“Why, no.  I haven’t done any fencing at all, William,” Dill disclaimed.

“Yuh haven’t?  Who’s been fencing up all Montana south uh the creek, then?” Billy turned, a cigarette paper fluttering in his fingers, and eyed Dill intently.

“I believe Mr. Brown is having some fencing done.  Mr. Walland stopped here to-day and said they were going to turn in a few head of cattle as soon as the field was finished.”

“The dickens they are!” Billy turned away and sought a patch of shade where he might sit on the edge of the porch and dig his heels into the soft dirt.  He dug industriously while he turned the matter over in his mind, then looked up a bit anxiously at Dill.

“Say, Dilly, yuh fixed up that leasing business, didn’t yuh?” he inquired.  “How much did yuh get hold of?”

Dill, towering to the very eaves of the porch, gazed down solemnly upon the other.  “I’m afraid you will think it bad news, William.  I did not lease an acre.  I went, and I tried, but I discovered that others had been there before me.  As you would say, they beat me to it.  Mr. Brown leased all the land obtainable, as long ago as last fall.”

Billy did not even say a word.  He merely snapped a match short off between his thumb and forefinger and ground the pieces into the dirt with his heel.  Into the sunlight that had shone placidly upon the castle he had builded in the air for Dill and for himself—­yes, and for one other—­crept a shadow that for the moment dimmed the whole.

“Say, Dilly, it’s hell when things happen yuh haven’t been looking for and can’t help,” he said at last, smiling a little.  “I’d plumb got my sights raised to having a big chunk uh Montana land under a Double-Crank lease, but I reckon they can come down a notch.  We’ll come out on top—­don’t yuh worry none about that.”

“I’m not worrying at all, William.  I did not expect to have everything come just as we wanted it; that, so far, has not been my experience in business—­or in love.”  The last two words, if one might judge from the direction of his glance, were meant as pure sympathy.

Billy colored a little under the brown.  “The calf-crop is running kinda short,” he announced hurriedly.  “A lot uh cows died off last winter, and I noticed a good many uh that young stock we shipped in laid ’em down.  I was hoping we wouldn’t have to take any more jolts this season—­but maybe I’ve got more nerves than sense on this land business.  I sure do hate to see old Brown cutting in the way he’s doing—­but if he just runs what cattle he can keep under fence, it won’t hurt us none.”

“He’s fencing a large tract, William—­a very large tract.  It takes in—­”

“Oh, let up, Dilly!  I don’t want to know how big it is—­not right now.  I’m willing to take my dose uh bad medicine when it’s time for it—­but I ain’t none greedy about swallowing the whole bottle at once!  I feel as if I’d got enough down me to do for a while.”