or I ain't no scrub to work
beside 'em." He slowly straightened himself up again, and, with his
former apathetic air, looking down upon one of the women who was setting
a coffee-pot on the coals, added, "But I reckon my old woman here kin
give you some coffee and whiskey--of you keer for it."

Unfortunately the young expressman was more loyal to Bill than
diplomatic. "If Bill's a little rough," he said, with a heightened
color, "perhaps he has some excuse for it. You forget it's only six
months ago that this coach was 'held up' not a hundred yards from this
spot."

The woman with the coffee-pot here faced about, stood up, and, either
from design or some odd coincidence, fell into the same dogged attitude
that her husband had previously taken, except that she rested her hands
on her hips. She was prematurely aged, like many of her class, and her
black, snake-like locks, twisting loose from her comb as she lifted her
head, showed threads of white against the firelight. Then with slow and
implacable deliberation she said:

"We 'forget'! Well! not much, sonny! We ain't forgot it, and we ain't
goin' to forget it, neither! We ain't bin likely to forget it for
any time the last six months. What with visitations from the county
constables, snoopin's round from 'Frisco detectives, droppin's-in from
newspaper men, and yawpin's and starin's from tramps and strangers on
the road--we haven't had a chance to disremember MUCH! And when at last
Hiram tackled the head stage agent at Marysville, and allowed that this
yer pesterin' and persecutin' had got ter stop--what did that yer head
agent tell him? Told him to 'shet his head,' and be thankful that his
'thievin' old shanty wasn't burnt down around his ears!' Forget that six
months ago the coach was held up near here? Not much, sonny--not much!"

The situation was embarrassing to the guests, as ordinary politeness
called for some expression of sympathy with their gloomy hostess, and
yet a selfish instinct of humanity warned them that there must be some
foundation for this general distrust of the public. The journalist was
troubled in his conscience; the expressman took refuge in an official
reticence; the lady coughed slightly, and drew nearer to the fire with
a vague but safe compliment to its brightness and comfort. It devolved
upon Mr. Heckshill, who felt the responsibility of his late airy
introduction of the party, to boldly keep up his role, with an equally
non-committal, lig