They drank, and the Texan rolled another cigarette: "As long as we've decided to git drunk together, it's no more'n right you-all should know the reason. It ain't my birthday, it's my--my anniversary." "Married?" asked the man with the china blue eyes. "Nope." "Well, no wonder you're celebratin'!" "Shorty, there, he's married a-plenty," explained the man with the green vest, during the general guffaw that greeted the sally. Again Shorty asked a question, and the Texan noted a hopeful look in the china blue eyes: "Be'n married an'--quit?" "Nope." The hopeful look faded, and removing his hat, the man scratched his head: "Well, if you ain't married, an' ain't be'n married, what's this here anniversary business? An' how in hell do you figger the date?" The Texan laughed: "A-many a good man's gone bugs foolin' with higher mathmatics, Shorty. Just you slip another jolt of this tornado juice in under your belt, an' by the time you get a couple dozen more with it, you won't care a damn about anniversaries. What'll be botherin' you'll be what kind of meat they feed the sun dogs----" "Yes, an' I'll catch hell when I git home," whimpered Shorty. "Every man's got his own brand of troubles," philosophized the Texan, "an' yours sure set light on my shoulders. Come on, barkeep, an' slip us another round of this here inebriatin' fluid. One whole year on crick water an' alkali dust has added, roughly speakin', 365 days an' 5 hours, an' 48 minutes, an' 45-1/2 seconds to my life, an' has whetted my appetite to razor edge--an' that reminds me--" he paused abruptly and picking up the yellow-backed bill that still lay before him upon the bar, crammed it into his pocket. CHAPTER II KANGAROO COURT Bottle in hand, the bartender eyed the cowboy quizzically. "What's the big idee--pinchin' back the _dinero_?" he questioned. The Texan smiled: "Just happened to think, that this is the identical spot, a year ago, where I imbibed the last shot of red licker that's entered my system till I intruded this peaceful scene today." "What's all that got to do with you grabbin' that there money which I want two dollars an' a half out of it fer them two rounds of drinks that's on you?" "Don't go worryin' about that. You'll get all that's comin' to you. But a little reference to back history might fresh up your memory that I've got four dollars change comin' from a year ago----" "Wha'd ye mean--a year ago? I wasn't here a year ago! My brother run this joint then. I only be'n here a couple of months."