the sandwich slowly, and
reached for another. "Cass said to _make_ her have me," he smiled; "hell
of a lot he knows about women, but--the dope's right, at that. Boy,
those eyes! An' that hair, an'--an', oh, the whole _woman_ of her! If a
man had a girl like that to go home to--an' she loved him--an' he knew
she was thinkin' about him--an' pullin' for him to--to make good! There
wouldn't be nothin' to it--he'd just naturally have to make good. Janet
McWhorter--Janet Benton--Mrs. Tex Benton--Mrs. Horatio Benton--hell! I
hope she don't go in for the Horatio part. It's almost as bad as
Winthrop Adams Endicott! Tex is better--if she ever thinks to inquire
about my other name I'll tell her it's Mike, or else I'll go plumb to
the other extreme an' call it Percy or Reginald. I ain't got her
yet--but believe me! She's goin' to have a war on her hands till I do
get her!

"I'll just admit that she'll marry me--what then? It's time I was kind
of takin' inventory. Here's what she gets: One cow-hand an'
outfit--includin' one extra saddle horse, a bed-roll, an' a war-bag full
of odds an' ends of raiment; some dirty, an' some clean; some tore, an'
some in a fair state of preservation. Eight hundred an' forty dollars in
cash--minus what it'll take to square me in Timber City.
An'--an'--that's all! She ain't goin' to derive no hell of a material
advantage from the union, that's sure. But, if I've still got my job it
ain't so bad to start off with. Other assets, what we used to call
incorporeal hereditaments back in law school--fair workin' knowledge of
the cattle an' horse business. Health--good. Disposition--um-m-m, kind,
to murderous. Habits--bad, to worse. Let's see: smokin'--that's all
right: chewin'--prob'ly be allowable if indulged in out doors only.
Swearin'--prob'ly won't be an issue till the kids get old enough to
listen. Gamblin'--prob'ly be limited to poker--friendly games an'
pifflin' limit. Drinkin'--let's see, the only year since I can remember
I don't drink nothin' I quit better than eight hundred dollars to the
good--first time I ever had eight hundred dollars all at once in my
life. What happens? Get to drinkin' for a half a day, an' Bing! Off
comes a hundred, maybe two hundred to pay up for the hell I raised! Does
it pay? Not for a married man! Not for me! An' besides, what was it she
said when I turned down the drink she offered me? She said, 'I'm glad--I
hate the stuff.'" He paused, smiling reminiscently, "drinkin's