clothes so's nobody'll ever get sore at him an' spoil his pretty face.
Better go home to your ma. This ain't any place for you. They's men
aroun' here."

There was another one of those grimly expectant hushes and then a
general guffaw; Dan showed no inclination to take offence. He merely
stared at brawny Jim Silent with a sort of childlike wonder.

"All right," he said meekly, "if I ain't wanted around here I figger
there ain't any cause why I should stay. You don't figger to be peeved
at me, do you?"

The laughter changed to a veritable yell of delight. Even Silent
smiled with careless contempt.

"No, kid," he answered, "if I was peeved at you, you'd learn it
without askin' questions."

He turned slowly away.

"Maybe I got jaundice, boys," he said to the crowd, "but it seems to
me I see something kind of yellow around here!"

The delightful subtlety of this remark roused another side-shaking
burst of merriment. Dan shook his head as if the mystery were beyond
his comprehension, and looked to Morgan for an explanation. The
saloon-keeper approached him, struggling with a grin.

"It's all right, Dan," he said. "Don't let 'em rile you."