spent so much time riding.

"You see, Bill," he said, half apologetically, "I'm only a very small
rancher. The land I own is this on which the house stands, and these
pastures, and another pasture or two further up the valley. For
grazing, I simply rent rights from the Government. It answers well
enough, and I only have to keep one regular boy in consequence. Spring
and fall I hire extra hands for round-up. It pays me better that way."

Bill nodded with increasing understanding. His original dreams had
received a bad jolt, but he was beginning a readjustment of focus.
Besides, his simple mind was already formulating fresh plans, and he
began to talk of them with that whole-hearted enthusiasm which seemed
to be the foundation of his nature.

"Sure," he said cordially. "And--and you've done a big heap, Charlie.
Say, how much did dad start you out with? Five thousand dollars? Yes,
I remember, five thousand, and our mother gave you another two
thousand five hundred. It was all she had. She'd saved it up in years.
It wasn't much to turn bare land into a money-making proposition,
specially when you'd had no experience. But we're going to alter all
that. We're going to own our grazing, if it can be bought. Yes, sir,
we're going to own a lot more, and I've got nearly one hundred
thousand dollars to do it with. We're going to turn these barns into
barns, and we're going to run horses as well as cattle. We're going to
grow wheat, too. That's the coming game. All the boys say so down
East--that is, the real bright boys. We're just going to get busy, you
and me, Charlie. We're going to have a deed of partnership drawn up
all square and legal, and I'm going to blow my stuff in it against
what you've got already, and what you know. That's what I'm here for."

By the aid of his big voice and aggressive bulk Bill strove to conceal
his obvious desire to benefit his brother under an exterior of strong
business methods. And he felt the result to be all he could desire. He
told himself that a man of Charlie's unbusiness-like nature was quite
easy to impress. When it came to a proper understanding of business he
was much his brother's superior.

Charlie, however, was in no way deceived, but such was his regard for
this simple-minded creature that his protest was of the mildest.

"Of course we could do a great deal with your money, Bill, but--but
it's all you've got, and----"

His protest was hastily thrust aside.

"See here, Charli