suaded me to sell to that macaroni-eating swab. But it's done, and
there ain't no manner of good wailing about it."

Dan laughed lugubriously.

"A man that can knock a million out of a mountain can git along most
anywheres, I guess. Wish I had your chance."

"What'd you do?"

"I'd hitch up to some smart gal in New York or London and start a
family."

Jim made a grimace.

"'Pears to me you ain't strong on originality. I'd rather run a cattle
ranch--they don't talk back."

"Gosh! man, wimmen's all right if you know how to treat 'em. They're like
bosses, they want careful breakin' in."

Jim shook his head. He remembered the time when a girl from down East, on
a holiday tour, had looked over his mine. Her eloquent blue eyes had made
him feel decidedly sheepish. Colorado Jim, who had tackled most of the bad
men around Medicine Bow, and had tamed the wildest bronchos that ever
roved prairie, was lamentably lacking where the fair sex was concerned. He
didn't know what to do, what to say, or how to say it.

"Dan," he said, "you hev to have a gift that way--an' I ain't got it."

"My lad, you've got a figure and a 'physog' that'll sure turn every gal's
head that takes a slant at 'em."

"Let up!" growled Jim.

"It's honest truth, laddie. Gee! I gotta hankering for the bright lights
myself. I lived in New York once. _Some_ village. And with a million in
your wallet ... Ah!"

He gave a long sigh as he reflected upon the quantity of "bright lights" a
million would purchase.

"I'd have three houses, a hundred suits, a footman with a powdered wig
like I seen in the magazine pictures. I'd have a bath each night in
eau-de-Cologne, and go to roost in real silk peejamas. I'd larn to dance,
and have a valee to dress me and shave me...."

"Yep," mused Jim, "and then you'd wake up, Dan. Here, where's that bill?
You talk too much. What in hell is that?"

A terrific hullabaloo came up from below. A roar of laughter and the
babble of male voices was mixed with the rumble of wheels and the
pistol-like crack of a whip.

"Looks like a celebration," said Dan.

Jim sauntered to the window. Underneath was Rob's coach, packed full of
miners. They slid from the roof of the vehicle and from inside, and began
to fire revolvers and dance around like niggers. Then one of them saw
Jim.

"Hi, Colorado Jim, come out of that!" he bawled.

Jim ducked back from the window as a roar came up from below.

"Looks like they're for giving yo