“I know men in the Bear Paws that walk away around Mark Steele,” Robin said. “And some that step easy where he is. Some just naturally don’t like him. Most everybody figures he’s a bad man to cross. I guess he knows that, an’ it makes him think quite a heap of himself. I don’t know.” “What do you think of him yourself?” she persisted. “I ain’t sayin’ out loud.” Robin shrugged his shoulders. “That’s wisdom. Probably it’s just as well not to waste either words or thought on Shining Mark Steele. He’s rather gaudily picturesque, with all those silver ornaments on him, isn’t he?” she laughed. “Like a stage cowboy--only he’s real. By the way, there’s to be a dance at the schoolhouse above our place next week. One of the Davis girls told me it was to be timed so our cowpunchers could take it in when the whole outfit got back after shipping this herd. Will you be there?” “If there’s a dance I can get to I’m generally there. Don’t reckon you will be, though.” “I might. I’m no snob.” “I have a sort of idea what that is,” Robin confessed. “But I’m not dead sure.” “A snob is one who looks down on persons he deems of less consequence than himself, and fawns on those he regards as his superiors, either mentally, socially or financially.” “I’ve seen such.” “I don’t know of any in the Sutherland family, thank God,” May breathed. “You can sure sling the English language,” Robin said with a note of admiration in his voice. “Must be a comfort to know all the words there is to say what you want, what you mean.” “Sometimes it is,” May agreed. “But I imagine things can be said and pretty well said, and things done, too, without a great many words.” “Oh, sure,” Robin admitted cheerfully. “Education’s all right. I got enough school into my system to show me that. But it won’t do no work by itself. There was a fellow named Sears in the Black Hills where I was raised. He was a college man. Talked three languages. I’ve seen him keep a whole cow outfit quiet for an hour listening to him when he got tellin’ about things he’d seen and read and knew about. He should have been writin’ stories for the magazines. Well, his old man who was pretty well heeled somewhere east finally died an’ left Sears thirty thousand dollars. First thing he ups and gets married. Then he got him a ranch and about a thousand cattle for a starter. In four years he was broke and his wife run away with a bronco buster from Miles City. Last I heard of Sears he was punchin’ cows for the L7 on the lower Yellowstone.” “Does that illustrate the perils of education?” May chuckled. “Uh-uh. Not to me. Only that education don’t give you a cinch. If you got brains and half a chance you can get an education. If you only got a twice-by-two skypiece all the schoolin’ in the world won’t land you on top of the heap.” “I wonder which crowd I belong to,” May reflected. “Oh, shucks, I wasn’t aimin’ at you,” Robin protested.