n off at various stations.

"Well, I reckon I don't need glasses to see the brand on a steer,"
replied Roy.

"That's so, and I guess you have to be pretty quick to distinguish the
different branding marks, don't you?"

"You do when you're cutting out a bunch of cattle after a round-up.
They keep moving around so it's hard to tell which are yours, and which
belong to another ranch."

"What did I tell you?" asked Sutton in triumph of Hynard, who sat next
to him.

"Well, you're right," admitted the other.

Roy looked a little surprised at this conversation. Mr. Baker
explained.

"My two friends here were having a little dispute about eyesight," he
said. "Mr. Sutton said you had the best eyesight of any one he ever
saw, and were quick to notice anything. He said you had to be to work
on a cattle range."

"And Mr. Hynard said he believed he had as good eyesight as you," put
in Tupper.

"I told him he hadn't, and we agreed to ask you," went on Sutton.

"That's all right. His saying so doesn't prove it," remarked Hynard,
in a somewhat surly tone.

"Of course not, but it doesn't take much to see that he has better
eyesight than you, and is quicker with it. He has to be to use a
lasso, don't you, Mr. Bradner?"

"Well, it does take a pretty quick eye and hand to get a steer when
he's on the run," admitted Roy.

"And you can do it, I'll bet. Hynard, you're not in it with this lad."

"I believe I am!"

"Now don't get excited," advised Mr. Baker, in soothing tones. "We can
easily settle this matter."

"How? We haven't got a lasso here, nor a wild steer," said Hynard.
"Anyhow I don't claim I can throw a lariat as well as he can. I only
said I had as quick eyesight."

"Well, we can prove that," went on Mr. Baker.

"How?"

"Easy money. Let's see. This windowsill will do."

From his pocket Mr. Baker produced three halves of English walnut
shells, and a small black ball, about the size of a buck shot. It
seemed to be made of rubber.

"Here's a little trick that will prove any one's eyesight," he said.
"The eye doctors in New York use it to test any person who needs
glasses. A doctor friend of mine gave me this."

"How do you work it?" asked Hynard, seemingly much interested.

"This way. I place these three shells on the windowsill, so. Then I
put the little ball under one. Watch me closely. I move it quite
fast, first putting it under one shell, then the other. Now, I stop
and, Hynard, t