d Doctor Barnes,
tersely. "We'll look it over. Anything happen to it?"

"Why, nothing much," said Sim. "I hurt it a little when I was getting
in the mail wagon yesterday evening--busted her open. So last night,
when I was going to bed, I took a needle and thread and sewed her up
again."

"What's that? Sewed it up?"

"Yes, I got a needle and some black patent thread. Do you reckon
she'll hold all right now, Doctor?"

Doctor Barnes was standing, scissors in hand, about to rip open the
trouser leg.

"No, you don't!" said Sim. "Them's my best pants. You just go easy
now, and don't you cut them none a-tall. Wait till I take 'em off."

The doctor bent over the wounded member. "You put in a regular
button-hole stitch," said he, grinning, "didn't you? About three
stitches would have been plenty. You put in about two dozen--and with
black thread! Like enough poisoned again."

"Well," said Sim, "I didn't want to take no chances of her breaking
open again."

The doctor was busy, removing the stitches, and with no gentle hand
this time made the proper surgical suture. "Leave it alone this way,"
said he, "and mind what I tell you. Seems like you can't kill a man
out in this country. You can do things in surgery out here that you
wouldn't dare tackle back in France, or in the States. I suppose,
maybe, I could cut your head off, for instance."

"I wish't you would," said Sim Gage. "She bothers me sometimes."

After a pause he continued, "I been thinking over a heap of things.
You see, I'm busted about flat. If I could go on and put up some hay,
way prices is, I could make some money this fall, but them damn robbers
has cleaned me, and I can't start with nothing. And I ain't got
nothing. So there I am."

He vouchsafed nothing more, but had already said so much that Doctor
Barnes sat regarding him quietly.

"Gage," said he after a time, "things might be better in this valley.
I know that you'll stick with the Government. Now, listen. I'm going
to have practical command here from this time on. This is under Army
control. I'm going to run a telephone wire up the valley as far as
your settlement. I'll appoint you a government special scout, to watch
that road. If these ruffians are in this valley again we want to catch
them."

"You think I could be any use that way, Doc?" said Sim.

"Yes, I've got to have some of the settlers with me that I can depend
on, besides the regular detail ordered in h