vice and had better go
home and forget all about the war. Yes, sir; he'd be left himself with
something to forget that most likely he'd still be remembering vividly
when folks had got to wondering what them funny little buttons with
"Liberty Loan" on 'em could ever of been used for.

Still, this palsied wreck was with us for a time and had started in that
very morning to carry on. He used but few words, but treated 'em rough if
they come looking for it. First, they was two I.W.W.'s down to the lower
field had struck for three-fifty a day, and had threatened to burn
someone's haystacks when it was coldly refused. So one had been took to
jail and one to the hospital the minute the flotsam slowed up with 'em.
It was a fair enough hospital case for both, but the one for jail could
still walk.

Then two other new hands, two of these here demi-cowboys you have to put
up with, had kept the bunk house noisy every night with a bitter personal
quarrel including loud threats of mutual murder that never seemed to
get any further. So the flotsam, after drinking in some of their most
venomous eloquence, had lined 'em up and commanded 'em to git busy and
fight it out quick. And he had then licked 'em both in a quick and
exaggerated manner when they tried to keep on talking it out with him.

It was a sharply etched impression over the ranch, now shared by its
owner, that this here invalid flotsam would take darned little nonsense
from any one. It was also the owner's own private impression that he had
been expelled from the war for rough behaviour on the field of battle and
not because of wounds or sickness. Most likely they'd told him the latter
because they was afraid to tell him the truth. But that was the real
truth; he was too scrappy and wouldn't let the war go on in peace and
quiet.

Anyway, she and the Army was both satisfied, so let it go at that.
Mebbe after a few more arguments over there, when they'd made a
convinced pro-Ally out of Germany, she might get some more shell-wracked
jetsams like this one, that would step in without regard for the rules of
civilized warfare and make the life of a certain beef-cattle raiser just
one long dream of loveliness with pink rose leaves dreening down on her.
Mebbe so!

I was charmed indeed to hear the gladsome note from one so long dismal.
So I told the woman that the longest war must have its end and that by
this time next year she would be refusing to hire good help at forty-five