grinning
satisfaction; from the white saddle-marks back of the withers he knew
him for a "broke" horse, and he certainly was pretty to look at. Andy
gave him but a fleeting glance.

Happy Jack spread his loop and climbed down from the fence, almost at
Andy's elbow. It was his turn to choose. "I betche that there blue
roan over there is a good one," he remarked. "I'm going to tackle
him."

Andy took his cigarette from between his lips. "Yuh better hobble your
stirrups, then," he discouraged artfully. "I know that roan a heap
better than you do."

"Aw, gwan!" Happy, nevertheless, hesitated. "He's got a kind eye in
his head; yuh can always go by a horse's eye."

"Can yuh?" Andy smiled indifferently. "Go after him, then. And say,
Happy: if yuh ride that blue roan for five successive minutes, I'll
give yuh fifty dollars. I knew that hoss down on the Musselshell; he's
got a record that'd reach from here to Dry Lake and back." It was a
bluff, pure and simple, born of his covetousness, but it had the
desired effect--or nearly so.

Happy fumbled his rope and eyed the roan. "Aw, I betche you're just
lying," he hazarded; but, like many another, when he did strike the
truth he failed to recognize it. "I betche--"

"All right, rope him out and climb on, if yuh don't believe me." The
tone of Andy was tinged with injury. "There's fifty dollars--yes, by
gracious, I'll give yuh a _hundred_ dollars if yuh ride him for five
minutes straight."

A conversation of that character, carried on near the top of two
full-lunged voices, never fails in the range land to bring an audience
of every male human within hearing. All other conversations and
interests were immediately suspended, and a dozen men trotted up to
see what it was all about. Andy remained roosting upon the top rail,
his rope coiled loosely and dangling from one arm while he smoked
imperturbably.

"Oh, Happy was going to rope out a sure-enough bad one for his night
hoss, and out uh the goodness uh my heart, I put him wise to what he
was going up against," he explained carelessly.

"He acts like he has some thoughts uh doubting my word, so I just
offered him a hundred dollars to ride him--that blue roan, over there
next that crooked post. GET_ a reserved seat right in front of the
grand stand where all the big acts take_ PLACE;" he sung out suddenly,
in the regulation circus tone. "GET-a-seat-right-in-front-where-Happy-Jack-
the-WILD-Man-rides-the-BUCKING-BRONCHO--Go on