and happy. Mrs. Weston knew this, and
wondered what the cause could be. Mrs. Weston had found Dorothy
delightful and Bronson interesting, but she had been so long in the West
that its novelty had worn thin. She did not regret it when they shipped
their machine from Stacey and took the Overland for New York.

A few days after they had gone, Bud Shoop rode up to the Blue Mesa. It
was evident that he wanted to talk with Bronson, so Dorothy coaxed
Bondsman to her favorite tree, and sat stroking his shaggy head as she
read from a new book that Shoop had brought with the mail.

The genial Bud was in a fix. Perhaps Bronson, who had been a newspaper
man and knew something about politics, could help him out. Bronson
disclaimed any special keenness of political intelligence, but said he
would be glad to do anything he could for Shoop.

"It's like this," Bud began, seating himself on the edge of the
veranda; "John Torrance, who was supervisor before you came in, got me
this job and put it up to me to stick. Now, I like John, and I figure
John ain't scared of me. But here's where I lose the trail. A ole
friend, the biggest shipper of sheep in this State, goes and gets it
into his head that they's a State Senator over there drawin' down pay
that ought to come to me. Recollec', I said he was a sheepman--and I
been for the longhorns all my days. And he's got the nerve to tell me
that all the sheepmen in this here county are strong for me if I run for
the job. If I didn't know him like I know this here right hand, I would
say he was gettin' hardenin' of the brain in his ole aige. But he's a
long ways from havin' his head examined yet.

"Then along comes a representative of the Cattlemen's Association and
says they want me to run for State Senator. Then along comes a committee
of hay-tossers from up around St. Johns and says, polite, that they are
waitin' my pleasure in the matter of framin' up their ticket for
senatorial candidate from this mesa country. They say that the present
encumbrance in the senatorial chair is such a dog-gone thief that he
steals from hisself just to keep in practice. I don't say so. 'Course,
if I can get to a chair that looks big and easy, without stompin' on
anybody--why, I'm like to set down. But if I can't, I figure to set
where I be.

"Now, this here war talk is gettin' folks excited. And ridin'
excitement down the trail of politics is like tryin' to ride white
lightnin' bareback. It's like to leave y