his pleasant features as he remembered that Mr.
Bobo, like himself, was sitting upon the anxious seat. That same
afternoon he had tried, in vain, to extract from Nal some information
about the filly's speed. The old man's weakness, if he had one, was
betting heavily upon a certainty.

"By Jimminy," mused Mr. Roberts, patting affectionately the satin neck
of Bijou, "it would be a nice howdy-do to win a thousand off the old
son of a gun! Gosh, Mandy! how ye startled me."

Amanda, out of breath and scarlet of face, slipped quietly into the
loose box and sat down in the straw.

"Hush," she said, panting, "grandfather would take a quirt to me if he
knew I was here, but, Nal dear, I jest had to come. I've been talkin'
with the old man, an' he won't let me leave him, but I'll be true to
you, Nal, true as steel, an' you'll be true to me, won't you?
Grandfather won't last long, he's----"

"Tough," said Mr. Roberts, "tough as abalone, tough as the hondo of my
lariat. I suspicioned he'd peter out when Pap Spooner died, but he
fooled us the worst kind. No, Mandy, the old gentleman ain't a-goin',
as he says, till he gits ready. He told me that to-day, an' he ain't a
liar. He's close as a clam, is Mr. Bobo, but he ain't no liar. As for
bein' true to you, Mandy--why--dern it--my heart's jest froze to
yours, it don't belong to Nal Roberts no longer."

The girl blushed with pleasure and rose to her feet.

"You won't quarrel, Nal," she said anxiously, "you an' grandfather. He
gets awful hot at times, but your head is level. He's comin' down to
the track to-morrow morning at five to work out Comet, an' you might
have words about me."

"To work out Comet?" said Nal, pricking up his ears.

"Mercy!--" cried Amanda, "I've given it away, an' it's a deathly
secret."

"It's safe enough with me," replied the young man carelessly. None the
less his eyes brightened and he smiled beneath his blonde mustache.
"An', Mandy, don't worry, I wouldn't touch the old gentleman with a
pair o' tongs."

"Well, good night, Nal--no, you mustn't--somebody might see. Only one
then! Let me go, let me go!--Good night, Nal."

She ran swiftly away, holding high her skirts on account of the
sticker grass. Nal watched her retreating figure admiringly.

"A good gait," he murmured critically, "no interferin' an' nothin'
gummy about the pastern!"

He then squatted down, cowboy fashion, upon his hams, and smoothing
carefully a piece of level ground, began to