ny tenderfoot I
ever seen.

"What are they piling up them rocks along the side of the yard for,
Jimmie?" I ast him after a while.

You see, there was several wagonloads of brick and stuff had been put in
there that morning.

"I don't know," says he. "Something the old man ordered, I reckon. He's
away right now. They don't always tell me about things as much as I
think they might."

"I've often wondered they didn't fire you," says I.

"They can't," says he. "I told you I've got too much on 'em. They don't
dast to fire me none at all. I defy 'em!" says he.

"Well, you better be a little careful," says I. "I've seen people felt
that way about their boss before now, and right often they got the can.
You better not get fired till you know a little bit more about roping
and riding."

"Hush!" says he. "I think I heard someone over in our boathouse.
Good-by! I'll come round again tomorrow morning."

He went on down the dock into their boathouse. I set down not far from
the door, smoking and looking out over the lake. I heard someone in
there begin to talk. It was him and Old Lady Wisner--I'd heard her
before once in a while. I couldn't help hearing them if I'd wanted to,
and I did want to.

"James," says she, "where have you been? I've been looking everywhere
for you."

"Why, nowhere especial," says he carelesslike. "I was just over on the
dock doing some roping stunts with Curly."

"I suppose you mean that red-headed, pigeon-toed brute that hangs around
the Wrights' place," says she.

Say, when she said that I half riz up, for I shore was mad. I may be the
way she said, but I don't allow no one else to say so. But she wasn't a
man anyway; so I had to stand it. I read somewhere in a book it ain't
correct to listen when folks don't know you're hearing them; but that
didn't go with me no more, especial when people was talking about me and
my hair and legs thataway. So I set down and listened some more.

"Well," says Jimmie, "I haven't ever noticed that at all. But he's a
good scout and I like him," says he.

That made me feel just a little easier anyways.

"Well, it's no matter what you were doing over there," says she vicious.
"You're not to have nothing more to do with such can-nye no more. Why
can't you attend to your own business?"

"I'm just going to," says he. "You ain't ast my consent about mussing up
my flower beds. What's all that rock and brick doing up in the yard?"
Say, he was a sassy one!

"Si