nds now without the saddle!" Then he continued: "We all of us
are plumb tickled about this, so plumb tickled we don't hardly know what
to say----"

"That's right," whispered Jim, folding his arms across his stomach.
"You're proving it, all right."

Silent and Jack hauled Jim to the rear and Bud continued unruffled: "But
we want to thank you, ma'am, from the bottoms, the very lowest bottoms of
our hearts for your kindness to a orphant outfit what ain't had anything
to eat since the war, and very little during it. Joe Haines, here, ma'am,
was just saying as how he was a-scared that it is all a dream----"

"I didn't neither!" fiercely contradicted Joe in a whisper, looking very
self-conscious. He was whisked to the rear to join Jim and the speech went
on.

"He is afraid it is a dream, ma'am, and I know we all of us have more or
less doubts about it being really true. But, ma'am, we shore are anxious
to find out all about it. We've rid thirty miles to see for ourselves,
and I don't reckon you'll have any fears about our appetites being left
at home when you sizes up the wreck left in the path of the storm after
the stampede is over. The boys want to give you three cheers even if it
is Sunday, ma'am, for your kindness to them, and I'm shore one of the
boys!"

"Hip, hip, horray!" yelled the crowd, surging forward.

"Good boy, Bud!" they cried.

"I'm proud of you, Buddie!" exulted Charley, slapping him extra heartily
on the back.

"I didn't know you had it in you, Bud!" cried Silent. "It was shore a
dandy speech, all right."

"We'll send you to Congress for that, some day, Bud," cried Jack Lawson.
"You're all right!"

"I once had a piece of pie, a piece of pie, a piece of pie,
I once had a piece of pie, when I was five years old,"

sang Charley as he pranced toward the door.

"Good! Go on, Charley, go on!" cried his companions joyously.

"Now I'll have another piece, another piece, another piece,
Now I'll have another piece, that's two all told.

Good bye, Lee Lung, good bye Lee Lung,
Good bye, Lee Lung, we're going to forget you now!"

"Again on that Lee Lung, altogether--it hits me right!" cried Bud, and the
matter pertaining to the farewells to Lee Lung was promptly and properly
attended to in heartfelt sincerity.

The ladies laughed with delight, and Mrs. Shields whispered to her
husband, who nodded and escorted The Orphan to a seat near the head of the
table, where he was flank