she doing away out there in that lonesome country? Then a man old
enough to be her grandfather put in an appearance. He was
friendly and quite talkative, and I built right up to him. And
then we had a supper that I distinctly remember yet. Well, I
should say I do--it takes a woman to get a good supper, and cheer
it with her presence, sitting at the head of the table and
pouring the coffee.

"This old man was a retired stage-driver, and was doing the
wrangling act for the stage-horses. After supper I went out to
the corral and wormed the information out of him that the woman
was a widow; that her husband had died before she came there, and
that she was from Michigan. Amongst other things that I learned
from the old man was that she had only been there a few months,
and was a poor but deserving woman. I told Bibleback all this
after we had gone to bed, and we found that our finances amounted
to only four dollars, which she was more than welcome to. So the
next morning after breakfast, when I asked her what I owed her
for our trouble, she replied so graciously: 'Why, gentlemen, I
couldn't think of taking advantage of your necessity to charge
you for a favor that I'm only too happy to grant.' 'Oh,' said I,
'take this, anyhow,' laying the silver on the corner of the table
and starting for the door, when she stopped me. 'One moment, sir;
I can't think of accepting this. Be kind enough to grant my
request,' and returned the money. We mumbled out some thanks,
bade her good-day, and started for the corral, feeling like two
sheep thieves. While we were saddling up--will you believe it?--
her little boy came out to the corral and gave each one of us as
fine a cigar as ever I buttoned my lip over. Well, fellows, we
had had it put all over us by this little Michigan woman, till we