“That's something for the Double Diamond to worry over,” Kent rebuffed. He hated that sort of gossip which must speak ill of somebody. “Our winter range lays mostly south and east; we could stop a fire between here and the Double Diamond, even if they let one get past 'em.” Polycarp regarded him cunningly with his little, slitlike eyes. “Mebbe you could,” he said doubtfully. “And then again, mebbe you couldn't. Oncet it got past Cold Spring--” He shook his wizened head slowly, leaned, and expectorated gravely. “Man Fleetwood's keeping tab pretty close over that way.” Polycarp gave a grunt that was half a chuckle. “Man Fleetwood's keeping tab on what runs down his gullet,” he corrected. “I seen him an' his wife out burnin' guards t' other day--over on his west line--and, by granny, it wouldn't stop nothing! A toad could jump it--_he-he!_” He sent another stream of tobacco juice afar, with the grave air as before. “And I told him so. 'Man,' I says, 'what you think you're doing?' “'Buildin' a fire guard,' he says. 'My wife, Mr. Jenks.' “'Polycarp Jenks is my cognomen,' I says. 'And I don't want no misterin' in mine. Polycarp's good enough for me,' I says, and I took off my hat and bowed to 'is wife. Funny kinda eyes, she's got--ever take notice? Yeller, by granny! first time I ever seen yeller eyes in a human's face. Mebbe it was the sun in 'em, but they sure was yeller. I dunno as they hurt her looks none, either. Kinda queer lookin', but when you git used to 'em you kinda like 'em. “'N' I says: 'Tain't half wide enough, nor a third'--spoke right up to 'im! I was thinkin' of the hull blamed country, and I didn't care how he took it. 'Any good, able-bodied wind'll jump a fire across that guard so quick it won't reelize there was any there,' I says. “Man didn't like it none too well, either. He says to me: 'That guard'll stop any fire I ever saw,' and I got right back at him--_he-he!_ 'Man,' I says, 'you ain't never saw a prairie fire'--just like that. 'You wait,' I says, 'till the real thing comes along. We ain't had any fires since you come into the country,' I says, 'and you don't know what they're like. Now, you take my advice and plow another four or five furrows--and plow 'em out, seventy-five or a hundred feet from here,' I says, 'an' make sure you git all the grass burned off between--and do it on a still day,' I says. 'You'll burn up the hull country if you keep on this here way you're doing,' I told him--straight out, just like that. 'And when you do it,' I says, 'you better let somebody know, so's they can come an' help,' I says. ''Tain't any job a man oughta tackle alone,' I says to him. 'Git help, Man, git help.'