his
information like a sponge. Once more he recited his doubts and fears,
going over the same ground with wearying detail. Casey, on the second
visit, handed him over to Tom McHale, who listened pityingly.

"This here Glass sure needs a guardian or a nursemaid or something," he
told Casey afterward. "He don't seem to know which way to string his
chips. He makes me that tired I sorter suggests maybe he'd better pray
about it; and he says he's done that, too, but don't seem to git no
straight answer. So I tells him if the Lord don't know I surely don't.
And then he says he'll ask his wife. His wife! Whatever do you think of
that? I quit him right there!"

But Glass wandered from ranch to ranch, a harmless bore, relating his
perplexities to people too busy to listen. Finally he announced that he
had bought land and sent for his family. And on the strength of this
began his rounds again, eager for agricultural information.

At this time Casey received a letter from Wade giving the date of his
long-promised visit to Coldstream. He added that his wife and Miss
Burnaby would accompany him. They would stay, he said, in town, at the
hotel. Immediately Casey went into committee with Tom McHale.

"Wade was coming here," he said. "The ladies complicate matters, but
we'll have to do the best we can. It's the house that worries me. It's
not furnished the way I'd like to have it. And then it's small. I guess
we'll have to move out, Tom."

"Sure," McHale agreed at once. "We can bed down anywheres. I'll rig up
a couple of bunks in the new tool house. We're pretty well along with
the water. I can 'tend to that while you show 'em the country."

Straightway Casey commanded Feng, his Chinaman, to clean and scrub,
much to that Celestial's disgust.

"What foh?" he demanded. "Housee plenty clean. Las spling me _hiyu_
sclub, _hiyu_ wash, _hiyu_ sweep undeh bed. All light now."

"All right for man; no good for woman," Casey explained. "Two lady come
stop, Feng."

"Ho!" said Feng, adjusting his mind to a new situation. "You and Tom
mally him?"

"No," Casey responded. "One married already. Ladies all same my
friends, Feng."

"No good." Feng announced with certainty. "Woman fliend no good. All
time makee too much wo'k. All time kick at glub. Mebbyso want blekfust
in bed. Mebbyso bling baby. Neveh give Chinaboy a dolla'. No good.
S'pose you bling woman fliend me quit. Me go back to China."

"If you quit me now, one dead China boy stop