ously, his mouth widely open.

"I couldn't do wuss. I seen yu poppin' at that can. Hadn't but one hole in
it till yu all turned loose an' didn't give it no chance. Haw haw! I 'laow
for a short bit I'd stand out in front o' that greenie from the States an'
let him empty two guns at me."

"S'pose you do it," friend Jenks promptly challenged. "By thunder, I'll
hire ye with the ten cents, and give him four bits if he hits you."

"He wouldn't draw on me, nohaow," scoffed Daniel. "I daren't shoot for
money, but I'll shoot for fun. Anybody want to shoot ag'in me?"

"Wasted powder enough," they grumbled.

"Ever see me shoot?" He was eager. "I'll show ye somethin'. I don't take
back seat for ary man. Yu set me up a can. That thar one wouldn't jump to
a bullet."

In sullen obedience a can was produced.

"How fur?"

"Fur as yu like."

It was tossed contemptuously out; and watching it, to catch its last roll,
I heard Daniel gleefully yelp "Out o' my way, yu-all!"--half saw his hand
dart down and up again, felt the jar of a shot, witnessed the can jump
like a live thing; and away it went, with spasm after spasm, to explosion
after explosion, tortured by him into fruitless capers until with the
final ball peace came to it, and it lay dead, afar across the twilight
sand.

Verily, by his cries and the utter savagery and malevolence of his
bombardment, one would have thought that he took actual lust in fancied
cruelty.

"I 'laow thar's not another man hyar kin do that," he vaunted.

There was not, judging by the silence again ensuing. Only--

"A can's a different proposition from a man, as I said afore," Jenks
coolly remarked. "A can don't shoot back."

"I don't 'laow any man's goin' to, neither." Daniel reloaded his smoking
revolver, bolstered it with a flip; faced me in turning away. "That's
somethin' for yu to l'arn on, ag'in next time, young feller," he
vouchsafed.

If he would have eyed me down he did not succeed. His gaze shifted and he
passed on, swaggering.

"Come along, Edna," he bade. "We'll be goin' back."

A devil--or was it he himself?--twitted me, incited me, and in a moment,
with a gush of assertion, there I was, saying to her, my hat doffed:

"I'll walk over with you."

"Do," she responded readily. "We're to have more singing."

The men stared, they nudged one another, grinned. Daniel whirled.

"I 'laow yu ain't been invited, Mister."

"If Mrs. Montoyo consents, that's enough," I informed, str