With this verdict rendered, he seated himself on a chair which had a nail-keg for legs and gave his attention to the principal speaker as he resumed his account of a roping-match. The story was rather long, showing how it was that the best man did n't win.
In the ensuing silence Todd found his opportunity to speak.
"I just heard something," he said. "Steve Brown is herding sheep."
"That's nothing," said the story-teller. "He done that a couple of times before."
"And they say there is a woman out there with him," added Todd.
"A woman! What woman?"
"I don't know. Tuck Reedy rode past and saw them sitting by the fire. Ed Curtis saw her too."
"Whose sheep's he herdin'?" asked big Tom Brodie.
"I don't know anything about the sheep. He's out there tending them. And she's out there with him."
"I know what he's doing with them," said Harry Lee. "He's administrating them."