t of blue flannel against which
the red silk muffler made a splotch of vivid colouring.

"You look like a sure enough top hand, now," grinned the Texan. "We'll
just take a drink on that." He drew the cork from the bottle and
tendered it to Endicott, who shook his head.

"No, thanks. I never use it."

The Texan stared at him in surprise. "Do you mean you've got the
regular habit of not drinkin', or is it only a temporary lapse of duty?"

Endicott laughed: "Regular habit," he answered.

The other drank deeply of the liquor and returned the cork. "You ought
to break yourself of that habit, Win, there's no tellin' where it'll
lead to. A fellow insulted me once when I was sober an' I never
noticed it. But laying aside your moral defects, them whiskers of
yourn is sure onornamental to a scandalous degree. Wait, I'll fetch my
razor, an' you can mow 'em." He disappeared, to return a few moments
later with a razor, a cake of hand-soap, and a shaving brush.

"I never have shaved my self," admitted Endicott, eyeing the articles
dubiously.

"Who have you shaved?"

"I mean, I have always been shaved by a barber."

"Oh!" The cowboy took another long pull at the bottle. "Well, Win,
the fact is them whiskers looks like hell an' has got to come off." He
rolled up his sleeves. "I ain't no barber, an' never shaved a man in
my life, except myself, but I'm willin' to take a chance. After what
you've done for me I'd be a damn coward not to risk it. Wait now 'til
I get another drink an' I'll tackle the job an' get it over with. A
man can't never tell what he can do 'til he tries."

Endicott viewed the cowboy's enthusiasm with alarm. "That's just what
I was thinking, Tex," he hastened to say, as the other drew the cork
from the bottle. "And it is high time I learned to shave myself,
anyway. I have never been where it was necessary before. If you will
just sit there and tell me how, I will begin right now."

"Alright, Win, you can't never learn any younger. First off, you wet
your face in the creek an' then soap it good. That soap ain't regular
shavin' soap, but it'll do. Then you take the brush an' work it into a
lather, an' then you shave."

"But," inquired the man dubiously, "don't you have towels soaked in hot
water, and----"

"Towels an' hot water, hell! This ain't no barber shop, an' there
ain't no gin, or whatever they rub on your face after you get through,
either. You just shave an' knock the so