I know you can make money
out there with any kind of attention, for I'm purty well acquainted with
the A-Y. And I'll see about the cattle next week, but you better leave
The Orphan stay with me a while longer. My boys are the best crowd that
ever lived in a bunk-house, and if he minds his business they'll smooth
down his corners until you won't hardly know him; and they'll teach him a
little about the cow-puncher game if he's rusty.

"You remember the time we had that killing out there, don't you?" Blake
asked. "Well, you also remember that we agreed to cut out all gunplay on
the ranch in the future, and that I sent East for some boxing gloves,
which were to be used in case anybody wanted to settle any trouble.
They have been out there for two years now, and haven't been used except
in fun. Give the boys a chance and they'll cure him of the itching
trigger-finger, all right. They're only a lot of big-hearted, overgrown
kids, and they can get along with the devil himself if he'll let them.
But they are hell-fire and brimstone when aroused," then he laughed
softly: "They heard about your trouble with Sneed and they shore was
dead anxious to call on the Cross Bar-8 and make a few remarks about
long life and happiness, but I made them wait 'til they should be sent for.

"They know all about The Orphan--that is, as much as I did before I
called to-night. Joe Haines is a great listener and when he rustles our
mail once a week he takes it all in, so of course they know all about
it. They had a lot of fun about the way he made the Cross Bar-8 sit
up and take notice, for they ain't wasting any love on Sneed's crowd.
And it took Bill Howland over an hour to tell Joe about his experiences.
So when The Orphan met the outfit they knew him to be the man who had
saved the sheriff's sisters, which went a long way with them. Say, Jim,"
he exclaimed, "can I tell them what you said about him to-night? Let
me tell them everything, for it'll go far with them, especially with
Silent, who had some trouble with the U-B about five years ago. He was
taking a herd of about three thousand head across their range and he
swears yet at the treatment he got. Yes? All right, it'll make him solid
with the outfit."

"Tell them anything you want about him," said the sheriff, "but don't say
anything about the A-Y. I want to keep it quiet for a while."

Shields poured himself a cup of coffee and then glanced at the clock: "Too
late for a game, Tom?" he