and water, eh? Well, I
reckon not. Watch me fly _to_ it."

The idiom of Curly's speech was at times a trifle obscure to the
uneducated ear. I gathered that he believed these newcomers to be of
proper social rank, and that he was also of the opinion that a certain
mending in their material matters might add to the happiness of the
family.

"But say," he began again shortly, "I ain't told you half about our
dinner."

"That is to say--" said I.

"We're goin' to have oysters!" he replied.

"Oh, Curly!" objected I, petulantly, "what's the use lying? I'll
agree that you may perhaps marry the girl--I don't care anything about
that. But as to oysters, you know there never was an oyster in Heart's
Desire, and never will be, world without end."

"Huh!" said Curly. "Huh!" And presently, "Is that _so_?"

"You know it's so," said I.

"Is that so?" reiterated he once more. "Nice way to act, ain't it,
when you're ast out to dinner in the best society of the place? Tell a
feller he's shy on facts, when all he's handin' out is just the plain,
unfreckled truth, for onct at least. We got oysters, four cans of 'em,
and done had 'em for a month. They're up there." He jerked a thumb
toward the top of old Carrizo Mountain. I looked at the snow, and in
a flash comprehended. There, indeed, was cold storage, the only cold
storage possible in Heart's Desire!

"Tom Osby brought 'em down from Vegas the last time he come down," said
Curly. "They're there, sir, four cans of 'em. You know where the
Carrizo spring is? Well, there's a snowbank in that canon, about two
hundred yards off to the left of the spring. The oysters is in there.
Keep? They got to keep!

"Them's the only oysters ever was knowed between the Pecos and the Rio
Grande," he continued pridefully. "Now I want to ask you, friend, if
this ain't just a leetle the dashed blamedest, hottest Christmas dinner
ever was pulled off?"

"Curly," said I, "you are a continuous surprise to me."

"The trouble with you is," said Curly, lighting another cigarette, "you
look the wrong way from the top of the divide. Never mind about home
and mother. Them is States institooshuns. The only feller any good
here is the feller that comes to stay, and likes it. You like it?"

"Yes, Curly," I replied seriously, "I do like it, and I'm going to stay
if I can."

"Well, you be mighty blamed careful if that's the way you feel about
it," said Curly. "I got my own eye on