Mary Temple listened without a show of consternation to the story of Shirttail Henry’s duty-bound flight. “Well,” she observed dispassionately, “we seem destined to lose our support. First the Morleys and Leach threw us down, and now the good ship _Marblehead_ goes on the rocks. He was more or less of a doodunk, anyway.” “What’s a doodunk?” Andy asked. “A doodunk,” she informed her questioner, “is something that makes a man say damn and a woman think damn. For example, a doodunk is a lumpy place in a mattress. But Henry’s going knocks something galley west and crooked.” “What’s that?” Charmian wished to know. “With Henry out of it, who’s going to be the madman that leans over you and chokes you in the Valley of Arcana?” snapped Mary. “I hope you haven’t forgotten that, Charmian Reemy! You wait! Madame Destrehan knows--she saw it all!” Mary was not exactly in an amiable mood, but the others broached the subject of some one remaining with her, nevertheless. To their utter surprise, she made reply: “Well, I’ve been thinking that over myself this afternoon. I guess maybe you’re right, at that. Charmian must go on--that’s settled. This is her fool party, and the rest of us are just invited guests. So either Doctor Shonto or Andy will have to stay with me, and the other one go on with Charmian and get the ridiculous thing over with while my ankle’s getting well.” “Now, neither of you two fellows want to stay with an old battleaxe like me. I know that. Just the same, all alone here in this cold, dark cañon this afternoon, I changed my tune. So you’ll draw straws to see which one is elected. And as I’m the innocent party concerned, I’ll hold the straws. Suit you?” Her defiant eyes coasted from Shonto to the younger man. “Certainly,” both made answer. And Andy added, in tones none too strong: “Nothing could be fairer.” “All right.” Mary bent over--with difficulty and pain, the doctor noted--and took up from the ground a box of safety matches. She extracted two, closed the box and dropped it, and turned herself slowly on her rocky throne until her back was toward the expectant gamblers. “Got a piece of money, either of you?” she asked. Andy produced a silver coin. “Toss it up,” commanded the arbiter of their fortunes. “Heads, the doctor draws first; tails, Andy gets first crack. And the one that draws the long match stays with me. What about it?” “Suits me,” both men said; and Andy flipped the half-dollar into the air. “Tails,” he announced as the coin rang on the stones. “I draw first.” Mary wheeled slowly back and faced them. She held out one big-veined and skinny hand, above the closed fingers of which two match-heads protruded. With a swift glance at his rival, Andy took a step and stood before her, hesitated a moment, then reached out and pulled a match. He caught his breath, turned red, and glanced confusedly at Charmian. He had drawn an entire match--the long straw. He was elected to stay with Mary Temple.