e of
McNeil. The latter was white about the lips, but primed for action,
and not inclined to waste time in preliminaries.

"Look here, this ain't your time to butt in--" began Moffat, angrily,
but the other waved his hand.

"Say, gents,--eh--that feller had his spiel all right--eh--ain't he?
He wants to be--eh--the whole hog, but--eh,--I reckon this is
a--eh--free country, ain't it? Don't I have--eh--no show?"

"Go on, Bill!"

"Of course you do."

"Make Jack Moffat shut up!"

The justly indignant president of the Bachelors' Club remained
motionless, his mouth still open, struggling to restrain those caustic
and profane remarks which, in that presence, he dare not utter. He
instinctively flung one hand back to his hip, only to remember that all
guns had been left at the door. McNeil eyed him calmly, as he might
eye a chained bear, his lips parted in a genial smile.

"I--eh--ain't no great shakes of an--eh--orator," he began,
apologetically, waving one hand toward his gasping rival, "like
Mr.--eh--Moffat. I can't sling words round--eh--reckless, like
the--eh--gent what just had the floor, ner--eh--spout poetry, but I
reckon--eh--I kin git out--eh--'bout what I got to say. Mr. Moffat
has--eh--told you what the--eh--Bachelor Miners' Club--eh--has been
a-doin'. He--eh--spread it on pretty blame thick, but--eh--I reckon
they ain't--eh--all of 'em miners round this yere--eh--camp. As
the--eh--president of the--eh--Cattlemen's Shakespearian--eh--Reading
Circle, I am asked to present to--eh--Miss Spencer a slight
token--eh--of our esteem, and--eh--to express our pleasure
at--eh--being permitted," he bowed to the choking Mr. Moffat, "eh--to
participate in this--eh--most glorious occasion."

He stepped forward, and dropped into Miss Spencer's lap a small
plush-covered box. Her fingers pressed the spring, and, as the lid
flew open, the brilliant flash of a diamond dazzled her eyes. She sat
staring at it, unable for the moment to find speech. Then the
assemblage burst into an unrestrained murmur of admiration, and the
sound served to arouse her.

"Oh, how beautiful it all is!" she exclaimed, rapturously. "I hardly
know what to say, or whom to thank. I never heard of anything so
perfectly splendid before. It makes me cry just to remember that it is
all done for me. Oh, Mr. Moffat, I want to thank, through you, the
gentlemen of the Bachelors' Club for this magnificent reception. I
know I do not deserve it,