f weeks or so. That's all
you'll have to do, Slim; you'll see it tried, fast enough."

Pink eyed him with a wide, purple glance. "You'd like to make us fall
for that, wouldn't you?" he challenged warily.

Andy gave him a level look. "No, I wouldn't. I'd like to put one over
on you smart gazabos that think you know it all; but I don't want to
bad enough to see the Flying U go outa business just so I could holler
didn't-I-tell-you. There's a limit to what I'll pay for a josh."

"Well," put in the Native Son with his easy drawl, "I'm coming to the
centre with my ante, just for the sake of seeing the cards turned. Deal
'em out, amigo; state your case once more, so we can take a good, square
look at these dry-farmers."

"Yeah--go ahead and tell us what's bustin' the buttons off your vest,"
Cal Emmett invited.

"What's the use?" Andy argued. "You'd all just raise up on your hind
legs and holler your heads off. You wouldn't DO anything about it--not
if you knew it was the truth!" This, of course, was pure guile upon his
part.

"Oh, wouldn't we? I guess, by golly, we'd do as much for the outfit as
what you would--and a hull lot more if it come to a show-down." Slim
swallowed the bait.

"Maybe you would, if you could take it out in talking," snorted Andy.
"My chips are in. I've got three-hundred-and-twenty acres picked out, up
here, and I'm going to file on 'em before these damned nesters get off
the train. Uh course, that won't be more'n a flea bite--but I can make
it interesting for my next door neighbors, anyway; and every flea bite
helps to keep a dog moving, yuh know."

"I'll go along and use my rights," Weary offered suddenly and seriously.
"That'll make one section they won't get, anyway."

Pink gave him a startled look across the table. "You ain't going to grab
it, are yuh?" he demanded disappointedly.

"I sure am--if it's three-hundred-and-twenty acres of land you mean. If
I don't, somebody else will." He sighed humorously. "Next summer you'll
see me hoeing spuds, most likely--if the law says I GOT to."

"Haw-haw-haw-w!" laughed Big Medicine suddenly. "It'd sure be worth the
price, jest to ride up and watch you two marks down on all fours weedin'
onions." He laughed again with his big, bull-like bellow.

"We don't have to do anything like that if we don't want to," put in
Andy Green calmly. "I've been reading up on the law. There's one little
joker in it I've got by heart. It says that homestead land can b