"Oh, you can make him do just as you wish. But all right, Mr. Shoop. And you will really let Bondsman decide?" "'Tain't accordin' to rules, but seein' it's you--" Bud called to the big Airedale. Bondsman trotted in, nosed Dorothy's hand, and looked up at his master. "Come 'ere!" commanded Shoop brusquely. "Stand right there! Now, quit tryin' to guess what's goin' on and listen to the boss. Accordin' to your jedgment, which is plumb solid, do I put Lorry to work over on the line this summer?" Bondsman cocked his ears, blinked, and a slight quiver began at his shoulders, which would undoubtedly accentuate to the affirmative when it reached his tail. "Rats!" cried Dorothy. The Airedale grew rigid, and his spike of a tail cocked up straight and stiff. Bud Shoop waved his hands helplessly. "I might 'a' knowed it! A lady can always get a man steppin' on his own foot when he tries to walk around a argument with her. You done bribed me and corrupted Bondsman. But I'm stayin' right by what I said." Dorothy jumped up and took Bud's big hand in her slender ones. "You're just lovely to us!" And her brown eyes glowed softly. Bud coughed. His shirt-collar seemed tight. He tugged at it, and coughed again. "Missy," he said, leaning forward and patting her hand,--"missy, I would send Lorry plumb to--to--Phoenix and tell the Service to go find him, just to see them brown eyes of yours lookin' at me like that. But don't you say nothin' about this here committee meetin' to nobody. I reckon you played a trick on me for teasin' you. So you think Lorry is a right smart hombre, eh?" "Oh," indifferently, "he's rather nice at times. He's company for father." "Then I reckon you set a whole lot of store by your daddy. Now, I wonder if I was a young, bow-legged cow-puncher with kind of curly hair and lookin' fierce and noble, and they was a gal whose daddy was plumb lonesome for company, and I was to get notice from the boss that I was to vamose the diggin's and go to work,--now, I wonder who'd ride twenty miles of trail to talk up for me?" "Why, I would!" "You got everything off of me but my watch," laughed Bud. "I reckon you'll let me keep that?" "Is it a good watch?" she asked, and her eyes sparkled with a great idea. "Tol'able. Cost a dollar. I lost my old watch in Criswell. I reckon the city marshal got it when I wa'n't lookin'." "Well, you may keep it--for a while yet. When are you coming up to visit us?" "Just as soon as I can, missy. Here's your daddy. I want to talk to him a minute."