cept perhaps a few who are drunk. They are at liberty to go
off somewhere and beat each other up to their hearts' content. Come
on, now, folks--get your partners for a square dance--and _everybody
dance!_"

His voice had held them listening. His words were not the words of a
coward, yet they were a plea for peace, they seemed reasonable even to
the half-drunken ones who had been the readiest to fight. The old-time
range slogan, "_Everybody dance!_" sent three or four hurrying to find
the girls they wanted. The trouble, it would appear, had ended as
suddenly as it had begun and for a moment the tension relaxed.

The drunken one was still cursing, struggling unavailingly to tear
himself away from Lance so that he could land a blow. Lance, looking
out across the crowd, caught Belle's glance and nodded toward the
schoolhouse. Belle hurried away to find the musicians and set them
playing, and a few couples strayed after her. But there were men who
stayed, pushing, elbowing to see what would happen when Lance Lorrigan
loosened his hold on the Jumpoff man.

Lance did not loosen his hold, however. He saw Tom, Al, three or four
Devil's Tooth men edging up, and sent them a warning shake of his
head.

"Who knows this fellow? Where does he belong? I think his friends had
better take care of him until he sobers up."

"We'll take care of him," said another stranger, easing up to Lance.
"He won't hurt yuh; he was only foolin', anyway. Bill Kennedy, he
always gits kinda happy when he's had one or two."

There was laughter in the crowd. Two or three voices were heard
muttering together, and other laughs followed. Some one produced a
bottle and offered the pugnacious one a drink. Lance let him go with a
contemptuous laugh and went to where the Devil's Tooth men now stood
bunched close together, their backs to the chuck-wagon.

"We'll have to clean up this crowd, before it's over," Al was saying
to his father. "Might as well start right in and git 'er over with."

"And have it said the Lorrigans can't give a dance without having it
end in rough-house!" Lance interrupted. "Cut out the idea of fighting
that bunch. Keep them out of the house and away from the women, and
let them have their booze down in the grove. That's where I've seen a
lot of them heading. Come on, boys; it takes just as much nerve not to
fight as it does to kill off a dozen men. Isn't that right, dad?"

"More," said Tom laconically. "No, boys, we don't want no