ake her hand upon this compact. Then she said
with an attempt to be careless, "Have you a picture of this girl? I'd
like to see how she looks."

His face darkened again. "No," he said shortly, "I never had one of
her."

She recognized his unwillingness to say more.

"Well, good-by, come and see me."

He parted from her with a sense of having been unnecessarily harsh with
a woman who wished to be his good friend.

He was hungry and that made him think of his horse which he returned to
at once. After watering and feeding his tired beast he turned in at a
coffeehouse and bought a lunch--not being able to afford a meal.
Everywhere he went men pointed a timid or admiring thumb at him. They
were unobtrusive about it, but it annoyed him at the moment. His mind
was too entirely filled with perplexities to welcome strangers'
greetings. "I _must_ earn some money," was the thought which brought
with it each time the offer of the Express Company. He determined each
time to take it although it involved riding the same trail over and over
again, which made him shudder to think of. But it was three times the
pay of a cowboy and a single month of it would enable him to make his
trip to the East.

After his luncheon he turned in at the office and sullenly accepted the
job. "You're just the man we need," said the manager. "We've had two or
three hold-ups here, but with you on the seat I shall feel entirely at
ease. Marshal Haney has recommended you--and I know your record as a
daring man. Can you go out to-morrow morning?"

"Quicker the better."

"I'd like to have you sleep here in the office. I'll see that you have a
good bed."

"Anywhere."

After Mose went out the manager winked at the marshal and said:

"It's a good thing to have him retained on our side. He'd make a bad man
on the hold-up side."

"Sure thing!" replied Haney.

While loitering on a street corner still busy with his problems Mose saw
a tall man on a fine black horse coming down the street. The rider
slouched in his saddle like a tired man but with the grace of a true
horseman. On his bushy head sat a wide soft hat creased in the middle.
His suit was brown corduroy.

Mose thought, "If that bushy head was not so white I should say it was
father's. It _is_ father!"

He let him pass, staring in astonishment at the transformation in the
minister. "Well, well! the old man has woke up. He looks the real thing,
sure."

A drum struck up suddenly and the br