to inquire if they aimed to spend the night at his brother’s ranch, it being the next mess-box between here and nowhere.  They admitted that his brother’s ranch was their next stopping-place, and Leander went through perfect contortions of apology and self-effacement before he could bring himself to ask them to do him a favor.  It would have taken a very stern order of womankind to refuse anything so abject, and they blindly committed themselves to the pledge.

“Tell him I send my compliments,” he whispered, and, looking about him furtively, he repeated the blood-curdling request.

“Is that all?” sniffed the fat lady, at no pains to conceal her disappointment.

“It’s enough, if it was known, to raise a war-whoop and stampede this yere family.”  His glance at the door through which his wife had disappeared was pregnant with meaning.

“Family troubles?” asked the fat lady, as a gourmet might say “Truffles.”

“Looks like it,” said Leander, dismally.  “Me and Johnnie don’t ask for nothin’ better than to bask in each other’s company; but our wives insists on keepin’ up the manoeuvres of a war-dance the whole endoorin’ time.”

“So,” said the fat lady, as a gourmet might tell of a favorite way of preparing truffles, “it’s a case of wives?”

“Yes, marm, an’ teeth an’ nails an’ husbands thrown in, when they get a sight of each other’s petticoats.”

“I’ve known sisters-in-law not to agree,” helped on the fat lady, by way of an encouraging parallel.

“While I deplores usin’ such a comparison to the refinin’ and softenin’ inflooance of wimmen, the meetin’ of the Dax ladies by chanst anywheres has all the elements of danger and excitement that accompanies an Injun uprisin’.”

The travellers looked all manner of encouragement.

“You see, my wife’s a great housekeeper; her talent lies”—­and here Leander winked knowingly—­“in managin’ the help.”

“Land’s sake!” interrupted the fat lady.  “Why don’t you kick?”

Leander sighed softly.  “I tried to once.  As an experiment it partook of the trustfulness of a mule kickin’ against the stony walls of Badger Canon.  But to resoom about the difficulties that split the Dax family.  Before Johnnie got mislaid in that matrimonial landslide o’ his, he herds with us.  Me an’ him does the work of this yere shack, and my wife just roominates and gives her accomplishments as manager full play.  She never put her hand in dirty water any more than Mrs. Cleveland sittin’ up in the White House parlor.  Johnnie done the fancy cookin’; he could make a pie like any one’s maw, and while you was lost to the world in the delights of masticatin’ it, he’d have all his greasy dishes washed up and put away—­”

“No wonder she hated to lose a man like that,” interrupted the fat lady, feelingly.

“But he took to pinin’ and proclaimin’ that he shore was a lone maverick, and he just stampeded round lookin’ for trouble and bleatin’ a song that went: