rested it against his shoulder, and then \yith
the same hand and without removing the
other from his pocket, took ofB his soft felt
hat, showed a bullet-hole in its rim, and re-
turned lazily, " It 's about half an hour late,
but them Harrisons reckoned I was fixed for
'em and war too narvous to draw a clear
bead on me."

The moment was evidently not a felicitous
one for the master's purpose, but he was de-
termined to go on. He hesitated an instant,
when his companion, who seemed to be
equally but more sluggishly embarrassed, in
a moment of preoccupied perplexity with-
drew from his pocket his right hand swathed
in a blood-stained bandage, and following
some instinctive habit, attempted, as if re-
flectively, to scratch his head with two stif-
fened fingers.
" You are hurt," said the master, genu-
inely shocked, "and here I am detaining
you."

" I had my hand up — so," explained
McKinstry, with heavy deliberation, " and
the ball raked off my little finger after it
went through my hat. But that ain't what
I wanted to say when I stopped ye. I ain't
just kam enough yet," he apologized in the



CBEsar. 65

calmest manner, " and I clean forgit myself,"
lie added with perfect self-possession. " But
I was kalkilatin' to ask you " — he laid his
bandaged hand familiarly on the master's
shoulder — " if Cressy kem all right ? "

"Perfectly," said the master. "But shan't
I walk on home with you, and we can talk
together after your wound is attended to ? "

" And she looked purty ? " continued Mc-
Kinstry without moving.
