struggling throng.

"I reckon they're just showin' off because Stella got here this
mornin'," said Bud disgustedly. "They're tryin' ter knock us, Stella, by
showin' yer thet we aire a bum lot o' horsemen fer not makin' them
behave first off."

Stella laughed and nodded. She understood.

"Where did you pick up such a mean bunch of horses?" she asked.

"Them hosses is intended fer ther tourneymint what takes place after
ther round-up. We're goin' ter hev some roughridin' fer fair here, an'
if we all git out with whole bones we shore kin send up a balloon in
celebraytion."

"But where did you get them? Were they bred mean on purpose?"

"I reckon not. I bought 'em from ther wild range in Montana. They ain't
seen men closer than a mile, except'n' it wuz Injuns, an' they don't
count, until we butted in on 'em. They belonged ter ole man Stallings. I
reckon you remember him, what we met on our way ter Fort Grant, when yer
run erway an' got lost on Red Mesa."

Stella nodded.

"I wuz lookin' fer a bunch o' cow hosses. We sold a big run o' 'em ter a
Newbrasky cowman who was short o' saddle stock, an' who said he'd heard
we had the best-broke cow ponies in ther West, an' I reckon we had. He
was willin' ter pay a good price fer our spare stock, an' we unloaded."