"While I deplores usin’ such a comparison to the refinin’ and softenin’
inflooance of wimmen, the meetin’ of the Dax ladies by chanst anywheres
has all the elements of danger and excitement that accompanies an Injun
uprisin’."

The travellers looked all manner of encouragement.

"You see, my wife’s a great housekeeper; her talent lies"—and here Leander
winked knowingly—"in managin’ the help."

"Land’s sake!" interrupted the fat lady. "Why don’t you kick?"

Leander sighed softly. "I tried to once. As an experiment it partook of
the trustfulness of a mule kickin’ against the stony walls of Badger
Cañon. But to resoom about the difficulties that split the Dax family.
Before Johnnie got mislaid in that matrimonial landslide o’ his, he herds
with us. Me an’ him does the work of this yere shack, and my wife just
roominates and gives her accomplishments as manager full play. She never
put her hand in dirty water any more than Mrs. Cleveland sittin’ up in the
White House parlor. Johnnie done the fancy cookin’; he could make a pie
like any one’s maw, and while you was lost to the world in the delights of
masticatin’ it, he’d have all his greasy dishes washed up and put away—"

"No wonder she hated to lose a man like that," interrupted the fat lady,
feelingly.

"But he took to pinin’ and proclaimin’ that he shore was a lone maverick,
and he just stampeded round lookin’ for trouble and bleatin’ a song that
went: