ore I'll tell him," replied Charley. "When will that bunch of cattle
be on hand--I'm anxious to swap jobs."

Blake flashed him a warning glance and tried to ignore the question by
changing the subject, but it was too late, for Bill was curious.

"What cattle is that, Charley?" asked the driver in sudden interest.

"Oh, some cattle that I'm going to get of Blake for Sneed," lied Charley
easily.

"What in all get out does Sneed want with any Star C cows?" Bill asked in
surprise. "He's got plenty of cows of his own, unless The Orphant shot a
whole lot more than I thought he did."

"I don't know, Bill," replied Charley. "I didn't ask him, it being plainly
none of my business."

Bill scratched his head: "No, I reckon not," he replied doubtfully.

"Here comes Shields now," said Blake suddenly. "I reckon I'll ride off
and meet him. So long, Bill."

"So long," replied Bill. "Be sure to tell The Orphan I was asking about
him. So long, Charley." He turned abruptly and entered the stage office:
"I don't understand it," he muttered. "There's something in the wind that
I can't get onto nohow. He has shore got me guessing some, all right."

The clerk tossed aside the paper and stared: "Well, that's too d----d
bad, now ain't it?" he asked sarcastically. "You ought to object, that's
what you ought to do! What right has anybody to keep quiet about their
own business when you want to know, hey? If I wanted to know everybody's
business as bad as you do, I'd shore raise h--l, I would. Why don't you
choke it out of him, wipe up the earth with him? Go out right now and give
him a piece of your mind."

"Oh, you would, would you! You're blamed smart, now ain't you? You work
too hard--your nerves are giving away," drawled Bill as he picked up the
paper. "Sitting around all day with your feet on the table and a pipe in
your mouth that you're too lazy to light, working like the very devil
trying to find time to do the company's business, which there ain't none
to do. Ain't you ashamed to go to bed?--it must take a lot of gall to
hunt your rest at night after finding it and hugging it all day. What
would you do for a living if I forgot to bring the paper with me some day,
hey? You ain't got enough animation to want to know what is going on in
this little world of ours, you----"

"You get out of here, right now, too!" yelled the clerk. "I don't want you
hanging around bothering me, you pest! Get out of here right now, before I
get up an