“I am sorry you dislike him,” she said, regaining her composure when she saw that he too was agitated.
He did not reply. She tactfully changed the subject. By the time they had circled around, back to the half open feed-sheds, he was gayly chatting with her on music and the drama. When they came down to the horse corral she proceeded to lecture him on the duties of a cowboy and showed him how to hold and throw a rope. Under her skillful tuition, he at last learned the knack of casting an open noose.
Evening was near when they returned to the house. As before, they caught Knowles in the front porch contentedly puffing at his pipe. He dropped it down out of sight. The girl shook her finger at him, nodded to Ashton, and went indoors. Immediately the cowman put his pipe back into his mouth and drew another from his pocket, together with an unopened sack of tobacco.
“Smoke?” he asked.
Ashton’s eyes gleamed. In the girl’s presence he 79 had been able to restrain the fierce craving that had tortured him since dinner. Now it so overmastered him that he almost snatched the pipe and tobacco out of the cowman’s hand. The latter gravely shook his head.
“Got it that bad, have you?” he deplored.
Ashton could not answer until his pipe was well under way.
“I’m––I’m breaking off,” he replied. “Haven’t had a cigarette all day––nor anything else. A-ah!”
“Glad you like it,” said Knowles. “A pipe is all right with this kind of tobacco. You can’t inhale it like you can cigarettes, unless you want to strangle.”
“I shall break off entirely as soon as I can,” asserted Ashton.