mischief, and I'm going to call your bluff. This here's
Montana, recollect, and I raise the long howl over them
habiliments. The best thing you can do is pace along to the
house and discard before the boys get sight of yuh. They'd queer
yuh with the whole outfit, sure. Uh course," he went on
soothingly when he saw the resentment in Thurston's eyes, "I
expect they're real stylish--back East-- but the boys ain't
educated to stand for anything like that; they'd likely tell yuh
they set like the hide on the hind legs of an elephant--which is
a fact. I hate to say it, Kid, but they sure do look like the
devil."

"So would you, in New York," Thurston flung back at him.

"Why, sure. But this ain't New York; this here's the Lazy Eight
corral, and I'm doing yuh a favor. You wouldn't like to have
the boys shooting holes through the slack, would yuh? You amble
right along and get some pants on--and when you've wised up some
you'll thank me a lot. I'm going on a little jaunt down the
creek, before dinner, and you might go along; you'll need to get
hardened to the saddle anyway, before we start for Billings, or
you'll do most uh riding on the mess-wagon."

Thurston, albeit in resentful mood, went meekly and did as he
was commanded to do; and no man save Park and the cook ever
glimpsed those smart riding clothes of English cut.

"Now yuh look a heap more human," was the way Park signified his
approval of the change. "Here's a little horse that's easy to
ride and dead gentle if yuh don't spur him in the neck, which