“'Member that time yu an' Frenchy tried to run th' little town of Frozen Nose, up in Montana?” Asked Johnny, winking at the rest.
“An' we did run it, for a while,” responded Buck. “But that only goes to show that most young men are chumps—we were just about yore age then.”
Red laughed at the youngster's discomfiture: “That little squib of yourn shore touched her off—I reckon we irrigates on yu this time, don't we?”
“Th' more th' Kid talks, th' more money he needs,” remarked Lanky, placing his glass on the bar. “He had to blow me an' Skinny twice last night.”
“I got two more after yu left,” added Skinny “He shore oughter practice keeping still.”
At one o'clock sharp Hopalong walked up to the clerk of the hotel and
grinned. The clerk looked up:
“Hullo, Cassidy?” He exclaimed, genially. “What was all that fuss
about this mornin' when I was away? I haven't seen you for a long time,
have I? How are you?”
“That fuss was a fool joke of Buck's, an' I wish they had been throwed out,” Hopalong replied. “What I want to know is if Miss Deane is in her room. Yu see, I have a date with her.”
The clerk grinned:
“So she's roped you, too, has she?”
“What do yu mean?” Asked Hopalong in surprise. “Well, well,” laughed the clerk. “You punchers are easy. Any third-rate actress that looks good to eat can rope you fellows, all right. Now look here, Laura, you keep shy of her corral, or you'll be broke so quick you won't believe you ever had a cent: that's straight. This is the third year that she's been here and I know what I'm talking about. How did you come to meet her?”