"Don't you take no notice of him an' his kiddin'," he said. "We'll make him rustle some grub fo' all of us an' then we-all 'll turn in. I'll show you yore room. Up the stairs an' the last door on the right. Here's some matches. There's a lamp on the bureau up there. Give you a call when supper's ready." He led her to the door and gave her a friendly little shove, guessing that she wanted to be alone. "The kid's lost her father, lost most everything 'cept her dawg," he said to Mormon. "Thought we might adopt her, sort of, then I thought mebbe we'd hire her--for mascot." "Lost her daddy? An' me hornin' in an' tryin' to kid her! I ain't got the sense of a drowned gopher, sometimes," said Mormon contritely. "She's game, plumb through, ain't she, Sam? Stands right up to trouble?" "You bet. Mormon, open up a can of greengages, will ye? I reckon she's got a sweet tooth, same as me." Molly Casey was not through standing up to trouble. They coaxed her to eat and she managed to make a meal that satisfied them. Then she got up to go to her room, with Grit nuzzling close to her, her fingers in his ruff, twisting nervously at the strands of hair. "Do you reckon," she asked the three partners, "that Dad knows he fooled me when he told me to jump? If I'd known he c'udn't git clear I'd have stuck--same as he would if I was caught. Do you reckon he knows that--now?" "I'd be surprised if he didn't," said Sandy gravely. "You did what he wanted, anyway." She shook her head. "If I'd been on the outside, he w'udn't have jumped, no matter how much I begged him. I didn't think of the brake. Don't seem quite square, somehow, way I acted. Good night. What time do you-all git up?" "With the sun, soon's the big bell rings," said Sandy. "Good night." She looked at them gravely and went out. "Botherin' about playin' square in jumpin'," said Sandy. "That gel is square on all twelve eidges. Sam, slide out an' muzzle that bell. She'll likely cry herself to sleep after a bit but she'll need all the sleep she can git. No sense in wakin' her up at sun-up." "How'd you come to know so much about gels?" asked Mormon. "Me? I don't know the first thing about 'em," protested Sandy. "No more'n any man," put in Sam. "'Cept it's Mormon. He's sure had the experience."