er up in Vegas onct," he went on, "got married and went
plumb to New York, towering around. He got lost on a ferry-boat down
there somewhere, and rode back and forrard all day; and says he to me,
'Blamed if every man in that town didn't get his boots blacked every
day.' That's foolish."

The girl laughed outright, rolling the veil back from her face now, and
taking a full look up at the sky, with more enjoyment in life than she
had felt for days. Further conversation, however, was interrupted by a
deep snore from the rear of the wagon.

"That," said Tom Osby, "sounds like the old man had got the potato
loose."

"I'm ashamed of him," declared Constance.

"Natural," said Tom; "but why special?"

"He oughtn't to touch that whiskey. I hate it."

"So do I, when it ain't good. That in the can is good. It's only fair
your dad should break even for some of the whiskey he give the Lone
Star. They didn't have a drop when I got in. Now, that's another
reason why we ought to have a railroad at Heart's Desire. It might
prevent a awful stringency, sometime. There's Dick McGinnis, why, he
nearly--"

"But it's not coming. It will not be built. They wouldn't let us in.
We couldn't get the right of way."

"Now listen at you! You mean your daddy couldn't, nor his lawyer
couldn't. Of course not. But you haven't tried it your own self yet."

"How could I?"

"Well, you'd a heap more sense than to size up things the way your pa
did. The boys told me all about what happened. A man out here don't
holler if you beat him fair, but if you stack the cards on him, that's
different. Dan Anderson done just right."

"He broke up all our plans," Constance retorted hotly; and at once
flushed at her own speech.

"What was he to do? Sell out? Turn the whole town over to you folks?
Soon as he knows what's up, he throws back the money and tells the road
to go to hell. He kept his promise to me, and to all the other fellers
that had spoke to him about lookin' after their places. He done right."

Constance looked for a moment at the far shimmering horizon. At length
she faced about and bravely met Tom Osby's eyes. "Yes, he was right,"
she said. "He did what was right." But she drew a long breath as she
spoke.

"Ma'am," said Tom Osby, regarding her keenly, "not referrin' to the
fact that you're squarer than your men folks, I want to say that,
speakin' of game folks, you're just as game as any man I ever saw.
Lots of