"Who?" inquired Dick.
"I mean the jinx."
"No, not a thing. Didn't even see a dead calf, and, as we know, they're common enough on a ranch. Everything was lovely."
"It sure is a good buy," went on Bud. "Of course it's a bit run down, and the fences here and there need mending. But there's plenty of water and what cattle there are seem to be in good shape. When we buy a few more herds, and hire some more men to help us, we'll be sitting pretty."
"Then we didn't need to do so much worrying?" questioned Nort.
"Seems not."
"And that warning was all tommyrot!" added Dick with a laugh. "Hello, what's this?" and he picked up one of the bottles of Elixer, for by this time the whole party was in the ranch house, and saw the three flasks on the table.
"Stuff your brother bought to save lives!" chuckled Snake, and the story was told.
"An old man, half crazy; eh?" mused Billee as he listened. "Who is he and what about him?"
"Doesn't seem to amount to much, really," stated Nort. "But I thought we'd better have this stuff analyzed."