o. He used to
go to town ridin' astride a log on th' lumber flume. Made four miles in
six minutes with th' promise of a ruction when he stopped. Once when
he was loaded he tried to ride back th' same way he came, an' th'
first thing he knowed he was three miles farther from his supper an'
a-slippin' down that valley like he wanted to go somewhere. He swum out
at Potter's Dam an' it took him a day to walk back. But he didn't make
that play again, because he was frequently sober, an' when he wasn't
he'd only stand off an' swear at th' slide."

"That's Aristotle, all hunk. He's th' chap that used to play checkers
with Deacon Rawlins. They used empty an' loaded shells for men, an' when
they got a king they'd lay one on its side. Sometimes they'd jar th'
board an' they'd all be kings an' then they'd have a cussin' match,"
replied Hopalong, once more restored to good humor.

"Why," responded Jimmy, "he counted his wealth over twice by mistake an'
shore raised a howl when he went to blow it--thought he's been robbed,
an' laid behind th' houses fer a week lookin' fer th' feller that done
it."

"I've heard of that cuss--he shore was th' limit. What become of him?"
Asked the miner.

"He ambled up to Laramie an' stuck his head in th' window of that joint
by th' plaza an' hollered 'Fire,' an' they did. He was shore a good
feller, all th' same," answered the bartender. Hopalong laughed and
started for the door. Turning around he looked at his miner friend and
asked: "Comin' along? I'm goin' back now."

"Nope. Reckon I'll hit th' tiger a whirl. I'll stop in when I passes."

"All right. So long," replied Hopalong, slipping out of the door and
watching for trouble. There was no opposition shown him, and he arrived
at his claim to find Jake in a heated argument with another of the gang.

"Here he comes now," he said as Hopalong walked up. "Tell him what yu
said to me."

"I said yu made a mistake," said the other, turning to the cowboy in a
half apologetic manner.

"An' what else?" Insisted Jake.

"Why, ain't that all?" Asked the claim-jumper's friend in feigned
surprise, wishing that he had kept quiet.

"Well I reckons it is if yu can't back up yore words," responded Jake in
open contempt.

Hopalong grabbed the intruder by the collar of his shirt and hauled him
off the claim. "Yu keep off this, understand? I just kicked yore marshal
out in th' street, an' I'll pay yu th' next call. If yu rambles in range
of my guns yu'll