Mounting his horse he rode away to enjoy the cigar, happy that the winter was nearly over. There was a feeling in the air that told of Spring, no matter what the calendar showed, and Johnny felt unrest stirring in his veins. When Johnny felt thus exuberant things promised to move swiftly about the bunk-house. When far enough away from the ranch houses he stopped to light the cigar, but paused and, dropping the match, returned the "Maduro" to his pocket. He could not tell who the rider was at that distance, but it was wiser to be prudent. Riding slowly forward, watching the other horseman, he saw a sombrero wave, and spurred into a lope. Then he squinted hard and shook his head. "Rides like Tex Ewalt—but it ain’t, all right," he muttered. Closer inspection made him rub his eyes. "That arm swings like Tex, just th’ same! An’ I did n’t take more’n a couple of swallows, neither. Why, d—n it! If that ain’t him I ’m going’ to see _who_ it is!" and he pushed on at a gallop. When the faint hail floated down the wind to him he cut loose a yell and leaned forward, spurring and quirting. "Old son-of-a-gun ’s come back!" he exulted. "Hey, Tex! Oh, Tex!" he yelled; and Tex was yelling just as foolishly. They came together with a rush, but expert horsemanship averted a collision, and for a few minutes neither could hear clearly what the other was saying. When things calmed down Johnny jammed a cigar into his friend’s hands and felt for a match. "Why, I don’t want to take yore last smoke, Kid," Tex objected. "Oh, go ahead! I ’ve got a hull _box_ of ’em in th’ bunk-house," was the swift reply. "Could n’t stay away, eh? Did n’t like th’ East, nohow, did you? Gosh, th’ boys ’ll be some tickled to see you, Tex. Goin’ to stay? How you feelin’?" "You bet I ’m a-stayin’," responded Tex. "Is that Lanky comin’?" "Hey, Lanky!" yelled Johnny, standing up and waving the approaching horseman towards them. "_Pronto_! Tex ’s come back!" Lanky’s pony’s legs fanned a haze under him and he rammed up against Tex so hard that they had to grab each other. Everybody was talking at once and so they rode towards the bunk-house, picking up Billy on the way. "Where’s Hopalong?" demanded Tex. "Married! H—l he is!" A strange look flitted across his face. "Well, I ’m d—d! An’ where ’s Red?" Johnny glanced ahead just in time to see Lee Hop sail around a corner of the corral, and he replied with assurance, "Red ’s th’ other side of th’ corral." "Huh!’" snorted Lanky, "You ’ve got remarkable eyes, Kid, if you can see through—well, I ’m hanged if he _ain’t_!"