' me. Daddy Chip is takin' care of her. He wouldn't let her
be lonesome."

The Kid got the sack open and reached an arm in to the shoulder. He
groped there for a minute and drew out a battered doughnut smeared
liberally with wild currant jelly, and gave it to Miss Allen with an
air of princely generosity and all the chivalry of all the Happy Family
rolled into one baby gesture. Miss Allen took the doughnut meekly and
did not spoil the Kid's pleasure by hugging him as she would have
liked to do. Instead she said: "Thank you, Buck of the Flying U," quite
humbly. Then something choked Miss Allen and she turned her back upon
him abruptly.

"I've got one, two, free, fourteen left," said the Kid, counting them
gravely. "If I had 'membered to bring matches," he added regretfully,
"I could have a fire and toast rabbit legs. I guess you got some glass,
didn't you? I got some and it cutted my tongue so the bleed came--but I
never cried," he made haste to deny stoutly. "I'm a rell ole cowpuncher
now. I just cussed." He looked at her gravely. "You can't cuss where
women can hear," he told Miss Allen reassuringly. "Bud says--"

"Let me see the doughnuts," said miss Allen abruptly. "I think you ought
to let me keep the lunch. That's the woman's part. Men can't bother with
lunch--"

"It ain't lunch, it's grub," corrected the Kid. But he let her have the
bag, and Miss Allen looked inside. There were some dried prunes that
looked like lumps of dirty dough, and six dilapidated doughnuts in a
mess of jelly, and a small glass jar of honey.

"I couldn't get the cover off," the Kid explained, "'theut I busted
it, and then it would all spill like the jelly. Gee I-I wish I had a
beefsteak under my belt!"

Miss Allen leaned over with her elbows on the bank and laughed and
laughed. Miss Allen was closer to hysterics than she had ever been in
her life. The Kid looked at her in astonishment and turned to Silver,
standing with drooping head beside the bank. Miss Allen pulled herself
together and asked him what he was going to do.

"I'm going to LOCATE your horse," he said, "and then I'm going to take
you home." He looked at her disapprovingly. "I don't like you so very
much," he added. "It ain't p'lite to laugh at a feller all the time."

"I won't laugh any more. I think we had better go home right away," said
Miss Allen contritely. "You see, Buck, the bunch came home. They--they
aren't hunting cattle now. They want to find you and tell yo