ath," he explained.

The man favoured him with a glance of surprise. "Goin' to stop over?" he
queried.

"Yes, my wife and I shall be here over night."

"Married? What d'ye want of two rooms, then? Have 'em if you want 'em.
Cost you more--'tain't none of my business. Take them two front
ones--head of the stairs. Just give a hand an' we'll git yer trunk up,
an' quick as the old woman gits the worsh out you c'n have a tub of
water--that'll be four-bits extry, though--an' a dollar if I've got to
fill it up twict." As they descended the stairs the man's eyes sought
the group down the street: "Must be somethin's comin' off down to the
Red Front. The boys ain't missed a mail sence the day they strung up Red
Kelley, an' that's seven year ago, come August the fourth----"

"Fifth," corrected the stage driver who stood in the doorway.

"They brung Red in on the fourth, an' some of the boys hadn't got in
yet, an' they didn't git in till after dark, so they helt Red over----"

"That was the third----"

"'Twasn't neither! I'd ort to know--it was the day my off leader throw'd
his nigh fore shoe----"

Alice was manifesting impatience, and Endicott interrupted with a
question: "Is Mr. W. S. Colston here?"

"Colston? You mean Y Bar Colston? Yer right, Slim, it was the fifth,
'cause I got a tooth pulled that same day, bein' as the dentist had rode
over from Judith to see the hangin'. Why, no, Y Bar ain't here. He gits
his mail an' trades over to Claggett."

"He was to meet me here today."

"Well, today ain't over yet. If Y Bar said he'd be here, he'll be here.
Jest go in an' make yerselves to home. You can't count on that tub for
an hour er so yet, so if you want to worsh up, go right on through an'
you'll find the worsh dish on the bench beside the pump--an', if the
towel's crusty from the boy's worshin' up this noon, tell the old woman
I said to hang up a clean one."

"Hurry, Win!" cried the girl as she gave her face a final rub with the
clean towel. "We've got just time enough to get into our riding togs. We
both look like awful 'pilgrims' and besides, I want it to be just like
it was last year."

A quarter of an hour later they were receiving a cordial welcome from
the Reverend Cameron and his wife at the door of the little cottage
beside the church. "We were speaking of you today," said the minister's
wife "and wondering how your romance turned out."

"No need to ask," laughed her husband, as he followed them into th