“Old Man's coming home, Cal.” Pink announced with more joy in his tone and in his face than had appeared in either for many a weary day. Whereupon Cal gave an exultant whoop. “Go tell that to Happy,” he shouted. “Maybe he'll forget a grouch or two. Say, luck seems to be kinda casting loving glances our way again--what?” “By golly, seems to me Pink oughta told us when he come in, las' night,” grumbled Slim, when he could make himself heard. “You were all dead to the world,” Pink defended, “and I wanted to be. Two o'clock in the morning is a mighty poor time for elegant conversation, if you want my opinion.” “And the main point is, you knew all about it, and you didn't give a darn whether we did or not,” Irish said bluntly. “And Weary sneaked in, too, and never let a yip outa him about things over in Denson coulee.” “Oh, what was the use?” asked Weary blandly. “I got an option out of Oleson for the ranch and outfit, and all his sheep, at a mighty good figure--for the Flying U. The Old Man can do what he likes about it; but ten to one he'll buy him out. That is, Oleson's share, which was two-thirds. I kinda counted on Dunk letting go easy. And,” he added, reaching for his hat, “once I got the papers for it, there wasn't anything to hang around for, was there? Especially,” he said with his old, sunny smile, “when we weren't urged a whole lot to stay.” Remained therefore little, save the actual arrival of the Old Man--a pitifully weak Old Man, bandaged and odorous with antiseptics, and quite pathetically glad to be back home--and his recovery, which was rather slow, and the recovery of Happy Jack, which was rapid. For a brief space the Flying U outfit owned the Dots; very brief it was; not a day longer than it took Chip to find a buyer--at a figure considerably above that named in the option, by the way. So, after a season of worry and trouble and impending tragedy such as no man may face unflinchingly, life dropped back to its usual level, and the trail of the Flying U outfit once more led through pleasant places. End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Flying U Ranch, by B. M. Bower