with us Enjun. I weel talk de Anglais to dose cowboy, un I weel find you out, Meestar John Smeeth.'

Long come de cowboy, un Meestar Smeeth she was try sell de pony; but de cowboy she weel not buy de pony, 'cause she say de bran'-iron not b'long Meestar John Smeeth. He sais, no, not b'long heem, b'long friend of hees.

"Dose cowboy dey laugh varrie loud, un dey sais, 'Guess, Meestar Smeeth, you see your frien' troo de smoke.'

"Cowboys dey go 'way. Meestar Smeeth he sais, 'I mak dat bran' b'long me,' so Dakase un Hoopshuis un me, un Meestar John Smeeth, we was work t'ree day een de corral, un we was mak dat bran' b'long Meestar John Smeeth. All time dar weare a leetle white man what was hang roun' de log house un shuffle de card. He know how shuffle dose card, I tell you. He was all time fool wid de card. He wear de store clothes, un he was not help us bran' de horse-ban', 'cause he sais, 'Dam de pony!'

we

We wait roun', wait roun'. Oh, we was eat Meestar Smeeth bacon, un was not strain ourself for de time. Meestar Smeeth he was fry de bacon un mak de bread, un he geet varrie much hope for noddar cow outfeet.

"Tree men weare come 'long de beeg stage-road. Dey sais dar name ees LongHorn. Well, I know what white man she call de Long-Horn now, un I 'ave know since what he call de Short-Horn. I tink eet good deal lak Enjun call de Big-Robe; I tink eet good deal lak John Smeeth. Dar ain't much Long-Horn nowday, un dar ain't so much John Smeeth as dar use be.

"All right, dey was buy de horse-ban', un was pay de money right dar. Dey was drive de pony on de beeg stage-road. Meester John Smeeth she give us de money, un sais we weel play de pokair a leetle. Dat was good beesness, so we was all set down een de log house un play de pokair. Maybeso we play one whole day. All right, dey was geet every dam cent we got; all de money what was b'long Dakase un me un Hoopshuis, un we was loss our pony un our money.

Dakase un Hoopshuis dey geet on dar pony un go 'way, but I was stay at de log house, for I was see dat de leetle man she was deal us de skin game, but I was not see how he was do de ting. I was varrie much wan' for know how he do

eet, un was tell heem I was not care eef he 'ave all my money, jus' so he show me how he deal dat skin game. I tell heem dat may beso I keel heem eef he not show me. Well, den he was show me. He was rub my right thumb wid de powder-stone, un de skin she geet varrie sof'. Den he was show me how feel de prick een de card, un he was show me how feel de short end of de card-dose cards was 'ave de one end file' off. He was geeve me deck of dose short card, un I was set een front of dat log house, un look up at de cloud, un feel dose prick un does short card-I was feel two day steady.

"Me un de store-clothes man we was set een front of de log house, maybeso eet t'ree day, when up de road come de t'ree Long-Horn white man what had pay for de horse-ban'. Dey was run dar horse plenty.

"I was shut my eye pretty close, un I was tink pretty queek. I was tink great deal more queek dan I was tole you 'bout dees ting. I was say, 'Sun-Down, what

mak dem t'ree white man run dem horse so fas'?' I was see why. I was say to myself, Dakase un Hoopshuis she 'ave steal dem pony. I geet up un sais, ‘You store-clothes man, you run aftar me or you be keel 'bout one minute'; un I was go roun' de corner of dat log house un geet een de cottonwoods; den we was mak de san' fly 'bout one mile. Pretty queek I was hear shootin', den I was hear not'ing. We was geet on a point of de rock, un we was see de white man: she look at our moccasin track. Dey was go back to log house, un go 'way up de stagetrail.

"I sais den: 'Store-clothes, Meestar John Smeeth ees all fix up for burn de candle ovair. Dem white mans have kill heem.'

"Den we go back, scout up de log house, un fin' Meestar John Smeeth-oh, all shoot up. He was fry de bacon when dose man weare pour de lead een heem.

"We was bury dees Smeeth, un I sais: 'Now, Meestar Store-clothes, you un I got for run lak hell. De cowboy he come pretty soon, un he come smokin'.'

day un all night. He was groan terrible -oh, my, 'ow he was squawk, was dat leetle man! but I was leek de pony wid my rope, un de pony was run 'long pretty good wid de store-clothes man.

"He was say tak heem to railroad. "No,' I sais; go tak you wid me. We play de skin game plass I know, un eef we win, den I tak you to railroad.'

"How far dees plass?' sais de leetle

man.

I

"Ah-we geet dar eef de pony hole out.' Den we was 'ave de long talk. was say I keel heem eef he lose. He was say de oddar fellar keel heem eef he win. Well, I sais, 'I sure keel you, maybeso de oddar fellar dey won't-you 'ave de bes' chance wid me.'

"He sais who de oddar fellar is? "I tell heem dey part Enjun, part white man-dey was breeds lak me.

"I was know a breed outfeet on de breaks of de Mountain-Sheep Butte what was run de pony off un was sell heem. Dey was 'ave plenty money, un I tink we play de skin game on dem.

"When we was geet dar I was talk I fin' de store-clothes man out een de heel, un was bring heem een. He was not un

VOL. XCVII.-No. 578.-27

'erstan' de Enjun talk. He was not know a ting 'cept deal de card, but he was know dat all right.

"Dose breed weare set roun' de camp un deal de card un drink de rum for day or so. We was not play de card much, un de store-clothes man he was lose a leetle when he was tak de chance een. Pretty soon dar was 'bout t'ree man she 'ave de money what b'long whole outfeet, un de store clothes man he sais, You geet pony all fix up for run off, un tonight we play de game.' I sais: 'You geet all de money by de middle of de nighttime, un don' you mees eet-I keel you. I weel turn every horse out de camp, un when I mak de sign, you follair mequeek.' Eet was 'bout ten o'clock when we was set down on de buffalo-robe un play de pokair wid de t'ree man by de fire. One man what was not play was hole de spleet steek for give de light.

"Eet was not long 'fore I was lose all de money what I was 'ave, what was what de store-clothes man 'ad geeve me. Den de leetle man she look at me, un she varrie much scare. He weare lak de snow; guess he nevair see much Enjun; guess he not lak what he 'ave see. I was geet

up un was look at de leetle man-was look varrie smart at heem"-and here Sun - Down accompanied with a look which must have chilled the soul of the frontier gambler.

"Den I was slide 'way een de dark. I was scout up dat camp. Dey was mos' all drunk, 'cept de t'ree man what was play de card. Dey was varrie mad, but de leetle man was not know how mad dose breeds was, 'cause de Enjun when he varrie mad she don' look defferent. Dey was lose dair money pretty fas' to de leetle man.

"I was cut de rope of de pony all roun' de camp, un dey was all go off down de creek for de watair. Dey was tie up long time. By gar, eef dar was one man see me, eet be bad for de store-clothes man, I tell you. Guess dey keel heem. No one see me. I was bring two pony up close to de camp, quiet lak, un tie dem een de bush. Den I was go to de fire. De leetle man she look at me un she cache all de money on de robe een hees pocket, un he tole me,' You say I wan' queet.' De breeds dey say he mus' not queet. All right, he say, he play some more. Den dey was play, un he was deal, un dey was all 'ave de big han'ful, un bet all dair money. I was know de leetle man he sure win, un I was tak out my seex-shootair.

"Den dese breed she got varrie much excite. Oh, dey weare wile, un dey weare show down dair han' on de robe. De leetle man he was win all right. He sais he sorry he not wan' win all dair money.

"I sais, 'You store-clothes man, you put de money een your pocket; you 'ave win all right. One man he sais he 'ave not win all right, un he mus' geeve de money back. I was heet dees man een de head wid my gun, un he was fall down. Den dey was all jump up, un de fellar what was hole de spleet steek she drop de spleet steek. I was jump to de leetle man un say, 'Come.'

"We run queek to dose bush, geet on de pony, un we geet out. Eet was so leetle time dat dese breed dey not sabe, un I don' know what dey do den. I herd dat store-clothes man on de pony, un he sais, Now you tak me to de railroad.'

"Guess dem breed fellars dey 'ave de long time for fin' dose pony. Eet was no use for me try herd dat leetle man fas' 'nough eef dose Enjun geet dose pony queek; but dey deed not, so I was geet to Glendive, what was de end of de railroad. Dat store-clothes man he was great deal more teekle dan Meestar B- when he geet dat bull elk oddar day. He was jump up un down; he was yell; he was tank me; he was buy great deal of rum. We was have varrie good time.

De

"Den we was play de pokair some more was play wid de white man. leetle man was deal de card, un I was all time win. Was win all de white man was 'ave, un was geet a papier from one man what was what you call de mortgage for de leevery-stable. All right,' sais de leetle man, you put up your money-I put up my money un de papier -we tak de leevery-stable. Sun-Down,' he sais, we go eento beesness-hey?'

'So we was go eento beesness-een de beesness of de leevery stable. I was varrie great man.

"Dat was Saturday, un Sunday I was go out to see de pries', what was tole me to come. Aftair I was see de pries' un was fix up, I come back eento de village, un was go to de leevery-stable. Dey was say I not own de leevery-stable. 'You go see your pardner,' dey sais; un I geet on my pony for fin' leetle man what was my pardner. I look all roun'. De people was say he go off on de railroad. I was run dat pony for de dam railroad.

"When I was geet dar de train, what was de freight, she weare pull out. I was see de leetle store-clothes man-my pardner-she was stan' beside de train, un he was see me.

“I ride up, but he was jump on undair de car-what you call--de car-wheel axe, un he was laugh at me from between de wheel. He was yell, 'Sun-Down, I blow een de leevery-stable las' night.'

"I weel blow you een,' I sais, un I fire de seex-shootair at heem, but I was unable to heet heem. De train was run fas'; my pony was not run so fas'-I could not catch heem. He was ride on de brake bettair dan on de pony;" and Sun-Down Leflare looked sad, for had not most of his real troubles come of railway trains?

"Well, Leflare," I said, as I thought of this meteoric financial tour, nothing came of all that enterprise, did it?"

"No-no-not'ing came of dat."

mademoiselle for about ten days;

the telegram arrived this morning."

Both were thrust in through the bars of the little cage of an ascenseur to where, covered with wraps and surrounded by any amount of small luggage, I was seated in solitary state, patiently waiting to be mounted to the troisième étage according to the cautious and altogether mysterious manner of procedure habitual to the French elevator. I managed, with the hand that had least in it, to tear open the blue envelope containing the despatch, and puzzled out the words of the message one by one-for I was left in almost total darkness.

seemed hopelessly remote.

take possession of the room which had been assigned to me, dismissed the voluble femme de chambre, and, glancing once more at the despatch to be quite sure of the date-September 23-and to convince myself that I had made no error in thinking it had been sent from Nîmes, read the pretty foreign letter with its gracefully turned phrases and suggestive use of Spanish terms. She knew that by this time I must be at the Hôtel Tivollier, Toulouse, where I had told her I would rest for a day or two on my return from the mountains. Since she had had the pleasure of that little glimpse of me at Mount Louis, our conversation about the corrida de toros had constantly occurred to her-I did not in the least recall it!and now there was to be a gran corrida in the old Roman amphitheatre at Nîmes, on the 26th of September, which she believed I would like to see. They were going, of course. Her husband was such an ardent aficionado, and would not miss being there for worlds. She had quite set her heart on initiating me, and wrote to insist upon my joining them at Nîmes.