e expressed little gratitude, beyond observing that as
she was going over the edge piecemeal, she'd better have done it all at
once and be through with it.

The afternoon wore away slowly. It seemed a long time until we reached
our camping-place, partly because, although a small eater ordinarily,
the air and exercise had made me feel famished. But the disagreement
between Tish and Aggie, owing to the latter's unfortunate exclamation
while kicked over the cliff, made the time seem longer. There was not
the usual exchange of pleasant nothings between us.

But by six o'clock Tish was more amiable, having seen bear scratches on
trees near the camp, and anticipating the sight of a bear. She mixed up
a small cup cake while Bill was putting up our tent, and then, taking
her rod, proceeded to fish, while Aggie and I searched for grasshoppers.
These were few, owing to the altitude, but we caught four, which we
imprisoned in a match-box.

With them Tish caught four trout and, broiling them nicely, she offered
one to poor Aggie. It was a peace offering, and taken as such, so that
we were soon on our former agreeable footing, and all forgotten.

The next day it rained, and we were obliged to sit in the tent. Bill sat
with us, and talked mainly of desperadoes.

"As I observed before," he said, "there hasn't been any tourist holdup
yet. But it's bound to come. Take the Yellowstone, now,--one holdup a
year's the average, and it's full of soldiers at that."

"It's a wonder people keep on going," I observed moving out of a puddle.

"Oh, I don't know," he said. "In one way it's good business. I take it
this way: When folks come West they want the West they've read about.
What do they care for irrigation and apple orchards? What they like is
danger and a little gunplay, the sort of thing they see in these here
moving pictures."

"I'm sure I don't," Aggie remarked. It was growing dusk, and she peered
out into the forest round us. "There is something crackling out there
now," she said.

"Only a bear, likely," Bill assured her. "We have a sight of bears here.
No, ma'am, they want danger. And every holdup's an advertisement. You
see, the Government can't advertise these here parks; not the way it
should, anyhow. But a holdup's news, so the papers print it, and it sets
people to thinking about the park. Maybe they never thought of the place
and are arranging to go elsewhere. Then along comes a gang and raises
h--, raises trouble, and