“Scraggsy didn’t keep us on the anxious seat.  He was the surest thing I ever saw.  Often I’ve watched him rope a critter; he never whirled his rope, even when riding—­always snapped.  And he never made a quick move—­that is, a move that looked in a hurry—­all the same, every time he let go of the rope, there was his meat on the other end of it.  Women was the only thing that did E. G. W. Scraggs, and that’s because he wholesaled the business.  That ambition of his wrecked him.  When he trotted around the track for fun, nobody else in the heat could see him for the dust.

“One evening about half-past eight, when the glow was still strong, here come Scraggs, prompt to the schedule.  He was riding and a buggy trailed behind him.

“We chased Aleck over to the main house, where the old man, who stood in on the play, was to keep him busy until called for.

“Then up pulls E. G. W. and the buggy.  In the buggy was a young woman, and a man.

“‘Here we are,’ says Scraggs, in the tone of one who has done his painful duty.  ’Check the outfit—­one girl and one splicer—­have you kept holt of Aleck?’

“‘Yes,’ I says.  ‘We’ve got him—­come in, folks.’  I was crazy to hear how he’d pulled it off.  Soon’s they got inside I lugged him to the corner, leaving the other boys to welcome the guests.  ’Tell me about it,’ I says.

“‘Short story,’ says he.  ’Moment I got off the choo-choo I spotted the house—­couldn’t mistake it.  Laid low in the daytime and scouted around as soon as night come.  Girl goes down to the barn and comes back with a pail of milk.  I grabbed her and put my hand over her mouth so’s she couldn’t holler.  “Now listen,” I says to her.  “There’s a friend of mine wants to marry you.  When I let you go, you’ll skip into the house and pick up what clothes is handy, and you’ll vamoose this ranch at quarter of eleven, sharp, so we can make the next train west.  If you ain’t there, or if you say a single word to a human being—­you see this?” and I stuck the end of my hoss-pistol under her nose.  “Well, I’ll blow the head clean off your shoulders with it.”  Then I laid back my ears and rolled my eyes around.  Well, sir, she was scart so’s she didn’t know anything but what I said.  I hated to treat a lady like that, but if I’ve learned anything concerning handlin’ the sect, it’s this—­you got to be firm.  There’s where I made my mistake formerly.  Then I let go of her and went back to the deppo.  What she thought I couldn’t even guess, but I knew I was goin’ to have company, and, sure enough, ’bout three minutes before train time, here comes our friend.  When I got her safe aboard I told her she needn’t be scart.  Lots worse things could happen to her than marryin’ Aleck, and she says “yessir,” and she kept on sayin’ “yessir” to all I told her.—­Wisht I could have found one like that, instead of eighty of ’em that stood ready to jump down my throat the minute I opened my mouth.—­She