“Of course I can,” exclaimed Billie aloud, as he read the letter.
“Of course you can what?” queried Donald.
“Meet father in El Paso,” was the reply.
“What, and leave us to go home all alone?” said Adrian.
“There’s two of you, isn’t there?” retorted Billie, forgetting his grammar entirely.
“Of course there are two of us; but that’s hardly a company, while, as everybody knows, three make a crowd,” and Adrian laughed almost sadly. “Who’d take care of Jupiter?”
Now Jupiter was the broncho which Billie’s uncle had given him when he first came West, and a terrible time Billie had had in breaking him. He hadn’t thought about him.
“You could lead him, couldn’t you?” asked Billie.
“We’re driving two pack mules now. How would you expect us to take care of Jupiter?”
Billie shook his head slowly. “I don’t know,” he said.