been a veritable godsend to the Athens mining company which had undergone the agonies of native cooking until the digestions of the American portion of the working force were in a condition resembling half extinct craters.

“What I’m wonderin’ is if Bob Street and his girl got married or not and when they’re coming home,” she remarked as she sat down. One of Mrs. Van’s little peculiarities, saved probably from the wreck of her theatrical career, was a tendency toward calling people by their first names when they were not there to protect themselves and sometimes even when they were.

“If they’ve got any sense at all they’ll wait,” said Scott, placidly. “This is no time to be bringin’ more women into the country.”

“That’s so,” agreed Williams, a confirmed bachelor. “It was good luck the Doc took his wife and kids off when he did. There’ll be trouble here when them elections is held.”

“Pick up your skirts and run, Mrs. Van!” suggested Adams. “You may be cooking for a Mexicano yet.” 20

20

“If I do he’ll know it,” was the prompt reply. “I ain’t the runnin’ kind. Anybody who’s staved off the landlord in New York as many times as I have ain’t going to worry about Mexicans. What I think those young folks ought to do is to go East for their honeymoon.”

“They can’t,” replied Adams, with a grin. “It wouldn’t look sporting for the Supe to leave his underlings without protection in such a crisis.”

“I like Bob Street as well as any young chap I know,” said Mrs. Van Zandt, meditatively, “but I don’t know as I’d want him standin’ between me and Angel Gonzales—if Angel was much mad.” Angel Gonzales was a local bandit; a man of many crimes and much history. “But, of course, it wouldn’t look well for the Sup’rintendent to run away.”

“Street’s not the running kind, either; don’t fool yourself about that,” remarked Scott, quietly.

“He’s a good kid. I don’t care if he is a rich man’s son,” said Adams with sincerity. “If my Dad had money I wouldn’t be keeping books, you bet.”

“No, son, you’d be playing the ponies up at Juarez,” responded Hard, cheerfully.

“Not ponies, Henry dear, roulette,” replied Jimmy, pleasantly. “Me and Mrs. Van are going to get spliced just as soon as the Ouija board tells her the 

 Prev. P 10/201 next