entle forbearance. The
harsh voice was almost continuous, the other infrequent, reluctant to
speak at all. Bud wanted to go in and smash his guitar over the fellow's
head, but Jerry's warning held him. There were other ways, however, to
help; if he must not drive off the tormentor, then he would call him
away. He ignored his bruised knuckles and plucked the guitar strings as
if he held a grudge against them, and then began to sing the first song
that came into his mind--one that started in a rollicky fashion.

Men came straggling up from the bunk-house before he had finished the
first chorus, and squatted on their heels to listen, their cigarettes
glowing like red fingertips in the dusk. But the voice in the kitchen
talked on. Bud tried another--one of those old-time favorites, a
"laughing coon" song, though he felt little enough in the mood for it.
In the middle of the first laugh he heard the kitchen door slam, and
Lew's footsteps coming around the corner. He listened until the song
was done, then mounted and rode away, Bud's laugh following him
triumphantly--though Lew could not have guessed its meaning.

Bud sang for two hours expectantly, but Marian did not appear, and Bud
went off to the bunk-house feeling that his attempt to hearten her had
been a failure. Of Honey he did not think at all, except to wonder if
the two women were related in any way, and to feel that if they were
Marian was to be pitied. At that point Jerry overtook him and asked for
a match, which gave him an excuse to hold Bud behind the others.

"Honey like to have caught me, to-night," Jerry observed guardedly.
"I had to think quick. I'll tell you the lay of the land, Bud, seeing
you're a stranger here. Marian's man, Lew, he's a damned bully and
somebody is going to draw a fine bead on him some day when he ain't
looking. But he stands in, so the less yuh take notice the better.
Marian, she's a fine little woman that minds her own business, but she's
getting a cold deck slipped into the game right along. Honey's jealous
of her and afraid somebody'll give her a pleasant look. Lew's jealous,
and he watches her like a cat watches a mouse it's caught and wants to
play with. Between the two of 'em Marian has a real nice time of it. I'm
wising you up so you won't hand her any more misery by trying to take
her part. Us boys have learned to keep our mouths shut."

"Glad you told me," Bud muttered. "Otherwise----"

"Exactly," Jerry agreed understandin