e guest chamber--which was a square,
three-windowed room off the big livingroom. More than one of them had
occupied it upon occasion. They took Happy Jack up there and put him to
bed quite as a matter-of-course, and when he was asleep they lingered
upon the wide, front porch; the hammock of the Little Doctor squeaked
under the weight of Andy Green, and the wide-armed chairs received the
weary forms of divers young cowpunchers who did not give a thought to
the intrusion, but were thankful for the comfort. Andy was swinging
luxuriously and drawing the last few puffs from a cigarette when Slim,
purple and puffing audibly, appeared portentously before him.

"I thought you said you was goin' to lock Dunk up in the blacksmith
shop," he launched accusingly at Andy.

"We did," averred that young man, pushing his toe against the railing to
accelerate the voluptuous motion of the hammock.

"He ain't there. He's broke loose. The chain--by golly, yuh went an'
used that chain that was broke an' jest barely hangin' together! His
horse ain't anywheres around, either. You fellers make me sick. Lollin'
around here an' not paying no attention, by golly--he's liable to be ten
mile from here by this time!" When Slim stopped, his jaw quivered like
a dish of disturbed jelly, and I wish I could give you his tone; choppy,
every sentence an accusation that should have made those fellows wince.

Irish, Big Medicine and Jack Bates had sprung guiltily to their feet
and started down the steps. The drawling voice of the Native Son stopped
them, ten feet from the porch.

"Twelve, or fifteen, I should make it. That horse of his looked to me
like a drifter."

"Well--are yuh goin' t' set there on your haunches an' let him GO?"
Slim, by the look of him, was ripe for murder.

"You want to look out, or you'll get apoplexy sure," Andy soothed,
giving himself another luxurious push and pulling the last, little whiff
from his cigarette before he threw away the stub. "Fat men can't afford
to get as excited as skinny ones can."

"Aw, say! Where did you put him, Andy?" asked Big Medicine, his first
flurry subsiding before the absolute calm of those two on the porch.

"In the blacksmith shop," said Andy, with a slurring accent on the first
word that made the whole sentence perfectly maddening. "Ah, come on back
here and sit down. I guess we better tell 'em the how of it. Huh, Mig?"

Miguel cast a slow, humorous glance over the four. "Ye-es--they'll have