ty. It was a countenance like thousands; and hopelessness filled
the Virginian as he looked at this lost dog, and his dull, wistful eyes.

But some beginning must be made.

"I wonder what the thermometer has got to be," he said. "Yu' can see it,
if yu'll hold the lamp to that right side of the window."

Shorty held the lamp. "I never used any," he said, looking out at the
instrument, nevertheless.

The Virginian had forgotten that Shorty could not read. So he looked
out of the window himself, and found that it was twenty-two below zero.
"This is pretty good tobacco," he remarked; and Shorty helped himself,
and filled his pipe.

"I had to rub my left ear with snow to-day," said he. "I was just in
time."

"I thought it looked pretty freezy out where yu' was riding," said the
foreman.

The lost dog's eyes showed plain astonishment. "We didn't see you out
there," said he.

"Well," said the foreman, "it'll soon not be freezing any more; and then
we'll all be warm enough with work. Everybody will be working all over
the range. And I wish I knew somebody that had a lot of stable work to
be attended to. I cert'nly do for your sake."

"Why?" said Shorty.

"Because it's the right kind of a job for you."

"I can make more--" began Shorty, and stopped.

"There is a time coming," said the Virginian, "when I'll want somebody
that knows how to get the friendship of hawsses. I'll want him to handle
some special hawsses the Judge has plans about. Judge Henry would pay
fifty a month for that."

"I can make more," said Shorty, this time with stubbornness.

"Well, yes. Sometimes a man can--when he's not worth it, I mean. But it
don't generally last."

Shorty was silent. "I used to make more myself," said the Virginian.

"You're making a lot more now," said Shorty.

"Oh, yes. But I mean when I was fooling around the earth, jumping from
job to job, and helling all over town between whiles. I was not worth
fifty a month then, nor twenty-five. But there was nights I made a heap
more at cyards."

Shorty's eyes grew large.

"And then, bang! it was gone with treatin' the men and the girls."

"I don't always--" said Shorty, and stopped again.

The Virginian knew that he was thinking about the money he sent East.
"After a while," he continued, "I noticed a right strange fact. The
money I made easy that I WASN'T worth, it went like it came. I strained
myself none gettin' or spendin' it. But the money I made hard that I WAS