k story till you asked me. Here
I am fifty miles from a bellboy or a cocktail. I'm sick. I can't
hustle. Gee! but I'm up against it!" McGuire fell upon the cot and
sobbed shiveringly.

Raidler went to the door and called. A slender, bright-complexioned
Mexican youth about twenty came quickly. Raidler spoke to him in
Spanish.

"Ylario, it is in my mind that I promised you the position of
/vaquero/ on the San Carlos range at the fall /rodeo/."

"/Si, senor/, such was your goodness."

"Listen. This /senorito/ is my friend. He is very sick. Place yourself
at his side. Attend to his wants at all times. Have much patience and
care with him. And when he is well, or--and when he is well, instead
of /vaquero/ I will make you /mayordomo/ of the Rancho de las Piedras.
/Esta bueno/?"

"/Si, si--mil gracias, senor/." Ylario tried to kneel upon the floor
in his gratitude, but the cattleman kicked at him benevolently,
growling, "None of your opery-house antics, now."

Ten minutes later Ylario came from McGuire's room and stood before
Raidler.

"The little /senor/," he announced, "presents his compliments"
(Raidler credited Ylario with the preliminary) "and desires some
pounded ice, one hot bath, one gin feez-z, that the windows be all
closed, toast, one shave, one Newyorkheral', cigarettes, and to send
one telegram."

Raidler took a quart bottle of whisky from his medicine cabinet.
"Here, take him this," he said.

Thus was instituted the reign of terror at the Solito Ranch. For a few
weeks McGuire blustered and boasted and swaggered before the cow-
punchers who rode in for miles around to see this latest importation
of Raidler's. He was an absolutely new experience to them. He
explained to them all the intricate points of sparring and the tricks
of training and defence. He opened to their minds' view all the
indecorous life of a tagger after professional sports. His jargon of
slang was a continuous joy and surprise to them. His gestures, his
strange poses, his frank ribaldry of tongue and principle fascinated
them. He was like a being from a new world.

Strange to say, this new world he had entered did not exist to him. He
was an utter egoist of bricks and mortar. He had dropped out, he felt,
into open space for a time, and all it contained was an audience for
his reminiscences. Neither the limitless freedom of the prairie days
nor the grand hush of the close-drawn, spangled nights touched him.
All the hues of Aurora co