o
tell whether or not they were accidents, mere coincidents, or deep-laid,
skilfully worked-out designs of the fun-loving cowboys. Certainly there
had been great fun, and at the expense of her guests, particularly
Castleton. So Madeline was at a loss to know what to think about
Stillwell's latest elaboration. From mere force of habit she sympathized
with him and found difficulty in doubting his apparent sincerity.

"To go back a ways," went on Stillwell, as Madeline looked up
expectantly, "you recollect what pride the boys took in fixin' up that
gol-lof course out on the mesa? Wal, they worked on that job, an' though
I never seen any other course, I'll gamble yours can't be beat. The boys
was sure curious about that game. You recollect also how they all wanted
to see you an' your brother play, an' be caddies for you? Wal, whenever
you'd quit they'd go to work tryin' to play the game. Monty Price, he
was the leadin' spirit. Old as I am, Miss Majesty, an' used as I am to
cowboy excentrikities, I nearly dropped daid when I heered that little
hobble-footed, burned-up Montana cow-puncher say there wasn't any
game too swell for him, an' gol-lof was just his speed. Serious as a
preacher, mind you, he was. An' he was always practisin'. When Stewart
gave him charge of the course an' the club-house an' all them funny
sticks, why, Monty was tickled to death. You see, Monty is sensitive
that he ain't much good any more for cowboy work. He was glad to have a
job that he didn't feel he was hangin' to by kindness. Wal, he practised
the game, an' he read the books in the club-house, an' he got the boys
to doin' the same. That wasn't very hard, I reckon. They played early
an' late an' in the moonlight. For a while Monty was coach, an' the boys
stood it. But pretty soon Frankie Slade got puffed on his game, an' he
had to have it out with Monty. Wal, Monty beat him bad. Then one after
another the other boys tackled Monty. He beat them all. After that they
split up an' begin to play matches, two on a side. For a spell this
worked fine. But cowboys can't never be satisfied long onless they win
all the time. Monty an' Link Stevens, both cripples, you might say,
joined forces an' elected to beat all comers. Wal, they did, an' that's
the trouble. Long an' patient the other cowboys tried to beat them two
game legs, an' hevn't done it. Mebbe if Monty an' Link was perfectly
sound in their legs like the other cowboys there wouldn't hev been such
a