head to foot from his rough bath towel, tingling with
the leaping life within him, showing no signs of the all but sleepless
night, came out to breakfast before Garth had finished his pipe. He
caught Rose-bud by the two shoulders, drove him back against the wall
and held him there while he spoke to him.

"I've a notion to jam you through into the other room, you yellow
heathen," he informed the cook whose smile was just a trifle uncertain.
"If the coffee is good I'll let you off."

Rose-bud's smile became radiant immediately. He poured out the black
beverage with the air of a magician conjuring a stream of gold from the
old coffee pot, and evinced as great a pleasure in watching Wayne
dispose of his breakfast as Wayne himself manifested in the act. Garth
came back into the room while his cousin was eating.

"Well, Wayne," he said. "What's the bill of fare for the day?"

Shandon nodded, swallowed and bade Garth a cheery "Good morning."

"To-day?" he repeated after his cousin. "I'm just going to get a live
horse between my legs and ride! Big Bill tells me that no man has
thrown a leg over Lightfoot's back since I left, and that she's just
full of hell and mustard and aching for a scamper. Bill knows where
she is; he's going with me to help round her up and then . . ."

"Well?" questioned Garth drily. "You're going to work on her to-day?"

Shandon laughed.

"Who said anything about work? You're growing to be an awful
sobersides, old fellow. Here I haven't been back twenty-four hours and
you're already suggesting that I shove my neck into the yoke. Now, you
ought to know better than that."

Garth drew deeply at his pipe, his lips tight about the stem.

"You haven't changed much, Wayne," he said presently.

"Who wants to change?" Shandon retorted lightly. "One would think I'd
been away ten years and it was time for grey hairs and long hours of
sitting still in the sun." He favoured his cousin with a merry,
searching glance and added, "You haven't changed much yourself that I
can see."

For no apparent reason Conway flushed slightly and then frowned.

"I had a good hard day's work cut out for the boys," he said casually.

"You're finding plenty to keep them busy, I'll bet," grinned Shandon.

"Yes," carelessly. "We're a bit short handed just now and there is
always a lot to do. I've let a man go here and there when he was just
eating his head off for us. A half day lost means that much more hard