"An' drown her deep. Say, I kind o' like this town. It suits me down to the ground. How's the cattle 'round here?"
"Nothin' to brag of. They's only a few little ranches. They's gold in the Dry Mountains over east a ways. Placers, the claims are. Bill Archer's got a claim some'ers west in the foot-hills o' the Fryin' Pans. He works it quite a lot, but he ain't never had no luck with it yet. Leastwise, he says he ain't."
"Has he been out to it lately?" asked Loudon, carelessly.
The girl did not immediately reply. She stared fixedly into his eyes.
"Stranger," she said, her voice low and hard, "stranger, what do yuh want to know for?"
"Oh, I was just a-wonderin'. Not that I really want to know. I was just talkin'."
"Yuh seem to enjoy talkin' quite a lot."
"I do. Habit I got."
"Well, what do yuh want to know about Bill Archer for?"
"I don't. Say, can't I make a natural remark without yore jumpin' sideways?"