or thirsty or tired, or worried over a threatening storm, or that
they ever swore at one another ill-naturedly from the sheer strain of
anxiety and muscle-ache.

By sundown, so great was their industry, the last calf had scampered,
blatting resentment, to seek his mother in the herd. Slim kicked the
embers of the branding fire apart and emptied the water-bucket over
them with a satisfied grunt.

"By golly, I ain't mourning because brandin's about over," he said.
"I'm plumb tired uh the sight uh them blasted calves."

"And we got through ahead of the storm," Weary sweetly reminded Happy
Jack.

Happy looked moodily up at the muttering black mass nearly over their
heads and said nothing; Happy never did have anything to say when his
gloomy predictions were brought to naught.

"I'm going to get on the bed-ground without any red tape or argument,
if yuh ask _me_," volunteered Cal Emmett, rubbing his aching arms.
"We want to get an early start in the morning."

"Meaning sun-up, I suppose," fleered Pink, who had no especial,
feminine reason for looking forward with longing. With Pink, it was
pleasure in the aggregate that lured him; there would be horse racing
after dinner, and a dance in the school-house at night, and a season
of general hilarity over a collection of rockets and Roman candles.
These things appealed more directly to the heart of Pink than did the
feminine element; for he had yet to see the girl who could disturb
the normal serenity of his mind or fill his dreams with visions
beautiful. Also, there was one thing about these girls that did not
please him; they were prone to regard him as a sweet, amusing little
boy whose dimples they might kiss with perfect composure (though of
course they never did). They seemed to be forever taking the "Isn't
he cunning!" attitude, and refused to regard him seriously, or treat
him with the respect they accorded to the rest of the Happy Family.
Weary's schoolma'am had offended him deeply, at a dance the winter
before, by patting him indulgently on the shoulder and telling him to
"Run along and find you a partner." Such things rankled, and he knew
that the girls knew it, and that it amused them very much. Worse,
the Happy Family knew it, and it amused them even more than it amused
the girls. For this reason Pink would much prefer to sleep
luxuriously late and ride over to the picnic barely in time for
dinner and the races afterward. He did not want too long a time