and could not understand why he failed to come to him himself,
instead of sending this stranger. Then, with the hours lengthening into
a day, and the days dragging into a week, with only the smiling stranger
coming to him regularly, and petting and stroking and talking to him, he
came to feel that something of grave and serious nature was going on
outside. So he longed to get out of the stable, out into sunlight and
away from this restraint, and to see for himself what it was that was
holding his master from him.

Then late one afternoon he heard a step approaching. It was his master's
step, yet it was very different. It was slow and dragging, and while the
voice was the same, yet there was a note of hollowness as he spoke that
did not belong there, a note as if it required great effort to speak at
all. But in spite of this he recognized his young master, and sounded a
welcoming nicker, anxious to be off. For somehow he believed that now he
would be taken out into the sunlight. Nor was he disappointed. After a
moment's petting the young man led him outdoors, and there began to
bridle and saddle him, slowly, with many pauses for breath, all as if it
hurt him, as indeed it must, since he still wore the white bandages.
Then there appeared a group of interested young men, suddenly, as though
they had just discovered the proposed departure.

"See here, Steve," one of them exploded, "this ain't treating us a bit
nice. You're a mighty sick man. I ain't saying that to worry you,
neither; but I can't see the idee of your hopping out of bed to do this
thing. You stick around till the doc comes again, anyway.