uess," with shrewd philosophy and a certain deliberate emphasis,
"thet's what we poor she-males was mos'ly created for. Take Hank, now.
He's a reg'lar baby about sech things--an' whines like a sick pup ef
he's overlooked in the slightest. Thar now, you Buffo!--lawks a mussy,
dearie, he's got yuh hand all slobbered up--you hont yuah hole! It don't
do to giv' 'em too much rope. Ef yuh do they's suah ter run on it an'
thar's trouble all raound. Feed 'em well, speak 'em kind, an' give 'em
theah haids on a hahd pull er in a tight place, an' they gentle quick,
an' easy an' come up pullin' arter every fall. But doan yuh never go to
crowdin' of 'em onreasonable at thu wrong time er they'll balk an' lay
down, er kick over thu dash-boahd an' run away, accordin' to thu natuah
o' thu brute. Yuh kin keep 'em up on thu bit when thu goin's good, but
doan spur 'em when they's excited 'n feelin' they cawn!

"Thu mos' on 'ems ondependable at times! some on 'ems loco all thu
time--thet kind espeshully" pointing toward the bunkhouse from which was
issuing the tinkle of a guitar to the accompaniment of a stentorian
wail:

"Haow d-r-r-y I am! Haow d-r-r-y I am!
Gawd o-h-h-nly knows haow-w-w dry I am!"

"Yuah takin' thet tuhn quite upsot me, and I done quite forgot thet no
'count Red. Heah him yowl! Long ways from daid yet, 'pears to me!"

Nevertheless, the cool hand laid on his hot brow was invested with a
motherly tenderness, and the chiding voice was gentle and kind.

"Yuh better go and lay in yuah hammock, dearie," she suggested to Grace,
"an' rest up a bit; I got a lot o' tidyin' up to do yeah." The room was
already painfully clean and the man on the bed knit his brows
quizzically.

"I do want my hair curled 'n' my mustache waxed 'n' some ody-kolone on
my hank-chy," he murmured plaintively. "I shore do!"

Abigail glared at him, but Grace, with a final pat to the pillows,
smiled indulgently. "Get well quickly; we need you too much; and it must
be dreadful to have to stay indoors in this weather." Then she went out
rather abstractedly, McVey's eyes following her with the wistfulness of
a dog's. Abbie, watching him, smiled satirically.

"Red, too!" she ejaculated mentally; "well, why not? He's a whole lot of
a man, hisself, an cats kin look at queens ef they likes. An' queens hev
a lot o' things ter be done fer 'em thet only men kin do. I wonder
now--!"

She looked at him speculatively, her lips tightening with a sudden
d