ked so mixed up over the way his aunt was talking, and so sort
of hopeless, that Hill cut in quick and give him a lift. "He's not
much at blowing about himself, your nephew ain't, ma'am," Hill said.
"Why, he not only give the land for the church over there"--and Hill
pointed at the freight-house, so Hart could ketch on--"but it was him
got the Company to lay them temp'ry tracks, so the building stuff
could be took right in. He's going to give a melodeon, too."

"Dear William!" Hart's aunt said. "It rejoices my heart you're doing
all these good deeds--and all the others Mr. Hill's been telling me
about. I must kiss you again."

"Oh, what I've done ain't nothing," Hart said, pulling himself
together while she was kissing him. "Land's cheap, cheap as it can be,
out here; and I give the Company such a lot of freight they're more'n
willing to oblige me; and as to the melodeon--"

Hart sort of gagged when he got to the melodeon, and Santa Fe
Charley--who'd come up while they all was talking away together--reached
across the table and played his hand. "As to the melodeon, Mr.
Hart," Santa Fe put in, "you said that being in business you could get
it at a discount off. But that does not appreciably lessen your
generosity, Mr. Hart; and your aunt"--Santa Fe took off his hat and
bowed handsome--"is justified in taking pride in your good deeds. I am
glad to tell her that in her nephew our struggling church has its
stanchest pillar and its strongest stay."

"Yes, that's the way it is about the melodeon, Aunt Maria," Hart said,
kind of weak and mournful. "Being in business, I get melodeons at such
a discount off that giving 'em away ain't nothing to me at all. And
now I guess we'd better be getting along home. It's a mighty mean home
to take you to, Aunt Maria; but there's one comfort--as you'll find
out when I get the chance to talk to you--you won't have to stay in it
long."

There was a lot of the boys standing round on the deepo platform
watching the show, and they all took their hats off respectful--following
the lead Santa Fe give 'em--as Hart started away up the track, to where
his store was, with his aunt on his arm. The town looked like some place
East keeping Sunday: the Committee having talked strong as to what
they'd do if things wasn't quiet, and having rounded up--and coralled in a
back room Denver Jones lent the use of--the few who'd got drunk as
usual because they had to, and so had to be took care of that way. I