“Shore you couldn’t,” repeated Curly, after he had his bit of brown paper going.  “I reckon not in a hundred years.  Champagne!  Whole quart!  Yes, sir.  Cost eighteen dollars.  Mac, he got it.  Billy Hudgens had just this one bottle in the shop, left over from the time the surveyors come over here and we thought there was goin’ to be a railroad, which there wasn’t.  But Lord! that ain’t all.  It ain’t the beginnin’.  You guess again.  No, I reckon you couldn’t,” said he, scornfully.  “You couldn’t in your whole life guess what next.  We got a cake!”

“Go on, Curly,” said I, scoffingly; for I knew that the possibilities of Heart’s Desire did not in the least include anything resembling cake.  Any of the boys could fry bacon or build a section of bread in a Dutch oven—­they had to know how to do that or starve.  But as to cake, there was none could compass it.  And I knew there was not a woman in all Heart’s Desire.

Curly enjoyed his advantage for a few moments as we wound on down the trail among the pinons.  “Heap o’ things happened since you went down to tend co’te,” said he.  “You likely didn’t hear of the new family moved in last week.  Come from Kansas.”

“Then there’s a girl,” said I; for I was far Westerner enough to know that all the girls ever seen west of the Pecos came from Kansas, the same as all the baled hay and all the fresh butter.  Potatoes came from Iowa; but butter, hay, and girls came from Kansas.  I asked Curly if the head of the new family came from Leavenworth.

“’Course he did,” said Curly.  “And I’ll bet a steer he’ll be postmaster or somethin’ in a few brief moments.”  This in reference to another well-known fact in natural history as observed west of the Pecos; for it was matter of common knowledge among all Western men that the town of Leavenworth furnished early office-holders for every new community from the Missouri to the Pacific.

Curly continued; “This feller’ll do well here, I reckon, though just now he’s broke a-plenty.  But what was he goin’ to do?  His team breaks down and he can’t get no further.  Looks like he’d just have to stop and be postmaster or somethin’ for us here for a while.  Can’t be Justice of the Peace; another Kansas man’s got that.  As to them two girls—­man!  The camp’s got on its best clothes right this instant, don’t you neglect to think.  Both good lookers.  Youngest’s a peach.  I’m goin’ to marry her.”  Curly turned aggressively in his saddle and looked me squarely in the eye, his hat pushed back from his tightly curling red hair.

“That’s all right, Curly,” said I, mildly.  “You have my consent.  Have you asked the girl about it yet?”

“Ain’t had time yet,” said he.  “But you watch me.”

“What’s the name of the family?” I asked as we rode along together.