old. She nearly gave the whole thing away, she said, when
Charley asked her about the little girls. He just throwed that in,
without her expecting it--and it set her to laughing and shaking so,
back of her veil, that we'd a-ketched up with her sure, she said, if
Charley hadn't whispered quick to pretend to cry and carry off her
laughing that way. She had another close call, she said, when Charley
was talking about the old farm in Ohio--she all the time knowing for a
fact he was born in East St. Louis, and hadn't any better acquaintance
with Ohio than three months in the Cincinnati jail. Charley ought to
go on the stage, she says--where she's been herself. She says he'd lay
Forrest and Booth and all them fellows out cold!

"She and Charley just yelled while she was telling it all to me; and
they was laughing 'emselves 'most sick all the rest of the way across
to Santa Fe. When we got into town I drove 'em to the Fonda; and then
the Hen rigged herself out in good clothes she bought at Morse's--it
was the pot we made up for them sweet babes paid for her outfit--and
give her old black duds to one of the Mexican chambermaids. They
allowed--knowing I could be trusted not to go around talking in Santa
Fe--they'd stay on at the Fonda till to-morrow, anyway: so I might let
'em know, when I get back again, how you boys took it when you was
told how they'd played it on you right smack down to the ground!

"Charley sent word he hoped there wouldn't be no hard feeling--as
there oughtn't to be, he said, seeing he was so drunk when he shot
Bill it was just an accident not calling for hanging; and the whole
thing, anyways, being all among friends. And the Hen sent word she
guessed the two of 'em had give you a first-class theatre show worth
more'n you put in my hat for gate-money, and you all ought to be
pleased. And they both said they'd been treated so square by you
fellows they'd be real sorry to have any misunderstanding, and they
hoped you'd take the joke friendly--the same as they meant it
themselves."

* * * * *

Well, of course we all did take it friendly--it wouldn't a-been
sensible to take as good a joke as that was any other way. Cherry was
the only one that squirmed a little. "It's on us, and it's on us
good," Cherry said; "and I'm not kicking--only you boys haven't got no
notion what it is having a woman a-grabbing fast to your legs and
groaning at you, and how dead sick it ma