among the "gals" taught
him that a feminine shriek rarely, if ever, meant anything.

Redburn arrived at the cabin in a few flying bounds, and leaped into
the kitchen.

There, crouched upon the floor in one corner, all in a little heap,
pale, tumbling and terrified, was Anita. Before her, squirming along
over the sand-scrubbed floor, evidently disabled by a blow, was an
enormous black-snake.

It was creeping away instead of toward Anita, leaving a faint trail of
crimson in its wake; yet the young girl's face was blanched with fear.

"You screamed at that?" demanded Redburn, pointing to the coiling
serpent.

"Ugh! yes; it is horrible."

"But, it is harmless. See: some one has given it a blow across the
back, and it is disabled for harm."

Anita looked up into his handsome face, wonderingly.

"I guv et a rap across the spinal column, when I kim into the valley,"
said General Nix, thrusting his head in at the door, a ludicrous grin
elongating his grisly features. "'Twar a-goin' ter guv me a yard or so
uv et's tongue, more or less--consider'bly less of more than more of
less--so I jest salivated it across ther back, kerwhack!"

Anita screamed again as she saw the General, he was so rough and
homely.

"Who are you?" she managed to articulate as Redburn assisted her to
rise from the floor. "What are you doing here, where you were not
invited?"

There was a degree of haughtiness in her tone that Redburn did not
dream she possessed.

The "General" rubbed the end of his nose, chuckled audibly, then
laughed, outright.

"I opine this ar' a free country, ain't it, marm, more or less? When a
feller kerflummuxes rite down onter a payin' streek I opine he's goin'
ter roost that till he gits reddy to vamoose, ain't he?"

"But, sir, my brother was the first to discover this spot and build us
a home here, and he claims that all belongs to him."

"He do? more or less--consider'bly less of more than more uv less, eh?
Yas, I kno' yer brother--leastways hev seen him an' heerd heeps about
him. Letters uv his name spell Ned Harris, not?"

"Yes, sir; but how can you know him? Few do, in Deadwood."

"Nevyer mind that, my puss. Ole Walsingham Nix do kno' a few things
yet, ef he ar' a hard old nut fer w'ich thar is not cra'kin'."

Anita looked at Redburn, doubtfully.

"Brother would be very angry if he were to return and find this man
here, what would you advise?"

"I am of the opinion that he will have to vacate," repli