the woods on the mountain side. "He could have staid back here
with us just as well as not, instead of trudging off through the
heat over these devilish roads, and probably get into a scrape for
which no one will thank him."

"Yes," said Ned Burnleigh, with his affected drawl, "what the
devil's the use, I'd like to know, for a fellah's putting himself
out to do things, when there's any quantity of other fellahs, that
can't be better employed, ready and even anxious to do them."

"That's so. But it's getting awful hot here. Let's go over to the
shade, where we were yesterday, and have Dick bring us a bucket of
cold spring water and the bottles and things."

---

"Abe!" said Jake Alspaugh to his file-leader--a red-headed, pock-marked
man, whose normal condition was that of outspoken disgust at every
thing--"this means a fight."

"Your news would've been fresh and interesting last night," growled
Abe Bolton. "I suppose that's what we brought our guns along for."

"Yes; but somebody's likely to get killed."

"Well, you nor me don't have to pay their life insurance, as I know
on."

"But it may be you or me,"