ome back for my cigs," remarked Hopalong,
glancing at Billy.

Billy groaned and made for the gallery. Emerging half a minute later he
blurted out his tale of woe: "Every time I blows myself an' don't drink
it all in town some slab-sided maverick freezes to it. It's gone," he
added, dismally.

"Too bad, Billy--but what is it?" asked Skinny.

"What is it? Wha'd yu think it was, you emaciated match? Jewelry?
Cayuses? It's whisky--two simoleons' worth. Some-thin's allus wrong. This
here whole yearth's wrong, just like that cross-eyed sky pilot said over
to--"

"Will yu let up?" Yelled Red, throwing a sombrero at the grumbling
unfortunate. "Yu ask Buck where yore tanglefoot is.

"I'd shore look nice askin' th' boss if he'd rustled my whisky, wouldn't
I? An' would yu mind throwin' somebody else's hat? I paid twenty wheels
for that eight years ago, and I don't want it mussed none."

"Gee, yore easy! Why, Ah Sing, over at Albuquerque, gives them away
every time yu gits yore shirt washed," gravely interposed Hopalong as he
went out to cuss the cook.

"Well, what'd yu think of that?" Exclaimed Billy in an injured tone.

"Oh, yu needn't be hikin' for Albuquerque--WasheeWashee'ud charge yu
double for washin' yore shirt. Yu ought to fall in di' river some
day--then he might talk business," called Hopalong over his shoulder
as he heaved an old boot into the gallery. "Hey, yu hibernatin' son of
morphine, if yu don't git them flapjacks in here pretty sudden-like
I'll scatter yu all over di' landscape, sabe? Yu just wait till Johnny
comes!"

"Wonder where th' kid is?" asked Lanky, rolling a cigarette. "Off
somewhere lookin' at di' sun through di' bottom of my bottle," grumbled
Billy.

Hopalong started to go out, but halted on the sill and looked steadily
off toward the northwest. "That's funny. Hey, fellows, here comes Buck
an' Johnny ridin' double--on a walk, too!" he exclaimed. "Wonder what
th'--thunder! Red, Buck's carryun' him! Somethin's busted!" he yelled, as
he dashed for his pony and made for the newcomers.

"I told yu he was hittin' my bottle," pertly remarked Billy, as he
followed the rest outside.

"Did yu ever see Johnny drunk? Did yu ever see him drink more'n two
glasses? Shut yore wailin' face--they's somethin' worse'n that in this
here," said Red, his temper rising. "Hopalong an' me took yore cheap
liquor--it's under Pete's bunk," he added.

The trio approached on a walk and Johnny, delirious and covered