ashes illumine the cook's face as he bends
over a steaming pot of coffee, and reveal the features of Parenthesis.

Parenthesis is mixing dough in a dish-pan set on the tail-board.
Sage-brush kneels near him, putting on his spurs, preparatory to
saddling up as he goes on the first relief.

"Wake up Texas and the other boys, Fresno," ordered Sage-brush. The
Californian threw away the butt of his cigarette and shook each man by
the shoulder. With much yawning and rubbing of eyes the men crawled
from their sleeping-bags. Dashing cold water into their faces from a
basin beside the water-barrel, they drank copiously of the coffee which
Parenthesis poured out for them.

"Mostly all the boys are in now, ain't they?" asked Parenthesis,
looking about the group.

"Yep," answered Sage-brush, "we'll finish brandin' the calves to-day.
I reckon Fresno will have to take charge of the drive. I can't leave
the ranch until Jack gets back."

Show Low was the only sleeper who had not responded to Parenthesis'
call. That worthy walked over and gave him a kick which brought forth
a grunt but no other sign of an awakening. Returning to the fire,
Parenthesis took a tin cup and poured himself out a cup of coffee.

"Heard any word from him yet?" he asked, as he gulped the beverage.

"Nothin'," replied Sage-brush grimly. "Slim wrote from Fort Grant he
was on the trail, but the 'Paches were out an' they wouldn't let him
leave the fort till the soldiers went with him."

"Slim hadn't oughter gone and left things the way he did. Buck McKee
is gettin' a lot of bad men together, and 'lows he is goin' to run for
sheriff himself," growled Fresno.

"He's sure got a tough outfit with him; Slim being away ain't doin' us
any good. All the rustlers from Texas an' New Mexico came trailin'
into the country just as soon as they heard he was gone. Won't
surprise me if we have a run in with the bunch afore we git through
with this round-up."

"I got my eye on that Peruna," interjected Fresno.

"Peruna! who's he?" asked Texas.

"One of Buck's outfit," answered Fresno. "He is mighty slick with the
runnin'-iron and brandin' other folks' calves."

"We can't be too careful," warned Sage-brush. "Things is strained to
the bustin'-point, and any promise of gun-play is goin' to set off a
whole lot of fireworks."

Show Low was on the verge of waking up. This he did, by gradually
increasing the volume of each snore and breaking it off with a whistle