"
"Why, we 're doin' right fair. How you makin' it yourself?"
"I'm here," said Pete succinctly and without a smile.
"So we noticed," said the foreman mildly, too mildly, for one of the
punchers began to laugh, and the rest joined in.
"Wisht I had a hoss like that," said a cowboy. "Always did hate to
climb offen a hoss. I like to have 'em set down and kind o' let me
step off easy-like."
Pete sorely wanted to make a sharp retort, but he had learned the
wisdom of silence. He knew that he had made himself ridiculous before
these men. It would be hard to live down this thing. He deemed
himself sadly out of luck, but he never lost sight of the main chance
for an instant.
Bailey, through young Andy White, knew of Pete and was studying him.
The boy had self-possession, and he had not cursed the horse for
stumbling. He saw that Pete was making a fight to keep his temper.
"You lookin' for work?" he said kindly.
"I was headed that way," replied Pete.
"Can you rope?"
"Oh, some. I kin keep from tanglin' my feet in a rope when it's
hangin' on the horn and I'm standin' off a piece.
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