But all his life long he never quite succeeded in doing that.
* * * * * And that night, in the bunk house, the talk was all about the tragedy of the morning.

Bill Jordan and four of the cowboys were there, to say nothing of Slim, the cook.

Slim had another grievance, for, now that Ham had gone, he was again forced to cook for the men, misery or no misery.
Whitey loved to sit in the long, half-lighted room, and listen to the talk and yarns of the cowboys, for, "boys" they were called, whether they were eighteen or fifty, and in many ways boys they seemed to have remained.
They had threshed over the lynching.

Whitey had answered a thousand questions about his experiences, had been praised and blamed with equal frankness, and now he was glad to see that the subject was to be dropped.

For it had reminded Buck Higgins of lariats and their merits, especially for hanging men.
"For all-round use give me a braided linen," said Buck.
He was speaking of a rope that is made as its name suggests, and is very strong.