he said, with his mouth full.

Nan paused in the act of sipping her coffee. Her eyes were full of
incredulity.

"I don't understand, Daddy," she said frankly. "We owe more to Jeff
than ever. Much more. He came pretty near handing over his poor life
so the Obar might prosper. He cleared out that gang who would have
done the Obar to death. A man can't give more to--his friends."

Bud remained unconvinced. He shook his great head and his smile
deepened to a twinkle of real amusement.

"That's so," he said. "But he didn't just give that poor life of his.
I allow he was ready to because--because, wal, I guess he's built in a
right fashion. We owed him for that sure. But I 'low he's been paid
in a way it don't fall to every feller's lot to git paid. You paid
that score for us both, an' if ther's any debt left over to be paid,
why I guess I'm ready to pay it." He chuckled. "You know, Nan,
woman's a ticklish proposition. Ther's wise highbrows guess they
handed out all ther' is to say 'bout women-folk, an' I figger some has
used elegant langwidge, an' made pretty talk. But they ain't said it
all, an' ain't never likely to ef they was to yarn the whole way from
here to hell an' back. I'm gettin' older most every day, an' maybe I
oughter git wiser. But ef I was to live till the great round-up I
don't guess I'd ever learn the limits of a woman's self-sacrifice fer
them she takes the notion to mother. An' it don't matter if it's her
own folk, or her beau, or her man, or some pestilential kid she's
rescued from drownin' in a churn of cream she's jest fixed ready fer
butter makin'. Wot Jeff don't owe you fer haulin' him right back into
the midst of life, why I guess you couldn't find with one of them
things crazy highbrows wastes otherwise valuable lives in lookin' at
bugs with."

Nan laughed, but her denial came swiftly.

"Jeff doesn't owe me a thing," she declared. "The wasn't a soul else
around to nurse him. I'd have hated handing him on to you." Then she
sighed, but her eyes shone with a light which her father well enough
understood. "I--I needed to nurse him. If I hadn't been able to, why,
I think I'd have just died. But he don't owe me a thing--not a thing."

Bud took a great gulp of coffee and set his cup down with a clatter.
His deep gurgling laugh was good to hear.

"That ain't no argyment," he cried, his deep eyes twinkling. "You've
jest said the things I hadn't savvee to put into words ri