urning, he encountered Bat seated upon a rock at some
distance from camp, watching him. The half-breed was grinning openly
now, broadly, and with evident enjoyment. Tex regarded him with a
frown: "For a Siwash you're plumb mirthful an' joyous minded. In fact
I ain't noticed any one so wrapped up in glee for quite a spell.
Suppose you just loosen up an' let me in on the frivolity, an' at the
same time kind of let it appear where you put in the day. I mistrusted
my packin' a pair of purple ones wouldn't give you the whoopin' cough,
so I just sauntered over an' took a look at the cayuses. Yourn's be'n
rode 'til he's sweat under the blanket--an' he ain't soft neither."

"_Oui_, A'm fol' 'long we'n you make de ride. A'm t'ink mebbe-so two
better'n wan."

"Well, I was weaned right young, an' I don't need no governess. After
this you----"

The half-breed shrugged: "A'm tink dat tam way back in Las Vegas dat
dam' good t'ing ol' Bat fol' 'long, or else, ba Goss, you gon' to hell
for sure."

"But that's no sign I've always got to be close-herded. Did you sneak
up near enough to hear what the short-horn said?"

"_Oui_, A'm hear dat. She mak' me laugh lak' hell."

"Laugh! I didn't see nothin' so damn hilarious in it. What do you
think about Purdy?"

"A'm tink dat dam' bad luck she no git keel." The half-breed paused
and grinned: "De pilgrim she mak' de run for nuttin', an' you got to
ke'p on lyin' an' lyin', an bye-m-bye you got so dam' mooch lies you
git los'. So far, dat work out pret' good. De pilgrim gon' ke'p on de
run, 'cause he no lak' for git stretch for politick, an' you git mor'
chance for make de play for de girl."

"What do you mean?" The Texan's eyes flashed. "I just knocked the
livin' hell out of one fellow for makin' a crack about that girl."

"_Oui_, A'm know 'bout dat, too. Dat was pret' good, but nex' tam dat
better you start in fightin' fore you git knock clean across de coulee
firs'. A'm lak dat girl. She dam' fine 'oman, you bet. A'm no lak'
she git harm."

"See here, Bat," interrupted the Texan, "no matter what my intentions
were when I started out, they're all right now."

"_Oui_, A'm know dat, 'bout two day."

"It's this way, I be'n thinkin' quite a bit the last couple of days
there ain't a thing in hellin' around the country punchin' other folks'
cattle for wages. It's time I was settlin' down. If that girl will
take a long shot an' marry me, I'm goin' to rustle around a