enough baggage for a trip round the world, Dell. I hope it ain't all
dope for us poor devils. Tell Shorty I want t' see him, Chip."

Chip took the reins from the Old Man's hands, sprang in and drove back
down the hill to the stables.


The "reception committee," as Chip sarcastically christened them,
rounded up the runaway and sneaked back to the ranch by the coulee
trail. With much unseemly language, they stripped the saddle and
a flapping pair of overalls off poor, disgraced Banjo, and kicked
him out of the corral.

"That's the way Jack's schemes always pan out," grumbled Slim.
"By golly, yuh don't get me into another jackpot like that!"

"You might explain why you let that" (several kinds of) "cayuse get
away from you!" retorted Jack, fretfully. "If you'd been onto your job,
things would have been smooth as silk."

"Wonder what the old maid thought," broke in Weary, bent on preserving
peace in the Happy Family.

"I'll bet she never saw us at all!" laughed Cal. "Old Splinter gave
her all she wanted to do, hanging to the rig. The way he came down
that grade wasn't slow. He just missed running into Banjo on the Hog's
Back by the skin of the teeth. If he had, it'd be good-by, doctor--and
Chip, too. Gee, that was a close shave!"

"Well," said Happy Jack, mournfully, "if we don't all get the bounce