u attend to the boiling of meat and the unpacking and
arrangement of those necessary furnishings for fich you possess the
great understanding. And I shall prepare the so delicious dessert of
the floating island, what you call in America. Yes? Our friends will
have the so delightful astonishment when they arrive. They shall
exclaim and partake joyously, is it not? And for your reward, Mr.
Happy, I shall be so pleased to set aside a very extensive portion of
the delicious floating island, so that you can eat no more except you
endanger your handsome person from the bursting. Yes?" And oh, the
smile of him!

A man of sterner stuff than Happy Jack would have fallen before such
guile and would have labored willingly--nay, gladly in the service of
so delightful a diplomat as Jakie. Except for that willing service,
Jakie would have been quite overwhelmed by the many and peculiar
duties of a roundup cook. He would have been perfectly helpess before
the morning and noon packing of dishes and food, and the skilful haste
necessary to unpack and prepare a meal for fifteen ravenous appetites
within the time limit would have been utterly impossible. Jakie was a
chef, trained to his profession in well-appointed kitchens and with
assistance always at hand; which is a trade apart from cooking for a
roundup crew.

Happy Jack, in the fulness of time, returned with the eggs. That is,
he returned with six eggs and a quart or two of a yellowish mixture
thickly powdered with shell. He took the pail to Jakie and he saw the
seraphic smile fade from his face and an unpleasant glitter creep into
his eyes.

"It is the omelet fich you furnish, yes? The six eggs, they will not
make the pudding. The omelet--I do not perceive yet the desirableness
of the omelet. And the juvenile hen--yes?"

"Aw, they wouldn't sell no chickens." Happy Jack's face had gone long
and scarlet before the patent displeasure of the other. "And my horse
was scared uh the bucket and pitched with me."

Jackie looked again into the pail, felt gingerly the yellow mess and
discovered one more egg which retained some semblance of its original
form. "The misfortune distresses me," he murmured. "It is that you
return hastily, Mr. Happy, and procure other eggs fich you will place
unbroken in my waiting hands, yes?"

Happy Jack mopped his forehead and glanced at the sun, burning hotly
down upon the prairie. They had made a short move that day and it was
still early. But the way