torted immediately:

"Ashamed? Certainly not. I was Professor of Social Economy in Blurtville
University."

"And what do you call Social Economy?" asked Rifle-Eye.

The educator fell into the trap thus laid out for him and launched into
a vigorous description of his own peculiar personal views toward
securing a better understanding of the rights of the poor and of modern
plans for ensuring better conditions of life, until he painted a picture
of his science and his own aims which was most admirable. When he drew
breath, he seemed quite pleased with himself.

The Ranger thought a minute.

"An' under which of these departments," he said, "would you put breakin'
into this young fellow's corral, and havin' your eight horses eatin' up
feed which will hardly be enough for his two when the dry weather
comes?"

"That's another matter entirely," replied the professor, becoming angry
as soon as he was criticised.

"Yes, it's another matter," said Rifle-Eye. "It's doin' instead of
talkin'. I reckon you're one o' the talkin' kind, so deafened by the
sound o' your own splutterin' that you can't hear any one else. It's a
pity, too, that you don't learn somethin' yourself before you set others
to learnin'."

"Are you trying to teach me?" snapped the traveler.

The old Ranger leaned his arm on the barrel of his rifle, which,
according to his invariable custom, he was carrying with him, a habit
from old hunting days, and looking straight at the professor, said:

"I ain't no great shakes on Social Economy, as you call it, and I ain't
been to college. But I c'n see right enough that there's no real meanin'
to you in all you know about the rich an' the poor when you'll go an'
rob a lad o' the pasture he'll need for his horses; an' you're only
actin' hypocrite in lecturin' about promotin' good feelin's in society
when you're busy provokin' bad feelin' yourself. An' when you're harpin'
on the deep canyon that lies between Knowledge an' Ignorance, it don't
pay to forget that Politeness is a mighty easy bridge to rear, an' one
that's always safe. You may profess well enough, Mister Professor, but
you're a pretty ornery example o' practisin'."

"But it's none of your business--" interrupted the stranger angrily.

Rifle-Eye with a gesture stopped him.

"It's just as much my business to talk to you," he said, "as it'd be
yours to talk to me. In fact it's more. You c'n talk in your lecture
room, an' I'll talk here. Perhaps it ain't