"I struck out over here first, boys, to give you a little warning," he
said, as soon as he had gained breath. "That engineer will be down here
to take charge as soon as the six o'clock stage comes in. He's an oldish
chap, has got a family of two daughters, and--I--am--d----d if he is not
bringing them down here with him."

"Oh, go long!" exclaimed the five men in one voice, raising themselves
on their hands and elbows, and glaring at the speaker.

"Fact, boys! Soon as I found it out I just waltzed into that Jew shop at
the Crossing and bought up all the clothes that would be likely to suit
you fellows, before anybody else got a show. I reckon I cleared out the
shop. The duds are a little mixed in style, but I reckon they're clean
and whole, and a man might face a lady in 'em. I left them round at the
old Buckeye Spring, where they're handy without attracting attention.
You boys can go there for a general wash-up, rig yourselves up without
saying anything, and then meander back careless and easy in your store
clothes, just as the stage is coming in, sabe?"

"Why didn't you let us know earlier?" asked Mattingly aggrievedly;
"you've been back here at least an hour."

"I've been getting some place ready for THEM," returned the new-comer.
"We might have managed to put the man somewhere, if he'd been alone, but
these women want family accommodation. There was nothing left for me to
do but to buy up Thompson's saloon."

"No?" interrupted his audience, half in incredulity, half in
protestation.