rt!" she cried vehemently. "Do I look
like a sucker to you, Mr. Tweet?"

"Oh, dear, dear, dear!" he cried. "You don't understand. I'm gonta
swing somethin' big. I need that and what Hiram's already got to float
me along till I can hit the ball. For Heaven's sake, put a little
confidence in me, ma'am, can't you? I'm gonta send the Gentle Wild Cat
to you. He'll tell you. He trusts me."

"He trusts everybody," she remarked evenly. "Besides," she added, "you
seem to forget, too, that you owe me for your railroad fare down here."

"Oh, that! Why, I'll pay you that in no time now. But wait--I'll
unload freight in Hiram's place, and send him to you."

Sure enough, Hiram came presently and asked her, as a special favor to
him, to let him have what money was owing to him.

"Hiram," she said, "you're going to lend it to Tweet, and he's going
out in the auto stage to-night."

"I know it," said Hiram. "I got to help him. He's been a pretty good
friend to me, Jo, and--and--I just like him. Why, if it hadn't been
for him I'd never met you."

Jo colored and looked away. "You big, simple-hearted boy!" she cried.
"Do you know what he is going to do?"

"No--he won't talk."

She was thoughtful a little, then took out a purse and handed him a
twenty-dollar bill.

"Kiss it good-by," she said; "but I suppose the experience will be
worth something to you."

"Thank you," said Hiram, very red of face. "I'm sorry for what I said
about you meetin' me through Tweet, Jo. I meant to say, o' course,
that if it hadn't been for Tweet I'd never got the job."

"Oh," said Jo, straight-lipped, "I understand."

Tweet was not with the outfit when it pitched camp close by for the
night. He sat in the automobile stage instead, and waved a friendly
good-by to them. "Bread on the water, Hiram, comes back chocolate
cake!" he cried. "That is, Tweet bread does. Ha-ha, Hiram! You been
mighty good to me, folks. So long for a time!"

CHAPTER XVI

TEHACHAPI HANK

Toward the middle of the following afternoon Jerkline Jo's freight
outfit, minus the diverting Mr. Tweet of the twisted nose, was wending
its way empty back toward the distant mountains, hauling the necessary
water in the tank wagon.

They were still ten miles from the mouth of the mountain pass when they
went into camp on the desert for the night. When they started next
morning the tank wagon was taken on a way and left, for, with the lake
at the highest po