ble of that
hospitable kingdom. Talk like water gushed from him: he might have
been smitten with Aaron's rod--that is your gentle shepherd when an
audience is vouchsafed him whose ears are not overgrown with wool.

"Missis Yeager," he babbled, "I see a man the other day on the Rancho
Seco down in Hidalgo County by your name--Webb Yeager was his. He'd
just been engaged as manager. He was a tall, light-haired man, not
saying much. Perhaps he was some kin of yours, do you think?"

"A husband," said Santa cordially. "The Seco has done well. Mr. Yeager
is one of the best stockmen in the West."

The dropping out of a prince-consort rarely disorganises a monarchy.
Queen Santa had appointed as /mayordomo/ of the ranch a trusty
subject, named Ramsay, who had been one of her father's faithful
vassals. And there was scarcely a ripple on the Nopalito ranch save
when the gulf-breeze created undulations in the grass of its wide
acres.

For several years the Nopalito had been making experiments with an
English breed of cattle that looked down with aristocratic contempt
upon the Texas long-horns. The experiments were found satisfactory;
and a pasture had been set aside for the blue-bloods. The fame of them
had gone forth into the chaparral and pear as far as men ride in
saddles. Other ranches woke up, rubbed their eyes, and looked with new
dissatisfaction upon the long-horns.

As a consequence, one day a sunburned, capable, silk-kerchiefed
nonchalant youth, garnished with revolvers, and attended by three
Mexican /vaqueros/, alighted at the Nopalito ranch and presented the
following business-like epistle to the queen thereof:

Mrs. Yeager--The Nopalito Ranch:

Dear Madam:

I am instructed by the owners of the Rancho Seco to purchase 100
head of two and three-year-old cows of the Sussex breed owned by
you. If you can fill the order please deliver the cattle to the
bearer; and a check will be forwarded to you at once.

Respectfully,
Webster Yeager,
Manager the Rancho Seco.

Business is business, even--very scantily did it escape being written
"especially"--in a kingdom.

That night the 100 head of cattle were driven up from the pasture and
penned in a corral near the ranch-house for delivery in the morning.

When night closed down and the house was still, did Santa Yeager throw
herself down, clasping that formal note to her bosom, weeping, and
calling out a name that pride (either in one or the other) had ke