"Oh, he insulted a nice li’l girl, an’ I ’m in a hurry." "G’way!" exclaimed Johnny. "That straight?" "Too d—n straight," snapped Sammy. "He went an’ bruised her wrists an’ made her cry." "Lead th’ way, Kid," rejoined Johnny, readjusting his belt. "Mebby he ’s got some friends," he suggested, hopefully. "Yes," smiled Hopalong, "mebby he has. An’ anyhow, Sammy; you _know_ yo’re plumb careless with that gun. You might miss him. Lead th’ way." As they started toward Pete’s Johnny nudged his bunkmate in the ribs: "Say; she ain’t got no sisters, has she?" he whispered. One hour later Sammy, his face slightly scratched, lounged into the kitchen and tossed his sombrero on a chair, grinning cheerfully at the flushed, saucy face that looked out from under a mass of rebellious, brown hair. "Well, I saw th’ boss, an’ I come back to make everythin’ well again," he asserted, laughing softly. "That rough an’ boisterous Mr. Clarke has sloped. He won’t come back no more." "Why, _Sammy_!" she cried, aghast. "What _have_ you done?" "Well, for one thing, I ’ve got you callin’ me Sammy," he chuckled, trying to sneak a hand over hers. "I told th’ boss I ’m goin’ to get a job up here, so I ’ll know Mr. Clarke won’t come back. But you know, he only thought he was bad. I shore had to take his ol’ gun away from him so he would n’t go an’ shoot hisself, an’ when las’ seen he was feelin’ for his cayuse, intendin’ to leave these parts. That’s what I _done_," he nodded, brightly. "Now comes what I ’m goin’ to do. Oh, Li’l Miss," he whispered, eagerly. "I ’m jus’ all mixed up an’ millin’. My own feet plumb get in my way. So I jus’ gotta stick aroun’ an’ change yore name, what you don’t like. Uh-huh; that’s jus’ what I gotta do," he smiled. She tossed her head and the tip-tilt nose went up indignantly. "Indeed you ’ll do nothing of the kind, Sammy Porter!" she retorted. "I’ll choose my own name when the time comes, and it will not be Porter!" He arose slowly and looked around. Picking up the pencil that lay on the shelf he lounged over to the partition and printed his name three times in large letters. "All right, Li’l Miss," he agreed. "I ’ll jus’ leave a list where you can see it while you ’re selectin’. I ’m now goin’ out to get that job we spoke about. You have th’ name all picked out when I get back," he suggested, waving his hand at the wall. "An’ did anybody ever tell you it was plumb risky to stick yore li’l nose up thataway?" "Sammy Porter!" she stormed, stamping in vexation near the crying point. "You get right out of here! I ’ll _never_ speak to you again!" "You won’t get a chance to talk much if you don’t sorta bring that snubby nose down a li’l lower. I ’m plumb weak at times." He laughed joyously and edged to the door. "Don’t forget that list. I ’m goin’ after that job. So-long, Li’l Miss." "Sammy!" "Oh, all right; I’ll go after it later on," he laughed, returning. XV