re come anotha," was her significant comment.

"Never you mind." The Girl voiced the reprimand without the twitching of
an eyelid; and then as she hung up her cape upon the wardrobe, she
added: "Pick up the room, Wowkle!"

The big-hipped, full-bosomed woman did not move but stood in all her
stolidness gazing at her mistress like one in a dream; whereupon the
Girl, exasperated beyond measure at the other's placidity, rushed over
to her and shook her so violently that she finally awakened to the
importance of her mistress' request.

"He's comin' now, now; he's comin'!" the Girl was saying, when suddenly
her eyes were attracted to a pair of stockings hanging upon the wall;
quickly she released her hold on the woman and with a hop, skip and a
jump they were down and hid away in her bureau drawer.

"My roses--what did you do with them, Wowkle?" she asked a trifle
impatiently as she fumbled in the drawer.

"Ugh!" grunted Wowkle, and pointed to a corner of the bureau top.

"Good!" cried the Girl, delightedly, as she spied them. The next instant
she was busily engaged in arranging them in her hair, pausing only to
take a pistol out of her pocket, which she laid on the edge of the
bureau. "No offence, Wowkle," she went on thoughtfully, a moment later,
"but I want you to put your best foot forward when you're waitin' on
table to-night. This here company o' mine's a man o' idees. Oh, he knows
everythin'! Sort of a damme style."

Wowkle gave no sign of having heard her mistress' words, but kept right
on tidying the room. Now she went over to the cupboard and took down two
cups, which she placed on the fireplace base. It was while she was in
the act of laying down the last one that the Girl broke in suddenly upon
her thoughts with:

"Say, Wowkle, did Billy Jackrabbit really propose to you?"

"Yep--get marry," spoke up Jackrabbit's promised wife without looking
up.

For some moments the Girl continued to fumble among her possessions in
the bureau drawer; at last she brought forth an orange-coloured satin
ribbon, which she placed in the Indian woman's hands with her prettiest
smile, saying:

"Here, Wowkle, you can have that to fix up for the weddin'."

Wowkle's eyes glowed with appreciation.

"Huh!" she ejaculated, and proceeded to wind the ribbon about the beads
around her neck.

Turning once more to the bureau, the Girl took out a small parcel done
up in tissue paper and began to unwrap it.

"I'm goin' to put on t