ng him round close to Balaam in a wide circle, and then he
vanished in dust down the left-bank trail.

Balaam looked after him and laughed harshly. He had seen trout dash
about like that when the hook in their jaw first surprised them. He knew
Shorty would show the pony off, and he knew Shorty's love for Pedro
was not equal to his need of money. He called to one of his men, asked
something about the dam at the mouth of the canyon, where the main
irrigation ditch began, made a remark about the prolonged drought, and
then walked to his dining-room door, where, as he expected, Shorty met
him.

"Say," said the youth, "do you consider that's any way to talk about a
good horse?"

"Any dude could see the leg's sprung," said Balaam. But he looked at
Pedro's shoulder, which was well laid back; and he admired his points,
dark in contrast with the buckskin, and also the width between the eyes.

"Now you know," whined Shorty, "that it ain't sprung any more than your
leg's cork. If you mean the right leg ain't plumb straight, I can tell
you he was born so. That don't make no difference, for it ain't weak.
Try him onced. Just as sound and strong as iron. Never stumbles. And he
don't never go to jumpin' with yu'. He's kind and he's smart." And the
master petted his pony, who lifted a hoof for another handshake.

Of course Balaam had never thought the leg was sprung, and he now took
on an unprejudiced air of wanting to believe Shorty's statements if he
only could.

"Maybe there's two years' work left in that leg," he now observed.

"Better give your hawss away, Shorty," said the Virginian.

"Is this your deal, my friend?" inquired Balaam. And he slanted his
bullet head at the Virginian.

"Give him away, Shorty," drawled the Southerner. "His laig is busted.
Mr. Balaam says so."

Balaam's face grew evil with baffled fury. But the Virginian was gravely
considering Pedro. He, too, was not pleased. But he could not interfere.
Already he had overstepped the code in these matters. He would have
dearly liked--for reasons good and bad, spite and mercy mingled--to
have spoiled Balaam's market, to have offered a reasonable or even an
unreasonable price for Pedro, and taken possession of the horse himself.
But this might not be. In bets, in card games, in all horse transactions
and other matters of similar business, a man must take care of himself,
and wiser onlookers must suppress their wisdom and hold their peace.

That evening Shor