Louie drew a long breath, and it seemed that a load had been lifted
from his mind by these last remarks of Arab's.

"How many men are there in the Strip?" asked Arab of the others.

"On all three divisions of the last round-up there were something
like two thousand," replied Baugh. "And this county adjoins the Cattle
Country for sixty miles on the north," said Arab, still continuing
his musing, "or one third of the Strip. Well, gentlemen," he went on,
waking out of his mental reverie and striking the table with his fist,
"if there's that many men in the country below, I'll agree to vote one
half of them in this county this fall."

"Hold on a minute, aren't you a trifle high on your estimate?" asked
Stubb, the conservative, protestingly.

"Not a man too high. Give them a week's lay-off, with plenty to drink
at this end of the string, and every man will come in for fifty miles
either way. The time we voted the bonds won't be a marker to this
election."

"He's not far wrong," said Baugh to Stubb. "Give the rascals a chance
for a holiday like that, and they will come from the south line of the
Strip."

"That's right, Mr. Seigerman," said Arab. "They'll come from the west
and south to a man, and as far east as the middle of the next county.
I tell you they will be a thousand strong and a unit in voting. Watch
my smoke on results!"