oh, well, darn it, if nothing else'll do yuh, why, eat it up!" Lovin Child stopped crying and condescended to take a languid interest in the watch--which had a picture of Marie pasted inside the back of the case, by the way.

"Ee ?" he inquired, with a pitiful little catch in his breath, and held it up for Bud to see the busy little second hand.

"Ee ?" he smiled tearily and tried to show Cash, sitting aloof on his bench beside the head of his bunk and staring into the fire.

But Cash gave no sign that he heard or saw anything save the visions his memory was conjuring in the dancing flames.
"Lay down, now, like a good boy, and go to sleep," Bud wheedled.

"You can hold it if you want to--only don't drop it on the floor--here! Quit kickin' your feet out like that! You wanta freeze?
I'll tell the world straight, it's plumb cold and snaky outside to-night, and you're pretty darn lucky to be here instead of in some Injun camp where you'd have to bed down with a mess of mangy dogs, most likely.