d sternly out before
them, ready for the worst. Now and then they leaned over the one
toward another, and ventured some grim, ghastly remark. Once the
leader, an old and gray-haired man, was heard to utter, inadvertently
above his breath, the ominous expression, "Yass, indeed!" All in all,
the situation was bodeful in the extreme. There was no speech other
than that above noted.

After a vast hiatus the door at the main entrance was pulled cautiously
open, a little at a time. Evidently some one was looking in. The
consciousness of this caused two or three men to shuffle their feet a
trifle upon the floor, as though they expected the death march soon to
begin. The littlest waiter girl, unable to stand the nervous strain,
tittered audibly, which caused Nora, the head waiter, to glare at her
through her glasses. At length the door opened, and two figures
entered affrightedly, those of Hank Peterson, a neighbouring rancher,
and his wife. Hank was dressed in the costume of the time, and the
high heels of his boots tapped uncertainly as he made his way over the
wide hollow-sounding floor, his feet wabbling and crossing in his
trepidation. None the less, having forthwith decoyed to the row of men
sitting silent against the wall, he duly reached that harbour and sank
down, wiping his face and passing his hand across his mouth
uncertainly. His wife was a tall, angular woman, whose garb was like
that of most of the other women--cotton print. Yet her hair was combed
to the point of fatality, and at her neck she had a collarette of what
might have been lace, but was not. Conscious of the inspection of all
there assembled, Mrs. Peterson's conduct was different from that of her
spouse. With head held very high and a glance of scorn, as of one
hurling back some uttered word of obloquy, she marched down the hall to
the side occupied by the ladies; nay, even passed the full line as in
daring review, and seated herself at the farther end, with head
upright, as ready for instant sally of offence.

The door opened again and yet again. Two or three engineers, a rodman,
a leveller, and an axeman came in, near behind them more cattlemen.
From among the guests of the hotel several came, and presently the
clerk of the hotel himself. The line of men grew steadily, but the
body upon the opposite side of the room remained constant, immobile,
and unchanged. At these devoted beings there glared many eyes from
across the room. Mor