went. And the days, with Sundays at their head, formed into hebdomadal
squads; and the weeks, captained by the full moon, closed ranks into
menstrual companies crying "Tempus fugit" on their banners; and the
months marched on toward the vast camp-ground of the years; but Webb
Yeager came no more to the dominions of his queen.

One day a being named Bartholomew, a sheep-man--and therefore of little
account--from the lower Rio Grande country, rode in sight of the
Nopalito ranch-house, and felt hunger assail him. _Ex consuetudine_ he
was soon seated at the mid-day dining table of that hospitable kingdom.
Talk like water gushed from him: he might have been smitten with Aaron's
rod--that is your gentle shepherd when an audience is vouchsafed him
whose ears are not overgrown with wool.

"Missis Yeager," he babbled, "I see a man the other day on the Rancho
Seco down in Hidalgo County by your name--Webb Yeager was his. He'd
just been engaged as manager. He was a tall, light-haired man, not
saying much. Perhaps he was some kin of yours, do you think?"

"A husband," said Santa cordially. "The Seco has done well. Mr. Yeager
is one of the best stockmen in the West."

The dropping out of a prince-consort rarely disorganises a monarchy.
Queen Santa had appointed as _mayordomo_ [3] of the ranch a trusty
subject, named Ramsay, who had been one of her father's faithful
vassals. And there was scarcely a ripple on the Nopalito ranch save
when the gulf-breeze created undulations in the grass of its wide
acres.

[FOOTNOTE 3: mayordomo--(Spanish) steward, head of the household
staff; also a ranch foreman]

For several years the Nopalito had been making experiments with an
English breed of cattle that looked down with aristocratic contempt
upon the Texas long-horns. The experiments were found satisfactory;
and a pasture had been set aside for the blue-bloods. The fame of
them had gone forth into the chaparral and pear [4] as far as men ride
in saddles. Other ranches woke up, rubbed their eyes, and looked with
new dissatisfaction upon the long-horns.

[FOOTNOTE 4: pear--prickly-pear cactus, the most common variety
of large cactus in Texas, often growing in great
clumps]

As a consequence, one day a sunburned, capable, silk-kerchiefed
nonchalant youth, garnished with revolvers, and attended by three
Mexican _vaqueros_, alighted at the Nopalito ranch and presented the
fol