“She ain’t locked,” came in a rusty, smothered voice.

Corliss shoved the door open with his knee.  The interior was heavy with smoke.  Near the stove knelt Sundown trying to encourage the smoke to more perpendicular behavior.  He coughed.  “She ain’t good in her intentions, this here stove.  One time she goes and the next time she stays and takes a smoke.  Her innards is out of gear.  Whew!”

“The damper has slipped down,” said Corliss.

“Her little ole chest-pertector is kind o’ worked down toward her stummick.  There, now she feels better a’ready.”

“Cooking chuck?” queried Corliss, glancing round the bare room.

“Rabbit,” replied Sundown.  “When I hit this here hotel I was hungry.  I seen a rabbit—­not this here one, but the other one.  This one was settin’ in a bunch of-brush on me right-of-way.  I was behind and runnin’ to make up time.  I kind o’ seen the leetle prairie-dog give me the red to slow down, but it was too late.  Hit his cyclone cellar with me right driver, and got wrecked.  This here leetle wad o’ cotton was under me steam-chest.  No other passengers hurt, except the engineer.”

Corliss laughed.  “You’re a railroad man, I take it.  Belong in this country?”

Sundown rose from his knees and backed away from the stove.  “Nope.  Don’t belong anywhere, I guess.  My address when I’m to home is Sundown Slim, Outdoors, Anywhere, speakin’ general.”

“Come in afoot?”

“Uhuh.  Kind o’ thought I’d get a job.  Fellas at Antelope told me they wanted a cook at this hotel.  I reckon they do—­and some boarders and somethin’ to cook.”

“That’s one of their jokes.  Pretty stiff joke, sending you in here afoot.”

“Oh, I ain’t sore, mister.  They stole me nanny, all right, but I feel jest as good here as anywhere.”

Corliss led Chinook to the water-hole.  Sundown followed.

“Ever think how many kinds of water they was?” queried Sundown.  “Some is jest water; then they’s some got a taste; then some’s jest wet, but this here is fine!  Felt like jumpin’ in and drinkin’ from the bottom up when I lit here.  Where do you live?”

“On the Concho, thirty miles south.”

“Any towns in between?”

Corliss smiled.  “No, there isn’t a fence or a house from here to the ranch.”

“Gee Gosh!  Any cows in this country?”

“Yes.  The Concho runs ten thousand head on the range.”

“Had your supper?”

“No.  I was late getting away from the ranch.  Expected to make Antelope, but I guess I’ll bush here to-night.”

“Well, seein’ you’re the first boarder at me hotel, I’ll pass the hash.”  And Sundown stepped into the house and returned with the half rabbit.  “I got some coffee, too.  I can cook to beat the band when I got somethin’ to cook.  Help yourself, pardner.  What’s mine is anybody’s that’s hungry.  I et the other half.”