ook as innocent and as
meek as their pictures of the Virgin Mary. She had us both guessing,
let me tell you! He was pretty blamed insulting, though, and I'd have
licked the stuffing out of him right then and there, if she hadn't swung
in and played the joker the way she did. Made Jose look as if he'd been
doused with cold water--and him breathing fire and brimstone the minute
before.

"It was funny, I reckon--to Teresita; we didn't see the joke. Every time
I bring up the subject of that runaway, she laughs; but she won't say
whether it was a runaway, no matter how I sneak the question in. So I
just let it go, seeing Jose is laid up now; only, next time I bump into
Jose Pacheco, he's going to act pretty, or there's liable to be a little
excitement.

"I wish I had my pistols. I wrote to Bill Wilson about them again, the
other day; if he doesn't send them down pretty soon, I'm going after
them." He stopped, his attention arrested by the peculiar behavior of a
herd of a hundred or more cattle, a little distance from the road.

"Now, what do you suppose is the excitement over there?" he asked; and
for answer Dade turned from the trail to investigate.

"Maybe they've run across the carcass of a critter that's been killed,"
he hazarded, "though this is pretty close home for beef thieves to get
in their work. Most of the stock is killed north and east of Manuel's
camp."

The cattle, moving restlessly about and jabbing their long, wicked horns
at any animal that got in the way, lifted heads to stare at them
suspiciously, before they turned tail and scampered off through the
mustard. From the live oak under which they had been gathered came a
welcoming shout, and the two, riding under the tent-like branches,
craned necks in astonishment.

"Hello, Jack," spoke the voice again. "I'm almighty glad to see yuh!
Hello, Dade, how are yuh?"

"Bill Wilson, by thunder!" Jack's tone was incredulous.

Bill, roosting a good ten feet from the ground on a great, horizontal
limb, flicked the ashes from the cigar he was smoking and grinned down
at them unabashed.

"You sure took your time about getting here," he remarked, hitching
himself into a more comfortable posture on the rough bark. "I've been
praying for you, two hours and more. Say, don't ever talk to me about
hungry wolf-packs, boys. I'll take 'em in preference to the meek-eyed
cow-bossies, any time."

They besought him for details and got them in Bill's own fashion of
tell