rtily, and, then--"Hold on,
Len. You're too blame young an' good lookin' for such tricks--an'
besides, I've never kissed her, myself, yet----!"

"Where will it be now?" asked Holland, when they found themselves once
more upon the street.

"Home--dear," whispered his wife. "You know we've got to get that
cabin up before snow flies--our cabin, Vil--with the porch that will
look out over the snows of the changing lights."

"If the whole town didn't have their heads out the window, watchin' us
I'd kiss you right here," he answered, and strode off to lead her
horse up beside his own.

Swinging her into the saddle, he was about to mount Lightning, when
she leaned over and raised the brown leather jug on its thong. "Why,
it's empty!" she exclaimed.

"So it is," agreed Holland, with mock concern.

"Really, Vil, I don't care--so much. If it don't hurt men any more
than it has hurt you, I won't quarrel with it. I'll wait while you get
it filled."

"Maybe I'd better," he said, and swinging it from the saddle horn,
crossed the street and entered the general store. A few minutes later
he returned and swung the jug into place.

"Why! Do they sell whisky at the store? I thought you got that at a
saloon."

"Whisky!" The man looked up in surprise. "This jug never held any
whisky! It's my vinegar jug. I don't drink."

Patty stared at him in amazement. "Do you mean to tell me you carry a
jug of vinegar with you wherever you go?"

For the first time since she had known him she saw that his eyes were
twinkling, and that his lips were very near a smile. "No, not exactly,
but, you see, that first time I met you I happened to be riding from
town with this jug full of vinegar. I noticed the look you gave it,
an' it tickled me most to death. So, after that, every time I figured
I'd meet up with you I brought the jug along. I'd pour out the vinegar
an' fill it up with water, an' sometimes I'd just pack it empty--then
when I'd hit town, I'd get it filled again. I bet Johnson, over there,
thinks I'm picklin' me a winter's supply of prickly pears. I must have
bought close to half a barrel of vinegar this summer."

"Vil Holland! You carried that jug--went to all that trouble, just
to--to _tease_ me?"

"That's about the size of it. An' Gosh! How you hated that jug."

"It might have--it nearly did, make me hate _you_, too."

"'Might have,' an' 'nearly,' an' 'if,' are all words about alike--they
all sort of fall short of amountin' to