d money burnin' his hide might pull through
till morning with it if he happened to slip a cog and go to sleep?"

"There's a spare cot in our tent," said the doctor, "and you're welcome
to it if you feel that you can trust yourself in our company. We mess
together in a sort of communistic fashion."

Walker was profuse in his gratitude.

"I'll feel easy among decent people!" he declared. "I'm mostly decent
myself, and my family's one of the best in this state. Don't you size me
up by what you saw me do tonight, will you?"

"The best of us slip up once in a while," Slavens said.

Walker had some business of clearing his throat. And then:

"Are you--that is--is _she_, related to you?"

"Oh, no," laughed the doctor. "I'm sorry she isn't."

"She's a peach; don't you think so?"

"Undoubtedly," admitted the doctor. "Well, here we are--at home."

They stood outside a little while, their faces turned toward the town.
It was quieting down now. Here and there a voice was raised in drunken
song or drunken yelp; here and there a pistol-shot marked the location
of some silly fellow who believed that he was living and experiencing
all the recklessness of the untamed West. Now and then the dry, shrill
laughter of a woman sounded, without lightness, without mirth, as if it
came from the lips of one who long, long ago, in the fever of pain and
despair, had wept her heart empty of its tears. Now and again, also, a
wailing cornet lifted its lone voice, dying away dimly like a
disappearing light.

"The wolves are satisfied for one night; they've stopped howling," the
doctor said.

CHAPTER V

SKULKERS

There remained but one day until chance should settle the aspirations of
the dusty thousands who waited in Comanche; one day more would see Claim
Number One allotted for selection to some more or less worthy American
citizen.

The young man, Walker, had been received on a footing of fellowship into
the commune of the circus-tent. He said that he had concluded happily
the arrangements for the purchase of the sheep-ranch, and that he
intended to go and take possession of it in a few days. Meantime, he
appeared to be considerably shot up over June. In spite of Mrs. Reed's
frowns, he hung around her like a hornet after a soft pear.

There was considerable excitement in the camp of the communists that
morning, owing to preparations which were going forward for an excursion
over the land where somebody's Number One lay shr