He rode on. Behind him the most joyous heart between two oceans thumped at Johnny's ribs. It is likely that you see no cause for pride. You see a hard job for a scanty wage; to Johnny Dines it was accolade and shoulder stroke. Johnny's life so far had been made up all of hardships well borne. But that was what Johnny did not know or dream; to-day, hailed man-grown, he thought of his honors, prince and peer, not as deserved and earned, but as an unmerited stroke of good fortune. The herd, suddenly roused, became vociferous with query and rumor; drifted uneasily a little, muttered, whispered, tittered, fell quiet again, to cheerful grazing. The fresh wild cattle, nearing the periphery, glimpsed the dreaded horsemen beyond, and turned again to hiding in the center. Cole and most of his riders drew away and paced soberly campward, leaving ten herders where they found six. Jody Weir rode over to Johnny. "Old citizen," he said, "the rod tells me you are for Engle, and if I wanted to send letters I might go write 'em. But I beat him to it. Letter to my girl all written and ready. All I had to do was to put in a line with my little old pencil, telling her we'd work the herd to-morrow and start home next day. She'll be one pleased girl; she sure does love her little Jody." Johnny knotted his brows in puzzlement. "But who reads your letters to her?" he said wonderingly. "Now what you doin'--tryin' to slur my girl? She's educated, that child is." "No; but when you said she--she liked her little Jody--why, I naturally supposed"--Johnny hesitated--"her eyesight, you know, might be--" Weir slapped his leg and guffawed. "Thought she was blind, did you? Well, she ain't. If she was I wouldn't be writing this letter. Most of it is heap private and confidential." His face took on a broad and knowing leer as he handed over the letter. It was fat; it was face up; it bore the address: MR. J. D. WEIR, HILLSBORO, N. M. Johnny put the letter carefully in his saddle pocket. "Don't you think maybe you're leaving an opening for some of the cattle to slip out?" he said, twitching his thumb toward Weir's deserted post. "Let them other waddies circulate a little--lazy dogs! Won't hurt 'em any. Cattle ain't troublin', nohow. Cole, he told me himself to slide over and give you my letters. Darned funny if a man can't gas a little once in a while." He gave Johnny a black look. "Say, feller! Maybe you don't like my talk?" "No," said Johnny, "I don't. Not unless you change the subject. That young lady wouldn't want you to be talking her over with any tough you meet." Jody Weir checked his horse and regarded Dines with a truculent stare. "Aw, hell! She ain't so particular! Here, let me show you the stuff she writes, herself." His hand went to his vest pocket. "Some baby!"