company, and I was some dubious she'd forget to stop unless I
flagged her. Wherefore, I aired my bandanna in the summer breeze."

"But you don't understand." The conductor began to explain anew as to a
dull child. "It's against the law. You'll get into trouble."

"Put me in the calaboose, will they?"

"It's no joke."

"Well, it does seem to be worrying you," Mr. Collins conceded. "Don't
mind me. Free your mind proper."

The conductor, glancing about nervously, noticed that passengers were
smiling broadly. His official dignity was being chopped to mince-meat.
Back came his harassed gaze to the imperturbable Collins with the brown,
sun-baked face and the eyes blue and untroubled as an Arizona sky. Out
of a holster attached to the sagging belt that circled the corduroy
trousers above his hips gleamed the butt of a revolver. But in the
last analysis the weapon of the occasion was purely a moral one. The
situation was one not covered in the company's rule book, and in the
absence of explicit orders the trainman felt himself unequal to that
unwavering gaze and careless poise. Wherefore, he retreated, muttering
threats of what the company would do.

"Now, if I had only known it was against the law. My thick haid's always
roping trouble for me," the plainsman confided to the Pullman conductor,
with twinkling eyes.

That official unbent. "Talking about thick heads, I'm glad my porter
has one. If it weren't iron-plated and copper-riveted he'd be needing a
doctor now, the way you stood him on it."

"No, did I? Ce'tainly an accident. The nigger must have been in my way
as I climbed into the car. Took the kink out of his hair, you say? Here,
Sam!" He tossed a bill to the porter, who was rolling affronted eyes at
him. "Do you reckon this is big enough to plaster your injured feelings,
boy?"

The white smile flashed at him by the porter was a receipt for indemnity
paid in full.

Sheriff Collins' perception of his neighbor across the aisle was more
frank in its interest than the girl's had been of him. The level,
fearless gaze of the outdoors West looked at her unabashed, appreciating
swiftly her points as they impinged themselves upon his admiration. The
long, lithe lines of the slim, supple body, the languid grace missing
hauteur only because that seemed scarce worth while, the unconscious
pride of self that fails to be offensive only in a young woman so well
equipped with good looks as this one indubitably was the rider