Shoop grinned. "You win the pot!" he exclaimed. "That's just what I been
thinkin' right along. I kind of wanted somebody who wasn't interested in
this deal to say it. Well, I reckon I bothered you long enough. You got
your alfalfa to--I--you got your writin' to do. But they's one thing. If
I get roped in and got to run, and some new supervisor comes botherin'
around up here, puttin' some ranger in my camp that ain't like Lorry,
all you got to do is to move over into my cabin and tell 'em to keep off
the grass. That there four hundred and eighty is mine. I homesteaded it,
and I got the papers. It ain't on the reserve."

"I thought it was."

"So do some yet. Nope. I'm just east of the reservation line; outside
the reserve. I aimed to know what I was doin' when I homesteaded that
piece of sky farm."

"And yet you took exception to my calling you a born politician."

Shoop chuckled. "Speakin' personal, I been thinkin' about that job of
State Senator for quite a spell. Now, I reckon you got sense enough not
to get mad when I tell you that I just been tryin' out a little speech I
framed up for my constituents. Just a kind of little alfalfa-seed talk.
Outside of ijuts and Mexicans, it's about what I aim to hand to the
voters of this here district, puttin' it up to them that I was roped
into this hocus and been settin' back on the rope right along. And
that's a fact. But you got to rub some folks' noses in a fact afore they
can even smell it."

"And you have the nerve to tell me that you framed up all that stuff to
get my sympathy? Shoop, you are wasting time in Arizona. Go East. And
forgive me for falling for your most natural appeal."

The genial Bud chuckled and wiped his eyes. "But it's true from the
start to the wire."

"I must congratulate you." And, "Dorothy!" called Bronson. "Come and
shake hands with our next Senator from the mesa country."

"Really?" exclaimed Dorothy. "But we will lose our supervisor. Still, I
think Mr. Shoop will make a lovely Senator. You are just the right
size--and--everything."

"I reckon you're right, missy. Half of the game is lookin' the part
afore election. The other half is not sayin' too much after election. If
any man gets a promise out of me afore election, it'll have to be did
with a stump-puller."

"But we won't see you any more," said Dorothy. "You will be so busy and
so important. Senator Shoop will speak here. And Senator Shoop will
speak there. And--let me see! Oh,