"Well, if any o' you think you kin do better'n I kin, take 'em up. There they are," said he. "You go over 'em, Tom Welch. I must look around a little." Shorty secretly caressed the precious envelope in his pocket with his great, strong fingers, and pondered as to how he was going to get an opportunity to read the letter before daylight. It was too sacred{239} and too sweet to be opened and read before the eyes of his unsympathetic, teasing comrades, and yet it seemed an eternity to wait till morning. He stole a glance out of the corner of his eye at Si, who was going through the same process, as he stood with abstracted air on the other side of the fire. The sudden clamor of the dogs recalled them to present duties. "Hullo, the house!" came out of the darkness. "Hullo, yourself!" replied Shorty, in Mrs. Bolster's tones. "It's me--Groundhog. Call off yer dogs." Si and Shorty looked startled, and exchanged significant glances. "Needn't 've told it was him," said Shorty. "I could smell his breath even this far. Hullo, Groundhog," he continued in loud tones. "Come on up. Git out, Watch! Lay down, Tige! Begone, Bones! Come on up, Groundhog. What's the news?" A louder, longer, more penetrating hiss than ever sounded from the house. Shorty looked around angrily. Si made a break for the door. "No, I can't come up now," said Groundhog; "I jest come by to see if things wuz all right. A company went out o' camp this mornin' for some place that I couldn't find out. I couldn't git word t' you, an' I've bin anxious 'bout whether it come this way." "Never tetched us," answered Shorty, in perfect reproduction of Mrs. Bolster's accents. "We'uns is all right." The hissing from the cabin became so loud that it seemed impossible for Groundhog not to hear it.{240} "Blast it, Si, can't you gag that old guinea-hen," said Shorty, in a savage undertone. Si was in the meanwhile muttering all sorts of savage threats at Mrs. Bolster, the least of which was to go in and choke the life out of her if she did not stop her signalling. "Glad t' hear it," said Groundhog. "I was a leetle skeery all day about it, an' come out as soon's I could. Have yo' seed Brad Tingle?" "Yes; seen him to-day." "D' yo' know whar he is? Kin yo' git word to him quick?" "Yes, indeed; right off." "Well, send word to him as soon as you kin, that I've got the mules ready for stampedin' an' runnin' off at any time, an' waitin' for him. The sooner he kin jump the corral the better. To-night, if he kin, but suttinly not later'n to-morrer night. Be sure and git word to him by early to-morrer mornin' at the furthest." "I'll be sure t' git word t' him this very night," answered the fictitious Mrs. Bolster. "Well, good-night. I must hurry along, an' git back afore the second relief goes off. All my friends air on it. See yo' ter-morrer, if I kin."