n and
accordingly came to hate it.

When he was not travelling he spent his time on the feudal estate he had
created in Wyoming, where he had no visitors except Helene Spenceley and
her brother, who came occasionally when invited. Protecting himself from
invasion from the smaller cattlemen and homesteaders was in the nature
of a recreation to Canby, who had various methods of ridding himself of
their presence.

Boise Bill was one of those he kept for the purpose of intimidating
prospective settlers and was considered by him his ablest lieutenant.
Theretofore when that person returned and stated that the job of running
off the newcomer was one he did not care to tackle further, Canby could
not fail to be impressed by the declaration.

Among traits less agreeable, Boise Bill had a strong sense of humour,
albeit of a somewhat ghoulish brand, usually. As he rode back to report
to Canby, the ludicrous side of the encounter grew on him until it
outweighed the chagrin he first had felt at getting the worst of it.

Thinking of Wallie in his "dude" clothes, his face pale and his eyes
gleaming, swinging the frying-pan in his rage at the loss of his supper,
when a more experienced man would have thrown up his hands promptly,
Boise Bill slapped his leg and rocked in the saddle as he chuckled:

"That's the closest queak I ever had; he might a trembled his gun off
and killed me!"

To Canby he declared with a face that was unsmiling and solemn:

"I 'low I got my share of nerve when it comes to a show-down, and I ain'
no skim-milk runt, neither, but that nester--he's a giant--and hos-tile
as they make 'em! He had me lookin' at my hole card from the outset."

"Are you afraid of him?" Canby demanded, incredulously.

"I wouldn't say I'm actually _afraid_ of him, but I got an old mother in
southern Idyho that's dependin' on me and I can't afford to take
chances."

"I'll go myself," said Canby, curtly.

"Don't let him git the drop on you," Boise Bill warned him. "I never
_see_ anybody so quick as he is. He had out his weepon and was over the
fire at me before I knew what was happenin'," with conviction. "He gets
'ringy'--that feller."

Canby's cold gray eyes glittered, though he said nothing of his
intentions.

* * * * *

Pinkey put up Wallie's silk tent and staked it, showed him how to hobble
and picket his horse and to make baking-powder biscuit, and left him.

"It'll be lonesome