s--and a
nice little gal with only a nigger--" He was not quite himself, and he
did not try to say more.

"Seems like some of these gentlemen consider you are some sort of a
fool," a tall, lean Yankee youth observed, as he listened to the babble.

I had climbed back on the barrel again to see the crowd better, and I
stared at the last speaker. His voice was not unpleasant, but he
appeared pale and weak and spiritless in that company of tanned, rugged
men. Evidently he was an invalid in search of health. We children had
seen many invalids, from time to time, at the fort harmless folk, who
came to fuss, and stayed to flourish, in our gracious land of the open
air.

"You are a dam' fool," roared a big drunken loafer from the edge of the
crowd. "An' I'd lick you in a minnit if you das step into the middle of
the street onct. Ornery sneak, to take innocent children into such
perils. Come on out here, I tell ye!"

A growl followed these words. Many men in that company were less than
half sober, and utterly irresponsible.

"Le's jes' hang the fool storekeepin' gent right now; an' make a
free-fur-all holiday. I'll begin," the drunken ruffian bawled. He was of
the sort that always leads a mob.

The growl deepened, for blood-lust and drunkenness go together.

Terrified for my uncle's safety, I stood breathless, staring at the
evil-faced crowd of men going suddenly mad, without excuse. At the
farthest edge of the insipient mob, sitting on his horse and watching my
uncle's face intently, was the very Mexican whom I had twice seen at
Fort Leavenworth. At the drunken rowdy's challenge, I thought that he
half-lifted a threatening hand. But Esmond Clarenden only smiled, with a
mere turn of his head as if in disapproval. In that minute I learned my
first lesson in handling ruffians. I knew that my uncle was not afraid,
and because of that my faith in his power to take care of himself came
back.

"I want to leave here in half an hour. If you have any good
plains-broke mules you will sell for cash, I can do business with you
right now. If not, the sooner you leave this place the better."

He lifted his small, shapely hand unclenched, his good-natured smile and
gentlemanly bearing unchanged, but his low voice was stronger than all
the growls of the crowd that fell back like whipped dogs.

As he spoke a horse-dealer, seeing the gathering before the store, came
galloping up.

"I'm your man. Money talks so I can understand it. W