"Not so very long," Smith replied, sighing as he saw himself led so far away from the subject nearest his heart, and despairing of working his courage up to it again that day. "It was a big one, wasn't it?" "Well, I got fifty dollars off of a feller for the hide." "Tell me about it," she requested. Inwardly she wished that Smith would go, so she might take a sleep, but she feared lest he might get back to the subject of houses and wives if she allowed him to depart from bears, and the historic grizzly in particular. "Well, I'll tell you. I didn't kill that bear on purpose," he began. "I didn't go out huntin' him, and I didn't run after him. If he'd minded his own business like I minded mine, he'd be alive today for all I'm concerned." "Oh, it was an accident?" she asked. "Part accident," Smith replied. "I was a deputy game-warden in them days, and a cowboy on the side, up in the Big Horn Valley. A gang of fellers in knee-pants and yeller leggings come into that country, shootin' everything that hopped up. Millionaires, I reckon they must 'a' been, countin' their guns and the way they left game to rot on the ground. They killed just to kill, and I tracked 'em by the smell of the carcasses behind 'em. They made a sneak and got into Yellowstone Park, and there's where I collared 'em. They was all settin' around a fire one night when I come up to 'em, their guns standin' around. I throwed down on 'em, and one fool feller he made a grab for a gun. I always was sorry for that man." "What did you do to him?" she asked. "Busted a diamond he had in a ring," said Smith. "Well, they got fines, them fellers did, when I marched 'em out of there, I'm here to tell you! If it'd been me that was judge I'd 'a' sent 'em all to jail for life. "When I was comin' back to the ranch from that trip I met that bear you've heard so much talk and mostly lies, about. That bear he's the most slandered bear that ever lived." "Slandered?" "That's it. He wasn't wallered to death, choked to death, pounded to death, nor run down. He was just plain shot in the top of the head." "What a queer place to shoot a bear! How did you manage it?" "He managed it. He come under the tree where I was at." "Oh, I see." "And that's all there is to _that_ yarn, ma'am. I got a man today that I can put on that work of levelin' off for you in the morning, if you want me to." "I think we'll let it stand a day or two," she told him. "I'll let you know when to take it up again. I've got so much to think about right now that I just stand turning round and round." "Yes, you do feel that way in a new place, sometimes," Smith allowed. "Well, I guess I'll have to be goin' on down to the store. Business is pickin' up so fast I'll have to keep open all the time, not only evenin's like I have been doin'." "I'm glad to hear it," said she.