ntly. "Meet a man once and you're sure to run on to
him again. That's straight. That's no bar-room josh." And the drummer's
eye included us all in his confidence. I wondered if he had attained
that high perfection when a man believes his own lies.

The Virginian did not seem interested. He placidly attended to his
food, while our landlady moved between dining room and kitchen, and the
drummer expanded.

"Yes, sir! Ikey's over by the stock-yards, patronized by all cattle-men
that know what's what. That's where. Maybe it's three years. Time never
was nothing to me. But faces! Why, I can't quit 'em. Adults or children,
male and female; onced I seen 'em I couldn't lose one off my memory, not
if you were to pay me bounty, five dollars a face. White men, that is.
Can't do nothing with niggers or Chinese. But you're white, all
right." The drummer suddenly returned to the Virginian with this high
compliment. The cow-puncher had taken out a pipe, and was slowly rubbing
it. The compliment seemed to escape his attention, and the drummer went
on.

"I can tell a man when he's white, put him at Ikey's or out loose here
in the sage-brush." And he rolled a cigar across to the Virginian's
plate.

"Selling them?" inquired the Virginian.

"Solid goods, my friend. Havana wrappers, the biggest tobacco
proposition for five cents got out yet. Take it, try it, light it, watch
it burn. Here." And he held out a bunch of matches.

The Virginian tossed a five-cent piece over to him.

"Oh, no, my friend! Not from you! Not after Ikey's. I don't forget you.
See? I knowed your face right away. See? That's straight. I seen you at
Chicago all right."

"Maybe you did," said the Virginian. "Sometimes I'm mighty careless what
I look at."

"Well, py damn!" now exclaimed the Dutch drummer, hilariously. "I am
ploom disappointed. I vas hoping to sell him somedings myself."

"Not the same here," stated the American. "He's too healthy for me. I
gave him up on sight."

Now it was the American drummer whose bed the Virginian had in his eye.
This was a sensible man, and had talked less than his brothers in the
trade. I had little doubt who would end by sleeping in his bed; but how
the thing would be done interested me more deeply than ever.

The Virginian looked amiably at his intended victim, and made one or two
remarks regarding patent medicines. There must be a good deal of money
in them, he supposed, with a live man to manage them. The victim was