!"

"Charlie," said Mr. See. "Well, you needn't be shocked. Society is
very unevenly divided between the criminal and the non-criminal
classes."

"That," said Edith, "might be called a spiral remark. Would it be
impertinent to ask you to specify?"

"Not at all. Superfluous. See for yourself. Old Sobersides, here--you
might give him the benefit of the doubt--he's so durned practical. But
Adam and me, Uncle Dan and your Dad--there's no doubt about us, I'm
afraid. It's right quaint to see how proud those old roosters are of
the lurid past. When one of 'em gets on the peck, all you got to do is
to start relatin' how wild they used to be, and they'll be eatin' out
of your hand in no time. They ought to be ashamed of themselves--silly
old donkeys!"

"How about the women?" asked Lyn.

"I've never been able to make a guess. But there's so few of you out
here at the world's end, that you don't count for much, either way."

"Lyn realizes that," said Hobby. "Here at the ragged edge of things
she knows that the men outnumber the women five to one. So she tries
to make up for it. She is a friendly soul."

Miss Lyn Dyer ignored this little speech and harked back to the last
observation of Charlie See. "So you did manage to notice that, did
you? I'm surprised. They've amused me for years--Uncle Dan and Uncle
Pete; how mean they were, the wild old days and the chimes at
midnight! But a girl--oh, dear me, how very different! No hoydens need
apply! A notably unwild boy is reproached as a sissy and regarded with
suspicion, but a girl must not even play at being wild. 'Prunes,
prisms and potatoes!' Podsnap! Pecksniff! Turveydrop and Company!
Doesn't anyone ever realize that it might be a tame business never to
be wild at all?"

"'Tis better to be wild and weep--"

"Now, Hobby Lull, you hush up! The answer is, No. Catechism. A man
expects from his womankind a scrupulous decorum which he is far too
broad-minded to require from himself or his mates--charitable soul!
Laughter and applause. Cries of 'That's true!'--Anything more grossly
unfair--"

_Rub-a-dub! Rub-a-dub! Rub-a-dub!_

Three men thundered over the _'cequia_ bridge. At the first drum of
furious hoofs See wheeled his horse sharply.

"What's that? Trouble!" The three horsemen swooped from the bridge,
pounding on the beaten road. "Trouble, sure!"

"You two girls light out of this! Ride!" said Lull. He spurred to the
open door of the store. "Pete!" he called, and turn