The cowboy's eyes twinkled: "I savvy, all right. Guess I'll take the bunk-house shift myself this afternoon. Got a couple extry guns to clean up an' oil a little."
"Whatever you do, you boys be careful," admonished the woman. "And in case anything happens and Vil Holland isn't here, send one of the boys after him at once."
The other laughed: "Guess they ain't much danger, if anything happens he won't be a-ridin' right on the head of it." The cowboy gathered up his reins, dropped them again, and his gloved fingers fumbled with his leather hat band. The smile had left his face.
"Anything else, Bill?" asked Mrs. Samuelson, noting his evident reluctance to depart.
"Well, ma'am, how's the Big Boss gittin' on?"
"He's doing as well as could be expected, the doctor says."
The cowboy cleared his throat nervously: "You know, us boys thinks a heap of him, an' we'd like fer him to git a square deal."
"A square deal!" exclaimed the woman. "Why, what in the world do you mean?"
"About that there doc—d'you s'pect he savvys his business?"
"Of course he does! He's considered one of the best doctors in the State. Why do you ask?"