ether and finished with his
chest out and his chin up and speaking firm. "Let me go home, I say,
to the old farm and my dear ones--and take a fresh start at leading
bravely the honest life of an honest man!"

Then he lowered down his chin and took his chest in and said, sort of
soft and gentle: "Let go of Mr. Cherry's legs and come and kiss me, my
darling! And please wipe the tears from my eyes--with my poor shackled
hands I can't!"

The woman give Cherry's legs one more rousing jerk, and said, sort of
imploring: "Save him! Save him for his old mother's sake, and for
mine, and for the sake of our little girls!" Then she got up and wiped
away at Santa Fe's eyes with her pocket-handkerchief, and went to
kissing him for all she was worth--holding on to him tight around the
neck with both arms.

The boys was all as uncomfortable as they could be--except Cherry
seemed to feel better at getting his legs loose--and some of 'em
fairly snuffled out loud. They stood around looking at each other, and
nobody said a word. Then Santa Fe kind of wrenched loose from her
kissing him and spoke up. "Which is it to be, gentlemen?" he said. "Is
it the telegraph-pole--or is it another chance?" The woman moaned fit
to break her heart.

The silence, except for her moaning, hung on for a good minute. Then
Hill broke it. "Oh, damn it all!" said Hill--it was Hill's way to talk
sort of careless--"Give him another chance!"

That settled things. In another minute they had the handcuffs off of
Santa Fe and all the boys was shaking hands with him. And then they
was asking to be introduced to his wife--she was all broke to bits,
and crying, and kept her veil down--and shaking hands with her too;
and they ended off by giving Charley and his wife three cheers. You
never seen folks so pleased! The only one out of it was the Denver
undertaker--who couldn't be expected to feel like the rest of us; and
was in a hurry, anyway, to put through his job so he could start back
home on the night train.

"You come along with me in the coach, Charley," Hill said--Hill always
was a friendly sort of a fellow--"and I'll jerk you over to Santa Fe
in no time, and you can start right off East by the 6.30 train.
That'll be quicker'n going up to Pueblo, and it'll be cheaper too. The
ride across sha'n't cost you a cent. If you and your lady come in my
coach, you come free. And I say, boys," Hill went on, "let's open a
pot for them little girls! Here's my hat, with ten