he river? Have you
abandoned Fletcher for good?"

The cattle-thief gasped and coughed three or four times, as if he were
trying to clear his throat of something that stuck there and choked his
utterance, and finally nodded his head in reply.

"Don't pay no attention to him, Mr. George!" exclaimed Bob. "He don't
know nothin' but stealin' an' lyin', that feller don't, an' I wouldn't
trust him as far as I could sling a yearlin'."

"If it wasn't for sich fellers as him you could stay to hum quiet an'
peaceable like, an' not have to go off fur a soldier," added Jake.

"When I was a prisoner among the Greasers he gave me advice that
assisted me in making my escape, and why should I not treat him kindly?"
demanded George, turning indignantly upon the speakers. "No visitor at
the Ackerman ranche was ever treated so shamefully before, and I tell
you I don't want the thing repeated."

"Why, Mr. George," stammered Jake, "he rid up to the porch an' said he
wanted to speak to you, an' so we brung him in--me an' Bob did."

"Go and tell the cook to put another plate on the table and to hurry up
breakfast," said George with an air of disgust.

"Mr. George," said Zeke solemnly, "do you mean by that that you're goin'
to break bread with this--this varmint?"

"I mean that Springer is going to eat a good breakfast with me, if that
is what you want to know," replied George.

"Then, Bob, you needn't say nothin' about that there other plate,"
continued the herdsman, picking up his hat and moving toward the door.
"Springer can have the one I was goin' to use."

"Zeke, sit down and behave yourself," exclaimed George.

"No, I won't. I ain't agoin' to eat salt with a man what tried to burn
this ranche over your dead father's head, an' you a little babby at the
time, without no power to help yourself. I don't know what this family
is comin' to, anyhow."

"No more do I," chimed in Bob, while he and Jake looked daggers at their
employer's new guest. "Things ain't as they used to be in the good ole
days. I won't wait on no table that he sets at."

As if moved by a common impulse, the three men left the room, Zeke
closing the door behind him with no gentle hand. The cattle-thief seemed
to be greatly relieved to see them go, but their extraordinary conduct
made him very uneasy, and he looked toward George to see what the latter
thought about it.

"Never mind them," said the boy encouragingly. "They were employed on
this ranche before I