That was the time when the first heel disappeared.  Even as Suzanne’s white teeth closed upon it, the parrot gave a vast screech of disapproval.  “Quork!” cried he.  “Look out!  Look out!” At which warning both the twins fled precipitately underneath the bed; whence presently their heads peered out, with wide and frightened eyes.

“I didn’t have my bite,” whimpered Arabella.

“It’s only Bill!” Suzanne was disgusted with herself for running.  “Come on.  Who’s afraid?” Arabella chose the toe of the other foot.

Thus it was that temptation, at first insidious, at length irresistible, had its way.  The lustre paled and dimmed on one gaudily bepainted leg.  The remaining heel disappeared.  A slight nick became visible on the cap of the right knee.

“Well, I’ll be darned!” said Curly, scratching his head, as he observed these developments.

“So’ll I,” remarked Bill, in frank friendship.  “Ha!  Ha!”

Curly looked at him pugnaciously for a moment.  “For one cent, Bill,” said he, “I’d wring your cussed green neck for you.  I’ll bet a hundred you’re the feller that’s been a-doin’ all this devilment.  Here you,—­Susy—­Airey,—­have you seen Bill a-eatin’ the ornyment?” Both the young ladies solemnly and truthfully declared that they had never noticed any such thing; and pointed out that parrots, in their belief, did not eat candy.

The next day amputation and subtraction had proceeded yet further.  Only Bill was present when Arabella broke out into tears.

“What’s the matter?” asked stout-hearted Suzanne.

“Why, we—­we—­we—­can’t eat it but once,” mourned Arabella.  “Now—­now—­now it’s most gone!  OO—­oo—­oo!”

“It’s good,” said Suzanne.

“Will we go to the bad place?” asked Arabella.

Suzanne evaded this question.  “How can we help it, when it looks so pretty, and tastes so good?  They ought to put ’em in a box.  I c-c-can’t help it!” And now tears broke from her eyes also.  They leaned their heads upon each other’s shoulders and wept.  But even as they did so, the hand of either, upon the side nearest to the table, reached out toward the disfigured remnant.  A week later the last bite was taken.  The parlor table was bare and vacant.  Heart’s Desire, in all its length and breadth, contained no parlor ornament!

That was the last day when Curly reported to the group at the side of Whiteman’s corral.  “They’re gone, up to both knees now,” said he, gloomily.  “The finish ain’t far off.  You all come on over across the arroyo with me, and if you can find a sign showin’ how this thing happened, I’ll make you a present of the whole shootin’ match.”

It was thus that Curly, Dan Anderson, Doc Tomlinson, McKinney, and Learned Counsel rose and adjourned across the arroyo.  They found Suzanne and Arabella industriously carrying in aprons full of pinon chips for the kitchen stove.