is glasses. "What does the
law--"

"Law?" said the Governor. "Look at that place!" He swept his hand
towards the vast plains and the mountains. "Ninety-five thousand square
miles of that, and sixty thousand people in it. We haven't got policemen
yet on top of the Rocky Mountains."

"I see," said the New-Yorker. "But--but--well let A and B represent
first and second husbands, and X represent the woman. Now, does A know
about B? or does B know about A? And what do they do about it?"

"Can't say," the Governor answered, jovially. "Can't generalize. Depends
on heaps of things--love--money--Did you go to college? Well, let A
minus X equal B plus X, then if A and B get squared--"

"Oh, come to lunch," I said. "Barker, do you really know the first
husband is alive?"

"Wasn't dead last winter." And Barker gave us the particulars. Miss
Katie Peck had not served long in the restaurant before she was
wooed and won by a man who had been a ranch cook, a sheep-herder,
a bar-tender, a freight hand, and was then hauling poles for the
government. During his necessary absences from home she, too, went
out-of-doors. This he often discovered, and would beat her, and she
would then also beat him. After the beatings one of them would always
leave the other forever. Thus was Sidney kept in small-talk until
Mrs. Lusk one day really did not come back. "Lusk," said the Governor,
finishing his story, "cried around the saloons for a couple of days, and
then went on hauling poles for the government, till at last he said
he'd heard of a better job south, and next we knew of him he was round
Leavenworth. Lusk was a pretty poor bird. Owes me ten dollars."

"Well," I said, "none of us ever knew about him when she came to stay
with Mrs. Taylor on Bear Creek. She was Miss Peck when Lin made her Mrs.
McLean."

"You'll notice," said the Governor, "how she has got him under in three
weeks. Old hand, you see."

"Poor Lin!" I said.

"Lucky, I call him," said the Governor. "He can quit her."

"Supposing McLean does not want to quit her?"

"She's educating him to want to right now, and I think he'll learn
pretty quick. I guess Mr. Lin's romance wasn't very ideal this trip.
Hello! here comes Jode. Jode, won't you lunch with us? Mr. Ogden, of New
York, Mr. Jode. Mr. Jode is our signal-service officer, Mr. Ogden." The
Governor's eyes were sparkling hilariously, and he winked at me.

"Gentlemen, good-morning. Mr. Ogden, I am honored to make your
acq