shaken gently for
middle guard, he dressed sleepily, added a pair of white Angora chaps
to his afternoon attire, and stumbled out into the murky moonlight.

Guided and coached by Cal, he took his station and began that
monotonous round which had been a part of the life he loved best.
Though stiff and sore from unaccustomed riding, Pink felt quite content
to be where he was; to watch the quiet land and the peaceful,
slumbering herd; with the drifting gray clouds above, and the moon
swimming, head under, in their midst. Twice in a complete round he met
Cal, going in opposite direction. At the second round Cal stopped him.

"How yuh coming?" he queried cheerfully.

"All right, thank you," said Pink.

"Yuh want to watch out for a lop-horned critter over on the other
side," Cal went on, in confidential tone. "He keeps trying to sneak
out uh the bunch. Don't let him get away; if he goes, take after him
and fog him back."

"He won't get away from me, if I can help it," Pink promised, and Cal
rode on, with Pink smiling maliciously after him.

As he neared the opposite side, a dim shape angled slowly out before
him, moving aimlessly away from the sleeping herd. Pink followed.
Farther they went, and faster. Into a little hollow went the
"critter", and circled. Pink took down his rope, let loose a good ten
feet of it, and spurred unexpectedly close to it.

Whack! The rope landed with precision on the bowed shoulders of Cal.
"Yuh will try to fool your betters, will yuh?" Whack! "I guess I can
point out a critter that won't stray out uh the bunch again fer a
spell!" Whack!

Cal straightened, gasping astonishment, in the saddle, pulled up with a
jerk, and got off, in unlovely mood.

"And I can point to a little mamma's lamb that won't take down his rope
to his betters again, either!" he cried angrily. "Climb down and get
your ears cuffed proper, yuh darned, pink little smart Aleck; or them
shiny heels'll break your pretty neck. Thump me with a rope, will yuh?"

Pink got down. Immediately after, to use a slang term, they "mixed."
Presently Cal, stretched the long length of him in the grass, with Pink
sitting comfortably upon his middle, looked up at the dizzying swim of
the moon, saw new and uncharted stars, and nearer, dimly revealed in
the half-light, the self-satisfied, cherubic face of Pink.

He essayed to rise and continue the discussion, and discovered a quite
surprising state of affairs. He could sc