oveh to Laramie?" His tone was almost peevish.

Douglass gave him a reassuring thump amidships. "Not this trip, old man.
I am going over to the head of the Roaring Fork to trace up some float I
found there two years ago. I'd like mighty well to have you come along,
but we both can't leave at the same time, you know."

"It's very rich float," he said that night as they sat discussing final
arrangements. "If I ever find that lead, Red, our working days are over.
How'd you like to be a bloated bond-holder, eh, old-timer?"

Red grinned skeptically. "I'm from Texas. Yuh've got ter put it in mah
hand."

"But in case we should strike it?" insisted the other with amused
curiosity.

Red hung his belt and scabbard on the peg above his bunk; then he hung
his sombrero over them, taking considerable time to their satisfactory
disposal. But his head was thrown well back and his reply was almost a
challenge in its curt incisiveness:

"Then I reckon I wouldn't have to baig what ribbons I took a fancy to."

Douglass's eyes narrowed to mere slits and he breathed very softly; then
his brows unbent again, and he laughed cynically. "That isn't very
complimentary to--to wearers of the ribbons, Red. Do you really think
money can buy that kind of thing?"

"No, I reckon it wouldn't in her case," said McVey slowly, "but it would
give a man thu right to sit in thu game." Then he raised his head
proudly, sincerity, truth and resolution glowing in every lineament of
his strong, bronzed face: "I love her," he said simply, "an' some day,
when I've got thu right to, I'm goin' ter tell her so. An' now that I've
been fool enough to let yuh fo'ce my hand, I wan't yuh to know that I
only ask a faih field an' no favohs. To hell with yuh mine."

He flung angrily out of the house, his spurs clinking as he went. For
quite a time Douglass sat in statuesque silence; then he, too, went out
into the night, wending his way to the office, where he wrote far into
the wee sma' hours. Finally he dismounted his fountain pen and reread
carefully the longer of the four documents on which he had been engaged.
They were respectively a complete report of the stewardship, a receipt
for one thousand dollars covering his four months' salary (he took that
sum in cash from the little safe), a short letter to Mr. Carter, and his
resignation. He sealed them all in one envelope, which he addressed and
confided to Abbie's care for prompt delivery to Carter on his arrival.