ked now, it's the first time."

"Well," said Andy, looking from one to another and reverting to his own
worry as he swung down from his sweating horse, "there's something worse
than a spanked kid going to happen to this outfit if you fellows don't
get busy and do something. There's a swarm of dry-farmers coming in
on us, with their stock to eat up the grass and their darned fences
shutting off the water--"

"Oh, for the Lord's sake, cut it out!" snapped Pink. "We ain't in the
mood for any of your joshes. We've had about enough excitement for
once."

"Ah, don't be a damn' fool," Andy snapped back. "There's no josh about
it. I've got the whole scheme, just as they framed it up in Minneapolis.
I got to talking with a she-agent on the train, and she gave the whole
snap away; wanted me to go in with her and help land the suckers. I laid
low, and made a sneak to the land office and got a plat of the land, and
all the dope--"

"Get any mail?" Pink interrupted him, in the tone that took no notice
whatever of Andy's ill news.

"Time I was hearing from them spurs I sent for." Andy silently went
through his pockets and produced what mail he had gleaned from the
post-office, and led his horse into the shade of the stable and pulled
off the saddle. Every movement betrayed the fact that he was in the
grip of unpleasant emotions, but to the Happy Family he said not another
word.

The Happy Family did not notice his silence at the time. But afterwards,
when the Kid had stopped crying and Silver had gotten to his feet and
wobbled back to the stable, led by Chip, who explained briefly and
satisfactorily the cause of the uproar at the house, and the boys had
started up to their belated dinner, they began to realize that for a
returned traveler Andy Green was not having much to say.

They asked him about his trip, and received brief answers. Had he been
anyone else they would have wanted to know immediately what was eatin'
on him; but since it was Andy Green who sat frowning at his toes and
smoking his cigarette as though it had no comfort or flavor, the boldest
of them were cautious. For Andy Green, being a young man of vivid
imagination and no conscience whatever, had fooled them too often with
his lies. They waited, and they watched him covertly and a bit puzzled.

Silence and gloom were not boon companions of Andy Green, at any time.
So Weary, having the most charitable nature of any among them, sighed
and yielded the point o