Part 10 (1/2)

”I wasn't going to rouse you until breakfast was ready,” he interrupted hi, Stevens I know you had a bad night

And the kid, too He couldn't sleep But I ot a lot of business on to-day, and we'll have to rouse Curly Roper out of bed to buy his pack outfit Find the coffee, will you? I couldn't”

For a moment Stevens stood over him

”See here, Aldous, you didn't ht, did you? You didn't mean--that?”

”Confound it, yes! Can't you understand plain English, Stevens? Don't you believe a entleman? Buy that outfit! Why, I'd buy twenty outfits to-day, I' so fine, Stevens!”

For the first ti if I hadn't been dreauess I felt just like you do now”

With which cryptic remark he went for the coffee

Aldous looked up in tier sleepily out of the tepee

There was so pathetic about the motherlessness of the picture, and he understood a little of what Stevens had meant

An hour later, with breakfast over, they started for Curly's Curly was pulling on his boots when they arrived, while his as frying the inevitable bacon in the kitchen

”I hear you have some horses for sale, Curly,” said Aldous

”Hi 'ave”

”How ht--mebby twenty-seven”

”Howon his second boot

”H'are you buying 'orses or looking for hinfor, and I'm in a hurry How much do you want a head?”

”Sixty, 'r six----”

”I'll give you sixty dollars apiece for twenty-eight head, and that's just ten dollars apiecea check-book and a fountain pen froo?”

A little stupefied by the suddenness of it all, Curly opened his o?” repeated Aldous ”Including blankets, saddles, pack-saddles, ropes, and canvases?”

Curly nodded, looking fro that looked like a joke

”Hit's a go,” he said

Aldous handed hihty dollars