voice. "She goes as she lays." He turned to the half-breed who stood
close at his elbow.

"Bat. D'you recollect one night back in Las Vegas them four bits I
loant you? Well, just you shell out about forty dollars interest on
them four bits an' we'll call it square for a while." The half-breed
smiled broadly and handed over his roll.

"Forty-five, fifty, sixty, seventy, eighty--" counted Tex, and with a
five-dollar bill between his thumb and forefinger, eyed Purdy
condescendingly: "I'm a-goin' to let you drag down that five if you
want to," he said, "'cause you've sure kissed good-bye to the rest of
it. They ain't any of your doggoned Montana school-ma'm-cayuses but
what I c'n ride slick-heeled, an' with my spurs on--" he paused;
"better drag down the five. You might need a little loose change if
that girl should happen to get thirsty between dances."

"Jest leave it lay," retorted Purdy; "an' at that, I'll bet I buy her
more drinks than what you do."

Tex laughed: "Sure. But there ain't nothin' in buyin' 'em drinks.
I've bought 'em drinks all night an' then some other _hombre_'d step in
an'----"

"I'd bet yeh on _that_, too. I didn't notice her fallin' no hell of a
ways fer you."

"Mebbe not. I wasn't noticin' her much. I was kind of studyin' the
pilgrim that was along with her."