Monday noon
The next day Miss Wood had become very hard . In three weeks she had accepted the position on Bear Creek . In two months she started , heart-heavy , but with a spirit craving the unknown . On a Monday noon a small company of horsemen strung out along the trail from Sunk Creek to gather cattle over their allotted sweep of range . Spring was backward , and they , as they rode galloping and gathering upon the cold week 's work , cursed cheerily and occasionally sang . The Virginian was grave in bearing and of infrequent speech ; but he kept a song going -- a matter of some seventy-nine verses . Seventy-eight were quite unprintable , and rejoiced his brother cow-punchers monstrously .