oc--d'you s'pect he savvys his business?"

"Of course he does! He's considered one of the best doctors in the
State. Why do you ask?"

"Well, it's this way. When he was goin' back to town yesterday I laid
for him. You see, the Old Man--er, I mean--you know, ma'am, the Big
Boss, he's a pretty sick man--an' it looks to us boys like things had
ort to break pretty quick, one way er another. So, I says, 'Doc, how's
he gittin' on?' an' the doc he says, jest like you done, 'good as
could be expected.' When you come right down to cases, that don't tell
you nothin'. So I says, 'that's 'cordin' to who's doin' the expectin'.
What we want to know,' I says, 'is he goin' to git well, er is he
goin' to die?' 'I confidently hope we're going to pull him through,'
he comes back. 'Meanin', he's goin' to git well?' I says. 'Yes,' he
says. 'Fer how much?' I asks him. I didn't have but thirty-five
dollars on me, but I shook that in under his nose. You see, I wanted
to find out if the fellow would back his own self up with his money.
'What do you mean?' he says. 'I mean,' I informs him, 'that money
talks. Here's the Missus payin' you good wages fer to cure up the Old
Man. You goin' to do it, an' earn them wages, or ain't you? Here's
thirty-five dollars that says you can't cure him.'"

The corners of the old lady's mouth were twitching behind the
handkerchief she held to her lips: "What did the doctor say?" she
asked.

"Tried to laugh it off," declared the cowboy in disgust. "But I
reminds him that this here ain't no laughin' matter. 'D'you s'pose,' I
says, 'if the Old Man told me: "Bill, there's a bad colt to bust," or
"Bill, go over onto Monte's Crick, an' bring back them two-year-olds,"
do you s'pose I wouldn't bet I could do it? They's plenty of us here
to do all the "confidently hopin'" that's needed. What you got to do
is to git busy with them pills an' make him well,' I says, 'or quit
an' let someone take holt that kin.'" The man paused and regarded the
woman seriously. "What I'm gittin' at is this: If this here doc ain't
got confidence enough in his own dope to back it with a bet, it's time
we got holt of one that will. Now, ma'am, you better let me send one
of Jack Pierce's kids to town to see Len Christie an' tell him to git
the best doc out here they is. I'll write a note to Len on the side
an' tell him to tell the doc he kin about double his wages, 'cause the
rest of the boys feels just like I do, an' we'll all bet agin him so'