Cannedstuffitwas，——cornedbeef。Andoneofmytablecompanionssaidthetruthaboutit。“WhenIslungmyteethoverthat，“heremarked，“IthoughtIwaschewingahammock。“Wehadstrangecoffee，andcondensedmilk；andIhaveneverseenmoreflies。I
　　madenoattempttotalk，fornooneinthiscountryseemedfavorabletome。Byreasonofsomething，——myclothes，myhat，mypronunciation，whateveritmightbe，Ipossessedthesecretofestrangingpeopleatsight。YetIwasdoingbetterthanIknew；
　　mystrictsilenceandattentiontothecornedbeefmademeintheeyesofthecow-boysattablecomparewellwiththeover-talkativecommercialtravellers。
　　TheVirginian’sentranceproducedaslightsilence。Hehaddonewonderswiththewash-trough，andhehadsomehowbrushedhisclothes。Withalltheroughnessofhisdress，hewasnowtheneatestofus。Henoddedtosomeoftheothercow-boys，andbeganhismealinquiet。
　　Butsilenceisnotthenativeelementofthedrummer。Anaveragefishcangoalongertimeoutofwaterthanthisbreedcanlivewithouttalking。Oneofthemnowlookedacrossthetableatthegrave，flannel-shirtedVirginian；heinspected，andcametotheimprudentconclusionthatheunderstoodhisman。
　　“Goodevening，“hesaidbriskly。
　　“Goodevening，“saidtheVirginian。
　　“Justcometotown？“pursuedthedrummer。
　　“Justcometotown，“theVirginiansuavelyassented。
　　“Cattlebusinessjumpingalong？“inquiredthedrummer。
　　“Oh，fair。“AndtheVirginiantooksomemorecornedbeef。
　　“Getsamoveonyourappetite，anyway，“suggestedthedrummer。
　　TheVirginiandranksomecoffee。Presentlytheprettywomanrefilledhiscupwithouthisaskingher。
　　“GuessI’vemetyoubefore，“thedrummer’statednext。
　　TheVirginianglancedathimforabriefmoment。
　　“Haven’tI，now？Ain’tIseenyousomewhere？Lookatme。YoubeeninChicago，ain’tyou？Youlookatmewell。RememberIkey’s，don’tyou？“
　　“Idon’treckonIdo。“
　　“See，now！Iknowedyou’dbeeninChicago。Fourorfiveyearsago。Ormaybeit’stwoyears。Time’snothingtome。ButIneverforgetaface。Yes，sir。Himandme’smetatIkey’s，allright。“
　　Thisimportantpointthedrummerstatedtoallofus。Wewerecalledtowitnesshowwellhehadprovedoldacquaintanceship。
　　“Ain’ttheworldsmall，though！“heexclaimedcomplacently。“Meetamanonceandyou’resuretorunontohimagain。That’sstraight。That’snobar-roomjosh。“Andthedrummer’seyeincludedusallinhisconfidence。Iwonderedifhehadattainedthathighperfectionwhenamanbelieveshisownlies。
　　TheVirginiandidnotseeminterested。Heplacidlyattendedtohisfood，whileourlandladymovedbetweendiningroomandkitchen，andthedrummerexpanded。
　　“Yes，sir！Ikey’soverbythestock-yards，patronizedbyallcattlementhatknowwhat’swhat。That’swhere。Maybeit’sthreeyears。Timeneverwasnothingtome。Butfaces！Why，Ican’tquit’em。Adultsorchildren，maleandfemale；oncedIseen’emI
　　couldn’tloseoneoffmymemory，notifyouweretopaymebounty，fivedollarsaface。Whitemen，thatis。Can’tdonothingwithriggersorChinese。Butyou’rewhite，allright。“ThedrummersuddenlyreturnedtotheVirginianwiththishighcompliment，Thecow-puncherhadtakenoutapipe，andwasslowlyrubbingit。Thecomplimentseemedtoescapehisattention，andthedrummerwenton。
　　“Icantellamanwhenhe’swhite，puthimatIkey’soroutloosehereinthesage-brush。“AndherolledacigaracrosstotheVirginian’splate。
　　“Sellingthem？“inquiredtheVirginian。
　　“Solidgoods，myfriend。Havanawrappers，thebiggesttobaccopropositionforfivecentsgotoutyet。Takeit，tryit，lightit，watchitburn。Here。“Andheheldoutabunchofmatches。
　　TheVirginiantossedafive-centpieceovertohim。
　　“Oh，no，myfriend！Notfromyou！NotafterIkey’s。Idon’tforgetyou。See？Iknowedyourfacerightaway。See？That’sstraight。IseenyouatChicagoallright。“
　　“Maybeyoudid，“saidtheVirginian。“SometimesI’mmightycarelesswhatIlookat。“
　　“Well，pydamn！“nowexclaimedtheDutchdrummer，hilariously。“I
　　amploomdisappointed。Ivashopingtosellhimsomedingsmyself。“
　　“Notthesamehere，“statedtheAmerican。“He’stoohealthyforme。Igavehimuponsight。“
　　NowitwastheAmericandrummerwhosebedtheVirginianhadinhiseye。Thiswasasensibleman，andhadtalkedlessthanhisbrothersinthetrade。Ihadlittledoubtwhowouldendbysleepinginhisbed；buthowthethingwouldbedoneinterestedmemoredeeplythanever。
　　TheVirginianlookedamiablyathisintendedvictim，andmadeoneortworemarksregardingpatentmedicines，Theremustbeagooddealofmoneyinthem，hesupposed，withalivemantomanagethem。Thevictimwasflattered。Nootherpersonatthetablehadbeenfavoredwithsomuchofthetallcow-puncher’snotice。Heresponded，andtheyhadapleasanttalk。IdidnotdivinethattheVirginian’sgeniuswaseventhenatwork，andthatallthiswaspartofhissatanicstrategy。ButStevemusthavedivinedit。
　　Forwhileafewofusstillsatfinishingoursupper，thatfacetioushorsemanreturnedfromdoctoringhishorse’shoofs，puthisheadintothediningroom，tookinthewayinwhichtheVirginianwasengaginghisvictiminconversation，remarkedaloud，“I’velost！“andclosedthedooragain。
　　“What’shelost？“inquiredtheAmericandrummer。
　　“Oh，youmustn’tmindhim，“drawledtheVirginian。“He’soneofthosebox-headjokersgoesaroundopenin’andshuttin’doorsthat-a-way。Wecallhimharmless。Well，“hebrokeoff，“IreckonI’llgosmoke。Notallowedinhyeh？“Thislastheaddressedtothelandlady，withespecialgentleness。Sheshookherhead，andhereyesfollowedhimashewentout。
　　LefttomyselfImeditatedforsometimeuponmylodgingforthenight，andsmokedacigarforconsolationasIwalkedabout。Itwasnotahotelthatwehadsuppedin。HotelatMedicineBowthereappearedtobenone。Butconnectedwiththeeating-housewasthatplacewhere，accordingtoSteve，thebedswerealltaken，andthereIwenttoseeformyself。Stevehadspokenthetruth。Itwasasingleapartmentcontainingfourorfivebeds，andnothingelsewhatever。AndwhenIlookedatthesebeds，mysorrowthatIcouldsleepinnoneofthemgrewless。Tobealoneinoneofferednotemptation，andasforthiscourtesyofthecountry，thisdoublingup——！
　　“Well，theyhavegotaheadofus。“ThiswastheVirginianstandingatmyelbow。
　　Iassented。
　　“Theyhavestakedouttheirclaims，“headded。
　　Inthispublicsleepingroomtheyhaddonewhatonedoestosecureaseatinarailroadtrain。Uponeachbed，asnoticeofoccupancy，laysomearticleoftravelorofdress。Aswestoodthere，thetwoJewscameinandopenedandarrangedtheirvalises，andfoldedandrefoldedtheirlinendusters。Thenarailroademployeeenteredandbegantogotobedatthishour，beforeduskhadwhollydarkenedintonight。Forhim，goingtobedmeantremovinghisbootsandplacinghisoverallsandwaistcoatbeneathhispillow。Hehadnocoat。Hisworkbeganatthreeinthemorning；andevenaswestilltalkedhebegantosnore。
　　“Themanthatkeepsthestoreisafriendofmine，“saidtheVirginian；“andyoucanbeprettynearcomfortableonhiscounter。GotanyBlankets？“
　　Ihadnoblankets。
　　“Lookingforabed？“inquiredtheAmericandrummer，nowarriving。
　　“Yes，he’slookingforabed，“answeredthevoiceofStevebehindhim。
　　“Seemsawasteoftime，“observedtheVirginian。Helookedthoughtfullyfromonebedtoanother。“Ididn’tknowI’dhavetolayoverhere。Well，Ihavesatupbefore。“
　　“Thisone’smine，“saidthedrummer，sittingdownonit。“Half’splentyenoughroomforme。“
　　“You’recert’nlymightykind，“saidthecowpuncher。“ButI’dnotthinko’disconveniencingyu’。“
　　“That’snothing。Theotherhalfisyours。Turninrightnowifyoufeellikeit。“
　　“No。Idon’treckonI’llturninrightnow。Betterkeepyourbedtoyourself。“
　　“Seehere，“urgedthedrummer，“ifItakeyouI’msafefromdrawingsomepartyImightnotcaresomuchabout。Thisheresleepingpropositionisalottery。“
　　“Well，“saidtheVirginianandhishesitationwastrulymasterly，“ifyouputitthatway——“
　　“Idoputitthatway。Why，you’reclean！You’vehadashaverightnow。Youturninwhenyoufeelinclined，oldman！Iain’tretiringjustyet。“
　　Thedrummerhadstruckaslightlyfalsenoteintheselastremarks。Heshouldnothavesaid“oldman。“UntilthisIhadthoughthimmerelyanamiablepersonwhowishedtodoafavor。
　　But“oldman“cameinwrong。Ithadahatefultaintofhisprofession；thebeingtoosoonwitheverybody，thecelluloidgood-fellowshipthatpassesforivorywithnineintenofthecitycrowd。Butnotsowiththesonsofthesagebrush。Theylivenearernature，andtheyknowbetter。
　　ButtheVirginianblandlyaccepted“oldman“fromhisvictim:hehadagametoplay。“Well，Icert’nlythankyu’，“hesaid。“AfterawhileI’lltakeadvantageofyourkindoffer。“
　　Iwassurprised。Possessionbeingninepointsofthelaw，itseemedhisverychancetointrenchhimselfinthebed。Butthecow-puncherhadplannedacampaignneedingnointrenchments。
　　Moreover，goingtobedbeforenineo’clockuponthefirsteveninginmanyweeksthatatown’sresourceswereopentoyou，wouldbeadullproceeding。Ourentirecompany，drummerandall，nowwalkedovertothestore，andheremysleepingarrangementsweremadeeasily。ThisstorewasthecleanestplaceandthebestinMedicineBow，andwouldhavebeenagoodstoreanywhere，offeringamultitudeofthingsforsale，andkeptbyaverycivilproprietor。Hebadememakemyselfathome，andplacedbothofhiscountersatmydisposal。Uponthegrocerysidetherestoodacheesetoolargeandstrongtosleepnearcomfortably，andI
　　thereforechosethedry-goodsside。Herethickquiltswereunrolledforme，tomakeitsoft；andnoconditionwasplaceduponme，furtherthanthatIshouldremovemyboots，becausethequiltswerenew，andclean，andforsale。Sonowmyrestwasassured。Notananxietyremainedinmythoughts。Thesethereforeturnedthemselveswhollytotheotherman’sbed，andhowhewasgoingtoloseit。
　　IthinkthatStevewasmorecuriouseventhanmyself。Timewasonthewing。Hisbetmustbedecided，andthedrinksenjoyed。Hestoodagainstthegrocerycounter，contemplatingtheVirginian。
　　Butitwastomethathespoke。TheVirginian，however，listenedtoeveryword。
　　“Yourfirstvisittothiscountry？“
　　Itoldhimyes。
　　“Howdoyoulikeit？“
　　Iexpectedtolikeitverymuch。
　　“Howdoestheclimatestrikeyou？
　　Ithoughttheclimatewasfine。
　　“Makesamanthirstythough。“
　　Thiswasthesub-currentwhichtheVirginianplainlylookedfor。
　　Buthe，likeSteve，addressedhimselftome。
　　“Yes，“heputin，“thirstywhileaman’ssoftyet。You’llharden。“
　　“Iguessyou’llfinditadriercountrythanyouweregiventoexpect，“saidSteve。
　　“Ifyourhabitshavebeenfrequentthatway，“saidtheVirginian。
　　“There’spartsofWyoming，“pursuedSteve，“whereyou’llgohoursandhoursbeforeyou’llseeadropofwetness。“
　　“Andifyu’keepa-thinkin’aboutit，“saidtheVirginian，“it’llseemlikedaysanddays。“
　　Steve，atthisstroke，gaveup，andclappedhimontheshoulderwithajoyouschuckle。“Youoldson-of-a！“hecriedaffectionately。
　　“Drinksareduenow，“saidtheVirginian。“Mytreat，Steve。ButI
　　reckonyoursuspensewillhavetolingerawhileyet。“
　　Thustheydroppedintodirecttalkfromthatspeechofthefourthdimensionwheretheyhadbeenusingmefortheirtelephone。
　　“Anycyardsgoingto-night？“inquiredtheVirginian。
　　“Studanddraw，“Stevetoldhim。“Strangersplaying。“
　　“IthinkI’dliketogetintoagameforawhile，“saidtheSoutherner。“Strangers，yu’say？“
　　Andthen，beforequittingthestore，hemadehistoiletforthislittlehandatpoker。Itwasasimplepreparation。Hetookhispistolfromitsholster，examinedit，thenshoveditbetweenhisoverallsandhisshirtinfront，andpulledhiswaistcoatoverit。Hemighthavebeencombinghishairforalltheattentionanyonepaidtothis，exceptmyself。Thenthetwofriendswentout，andIbethoughtmeofthatepithetwhichSteveagainhadusedtotheVirginianasheclappedhimontheshoulder。Clearlythiswildcountryspokealanguageotherthanmine——thewordherewasatermofendearment。Suchwasmyconclusion。
　　Thedrummershadfinishedtheirdealingswiththeproprietor，andtheyweregossipingtogetherinaknotbythedoorastheVirginianpassedout。
　　“Seeyoulater，oldman！“ThiswastheAmericandrummeraccostinghisprospectivebed-fellow。