rence to all
this "women's fuss an' feathers," but his affectations deceived at least
none of the older visitors.

As the great day approached Y.D.'s wife shot a bomb-shell at him. "What
do you propose to wear for Zen's wedding?" she demanded.

"What's the matter with the suit I go to town in?"

"Y.D.," said his wife, kindly, "there are certain little touches which
you overlook. Your town suit is all right for selling steers, although
I won't say that it hasn't outlived its prime even for that. To attend
Zen's wedding it is--hardly the thing."

"It's been a good suit," he protested. "It is--"

"It HAS. It is also a venerable suit. But really, Y.D., it will not
do for this occasion. You must get yourself a new suit, and a white
shirt--"

"What do I want with a white shirt--"

"It has to be," his wife insisted. "You'll have to deck yourself out in
a new suit and a while shirt and collar."

Y.D. stamped around the room, and in a moment slipped out. "All fool
nonsense," he confided to himself, on his way to the bunk-house. "It's
all right for Zen to have good clothes--didn't I tell her to go the
limit?--but as for me, 'tain't me that's gettin' married, is it?
Standin' up before all them cow punchers in a white shirt!" The
bitterness of such disgrace cut the old rancher no less keenly than the
physical discomfort which he forecast for himself, yet he put his own
desires sufficiently to one side to buy a suit of clothes, and a white
shirt and collar, when he was next in town.

It must not be supposed that Y.D. admitted to the salesman that he
personally was descending to any such garb.

"A suit for a fellow about my size," he explained. "He's visitin' out
at the ranch, an' he hefts about the same as me. Put in one of them
Hereford shirts an' a collar."

Y.D. tucked the package surreptitiously in his room and awaited the day
of Zen's marriage with mingled emotions.

Zen, yielding to Transley's importunities, had at last said that it
should be Christmas Day. The wedding would be in the house, with the
leading ranchers and farmers of the district as invited guests, and
the general understanding was to be given out that the countryside as a
whole would be welcome. All could not be taken care of in the house, so
Y.D. gave orders that the hay was to be cleared out of one of the barns
and the floor put in shape for dancing. Open house would be held in
the barn and in the bunk-house, where substantial refreshments woul