story.

"H'm!" said Gillispie, "I guess I'll have to go to town myself
to-morrow."

Henderson looked at him blackly. "She's a woman alone, Gillispie," said
he, severely, "trying to make her way with handicaps--"

"Shet up, can't ye, ye darned fool?" roared Gillispie. "What do yeh take
me fur?"

Waite was putting on his rubber coat preparatory to going out for his
night with the cattle. "Guess you're makin' a mistake, my boy," he said,
gently. "There ain't no danger of any woman bein' treated rude in these
parts."

"I know it, by Jove!" cried Henderson, in quick contriteness.

"All right," grunted Gillispie, in tacit acceptance of this apology. "I
guess you thought you was in civilized parts."

Two days after this Waite came in late to his supper. "Well, I seen
her," he announced.

"Oh! did you?" cried Henderson, knowing perfectly well whom he meant.
"What was she doing?"

"Killin' snakes, b'gosh! She says th' baby's crazy fur um, an' so she
takes aroun' a hoe on her shoulder wherever she goes, an' when she sees
a snake, she has it out with 'im then an' there. I says to 'er, 'Yer
don't expec' t' git all th' snakes outen this here country, d' yeh?'
'Well,' she says, 'I'm as good a man as St. Patrick any day.' She is a
jolly one, Henderson. She tuk me in an' showed me th' kids, and give me
a loaf of gingerbread to bring home. Here it is; see?"

"Hu!" said Gillispie. "I'm not in it." But for all of his scorn he was
not above eating the gingerbread.

It was gardening time, and the three Johns were putting in every spare
moment in the little paling made of willow twigs behind the house. It
was little enough time they had, though, for the cattle were new to each
other and to the country, and they were hard to manage. It was generally
conceded that Waite had a genius for herding, and he could take the
"mad" out of a fractious animal in a way that the others looked on as
little less than superhuman. Thus it was that one day, when the clay had
been well turned, and the seeds arranged on the kitchen table, and
all things prepared for an afternoon of busy planting, that Waite
and Henderson, who were needed out with the cattle, felt no little
irritation at the inexplicable absence of Gillispie, who was to look
after the garden. It was quite nightfall when he at last returned.
Supper was ready, although it had been Gillispie's turn to prepare it.

Henderson was sore from his saddle, and cross at having to do more than