ed. "But Luck don't owe me anything, except one pill sent
promiscuous to his address. What's he going down into his jeans for? Will
you tell me that? And shove them crackers north by east. Got to fill up on
something."

"Ain't you as good a guesser as I am, Curly?"

"Well then, here's my guess. Miss Kate made him."

"I reckon maybe she influenced him. But why did she? You don't figure that
curly topknot of yours is disturbing her dreams any, do you?"

"Quit your joshing and tell me why."

"I can't tell you for sure. But here's my guess. Don't cost you a cent if
you ain't satisfied with it. First off, there was poor Mac shot by the
Circle C boys. Course Mac was a horse thief, but then he was a kid too.
That worried the little girl some. She got to thinking about brother Sam
and how he might be in the same fix one of these days as you are now. He's
on her mind a good deal, Sam is. Same way with the old man too, I reckon,
though he don't say much. Well, she decided Soapy Stone had led you astray
like he's doing with Sam. It got to worrying her for fear her brother
might need a friend some time. So she handed over her worry to the old man
and made him dig up for you."

"That's about it. Tell me what you know of Sam. Is he as white as the rest
of the family?"

"Sam is all right, but he has got off wrong foot first. He and the old man
got to kind of disagreeing, for the kid was a wild colt. Come by it
honestly from the old man too. Well, they had a row one time when Sam got
into trouble. Luck told him he never wanted to see him again. Sam lit out,
and next folks knew he was trailing with Soapy's gang. Consequence is,
Sam's hitting the toboggan for Tophet by all accounts."

"Looks like some one ought to be able to pry him loose from that bunch,"
Curly mused aloud.

Maloney grinned across at him. "You try it, son. You've always led a good
pious life. He sure would listen to you."

He had said it as a jest, but Curly did not laugh. Why not? Why shouldn't
he hunt up Sam and let him know how his folks were worrying about him?
What was to hinder him from trying to wipe out some of the big debt he
owed the Cullison family? He was footloose till September and out of a
job. For he could not go back to the Map of Texas with his hat in his hand
and a repentant whine on his lips. Why not take a hike into the hills and
round up the boy? Of course Sam might not listen to him, but he could not
tell that till he had tried. It had