tle Eastern toorist is harmless."

"Leave him talk, Bishop. Leave 'em all tell their story."

"It's going to cost the whole stake, though," said Jenks.

"Deserted Jericho!" remarked old Meakum.

"I don't try cases for nothing, Bishop. The deal's covered. My clients
have publicly made over to me their horses and saddles."

"Oh, ho, ho!" went the Bishop. But this last word about the horses was
the only part of the talk I could not put a plain meaning upon.

Mr. Mowry I now saw re-enter the lighted door of the office, with his
canvas sack in his hand. "This'll be right here in the safe," said he.

"All right," answered Jenks. "I'll not be likely to call on you any more
for a day or so."

"Hello!" said the office clerk, appearing in his shirt-sleeves. "You
fellows have made me forget the antelope." He took down a lantern, and I
rose to my feet.

"Give us a drink before you feed him," said Jenks. Then I saw the whole
of them crowd into the door for their nightcap, and that was all I
waited for.

I climbed the garden fence. My thoughts led me at random through
quantities of soft dust, and over the rails, I think, several times,
until I stood between empty and silent freight trains, and there sat
down. Harmless! It seemed to me they would rate me differently in the
morning. So for a while my mind was adrift in the turbulent
cross-currents of my discovery; but it was with a smooth, innocent
surface that I entered the hotel office and enjoyed the look of the
clerk when he roused and heard me, who, according to their calculations,
should have been in slumber at the Barracks, asking to be shown my room
here. I was tempted to inquire if he had fed the antelope--such was the
pride of my elation--and I think he must have been running over
questions to put me; but the two of us marched up the stairs with a lamp
and a key, speaking amiably of the weather for this time of year, and he
unlocked my door with a politeness and hoped I would sleep well with a
consideration that I have rarely met in the hotel clerk. I did not sleep
well. Yet it seemed not to matter. By eight I had breakfast, and found
the attorney--Rocklin I shall name him, and that will have to
answer--and told him how we had become masters of the situation.

He made me repeat it all over, jotting memoranda this second time; and
when my story was done, he sat frowning at his notes, with a cigar
between his teeth.

"This ain't much," he said. "Luckily I don't ne