“I’ma-goingto。I’ma-goingtocampoutinthemountains。I’dliketoseeyouwhenyoucamp。I’dliketocampwithyou。Mightn’tIsometime？“
　　BillyhaddrawnnearertoLin，andwaslookingupathimadoringly。
　　“Youbet!“saidLin；andthoughhedidnot，perhaps，entirelymeanthis，itwaswithacuriouslysoftenedfacethathebegantolookatBilly。Aswithdogsandhishorse，soalwaysheplayedwithwhatchildrenhemet——
　　thefewinhissage-brushworld；butthiswasceasingtobequiteplayforhim，andhishandwenttotheboy’sshoulder。
　　“Fathertookmecampingwithhimonce，thetimemotherwasoff。Fathergetsawfuldrunk，too。I’vequitLaramieforgood。“
　　Linsatup，andhishandgrippedtheboy。“Laramie!“saidhe，almostshoutingit。“Yu’——yu’——isyournameLusk？“
　　Buttheboyhadshrunkfromhiminstantly。“You’renotgoingtotakemehome？“hepiteouslywailed。
　　“Heavenandheavens!“murmuredLinMcLean。“Soyou’reherkid!“
　　Herelaxedagain，downinhischair，hislegsstretchedtheirstraightlengthbelowthechairinfront。Hewaswakedfromhisbewildermentbyabrushingunderhim，andtherewasyoungBillydivingforescapetotheaisle，likethecorneredcitymousethathewas。LinnippedthatpoorlittleattemptandhadthelimpBillyseatedinsideagainbeforethetwoindiscussionbeyondhadseenanything。Hehadsaidnotawordtotheboy，andnowwatchedhisunhappyeyesseizinguponthevariousexitsanddispositionsofthetheatre；norcouldheimagineanythingtotellhimthatshouldrestoretheperishedconfidence。“Whydidyu’leadhimoff？“
　　heaskedhimselfunexpectedly，andfoundthathedidnotseemtoknow；
　　butashewatchedtherestlessandestrangedrunawayhegrewmoreandmoresorrowful。“Ijusthatehimtothinkthatofme，“hereflected。Thecurtainrose，andhesawBillymakeuphismindtowaituntiltheyshouldallbegoingoutinthecrowd。WhilethechildrenofCaptainGrantgrewhotterandhotterupontheirfather’sgeographictrail，Linsatsayingtohimselfanumberofcontradictions。“He’snothingtome；what’sanyofthemtome？“Driventobaybyhisbewilderment，herestatedthefactsofthepast。“Why，she’ddesertedhimandLuskbeforeshe’deverlaideyesonme。Ineedn’ttobothermyself。Hewasn’tneverevenmystep-kid。“Thepast，however，broughtnoguidance。“Lord，what’sthethingtodoaboutthis？IfIhadanyhome——Thisisastinkin’worldinsomerespects，“
　　saidMr。McLean，aloud，unknowingly。Theladyinthechairbeneathwhichthecow-puncherhadhislegsnudgedherhusband。TheytookitforemotionoverthesadfortuneofCaptainGrant，andtheirbacksshook。Presentlyeachturned，andsawthesingularmanwithuntamed，wide-openeyesgloweringatthestage，andbothbacksshookagain。
　　OncemorehishandwaslaidonBilly。“Say!“Theboyglancedathim，andquicklyaway。
　　“Lookatme，andlisten。“
　　Billyswervinglyobeyed。
　　“Iain’tafteryu’，andneverwas。Thishere’syourbusiness，notmine。
　　Areyu’listenin’good？“
　　Theboymadeanod，andLinproceeded，whispering：“You’vegotnocalltobelievewhatIsaytoyu’——yu’vebeenliedto，Iguess，prettyoften。SoI’llnotstopyu’runnin’andhidin’，andI’llnevergiveitawayIsawyu’，butyu’keepdoin’whatyu’please。I’lljustgonow。I’vesawallI
　　want，butyouandyourfriendsstaywithittillitquits。Ifyu’happentowishtospeaktomeaboutthatpistolorbears，yu’comearoundtoSmith’sPalace——that’sthebosshotelhere，ain’tit？——andifyu’don’tcometoolateI’llnotbegonetobed。ButthistimeofnightI’mliabletogetsleepy。Tellyourfriendsgood-byeforme，andbegoodtoyourself。I’veappreciatedyourcompany。“
　　Mr。McLeanenteredSmith’sPalace，and，engagingaroomwithtwobedsinit，didalittledelicatelyingbymeansofthetruth。“It’salostboy——
　　arunaway，“hetoldtheclerk。“He’llnotbeextraclean，Iexpect，ifhedoescome。Maybehe’llgivemetheslip，andI’llhaveajobcutoutto-morrow。I’llthankyu’toputmymoneyinyoursafe。“
　　Theclerkplacedhimselfatthedisposalofthesecretservice，andLinwalkedupanddown，lookingattherailroadphotographsforsometenminutes，whenMasterBillypeeredinfromthestreet。
　　“Hello!“saidMr。McLean，casually，andreturnedtoafinepictureofPike’sPeak。
　　Billyobservedhimforaspace，and，receivingnofurtherattention，camesteppingalong。“I’mnota-goingbacktoLaramie，“hestated，warningly。
　　“Iwouldn’t，“saidLin。“Itain’thalfthetownDenveris。Well，good-night。Sorryyu’couldn’tcallsooner——I’mdeadsleepy。“
　　“O-h!“Billystoodblank。“IwishI’dshookthedarnedoldshow。Say，lemmeblackyourbootsinthemorning？“
　　“Notsuremytraindon’tgotooearly。“
　　“I’mup!I’mup!Igetaroundtoallof’em。“
　　“Wheredoyu’sleep？“
　　“Sleepingwiththeengine-mannow。Whycan’tyouputthatonmeto-night？“
　　“Goin’up-stairs。Thisgentlemanwouldn’tletyougoup-stairs。“
　　Buttheearnestlypetitionedclerkconsented，andBillywasthefirsttohastenintotheroom。HestoodrapturouswhileLinbuckledthebeltroundhisscantystomach，andingeniouslybuttonedthesuspendersoutsidetheaccoutrementtoretarditsimmediatedescenttoearth。
　　“Diditeverkillaman？“askedBilly，touchingthesix-shooter。
　　“No。Itain’tneverhadtodothat，butIexpectmaybeit’sstoppedsomekillin’me。“
　　“Oh，leavemewearitjustaminute!Doyoucollectarrow-heads？Ithinkthey’rebully。There’sthefinestoneyoueverseen。“Hebroughtouttherelic，tightlywrappedinpaper，severalpieces。“Ifoun’itmyself，campingwithfather。Itwasstickinginacrackrightontopofarock，butnobody’dseenittillIcamealong。Ain’titfine？“
　　Mr。McLeanpronounceditagem。
　　“Fatheran’mefoundalot，an’theymademothermadlayingaround，an’
　　shethrowed’emout。ShetakesstufffromKelley’s。“
　　“Who’sKelley？“
　　“Hekeepsthedrug-storeatLaramie。Mothergetsawfulfunny。That’showshewaswhenIcamehome。ForItoldMr。Perkinshelied，an’Iranthen。
　　An’Iknowedwellenoughshe’dlickmewhenshegotthroughherspell——
　　an’fathercan’tstopher，an’I——ah，Iwassickofit!She’slamedmeuptwicebeatingme——an’Perkinswantingmetosay’Godblessmymother!’
　　a-gettingupanda-goingtobed——he’saflubdub!An’soIclearedout。
　　ButI’djustasleavessaidforGodtoblessfather——an’you。I’lldoitnowifyousayit’sanysense。“
　　Mr。McLeansatdowninachair。“Don’tyu’doitnow，“saidhe。
　　“Youwouldn’tlikemother，“Billycontinued。“Youcankeepthat。“HecametoLinandplacedthearrow-headinhishands，standingbesidehim。“Doyoulikebirds’eggs？Icollectthem。Igottwenty-fivekinds——sage-hen，an’bluegrouse，an’willow-grouse，an’lotsmorekindsharder——butI
　　couldn’tbringallthemfromLaramie。Ibroughtthemagpie’s，though。D’
　　youcaretoseeamagpieegg？Well，youstayto-morrowan’I’llshowyouthaten’someotherthingsIgottheengine-manletsmekeepthere，forthere’sboysthatwouldstealanegg。An’Icouldtakeyouwherewecouldfirethatpistol。Betyoudon’tknowwhatthatis!“
　　Hebroughtoutasmalltinboxshapedlikeathimble，inwhichwerethingsthatrattled。
　　Mr。McLeangaveitup。
　　“That’skinni-kinnicseed。Youcanhavethat，forIgotsomemorewiththeengine-man。“
　　Linreceivedthissecondtokenalso，andthankedthegiverforit。Hisfirstfeelinghadbeentopreventtheboy’spartingwithhistreasures，butsomethingthatcamenotfromthepolishofmannersandexperiencemadehimknowthatheshouldtakethem。Billytalkedaway，layingbarehislittlesoul；thestreetboythatwasnotquitecomemadeplaceforthechildthatwasnotquitegone，andunimportantwordsandconfidencesdroppedfromhimdisjointedasheclimbedtothekneeofMr。McLean，andinadvertentlytookthatcow-puncherforsomesortofparenthehadnothithertomet。Itlastedbutashortwhile，however，forhewenttosleepinthemiddleofasentence，withhisheaduponLin’sbreast。Themanheldhimperfectlystill，becausehehadnotthefaintestnotionthatBillywouldbeimpossibletodisturb。Atlengthhespoketohim，suggestingthatbedmightprovemorecomfortable；and，findinghowitwas，roseandundressedtheboyandlaidhimbetweenthesheets。Thearmsandlegsseemedawareofthemovesrequiredofthem，andstirredconveniently；anddirectlytheheadwasuponthepillowthewholesmallframeburroweddown，withouttheopeningofaneyeorachangeinthebreathing。Linstoodsometimebythebedside，withhiseyesonthelong，curlinglashesandthecurlyhair。Thenheglancedcraftilyatthedooroftheroom，andathimselfinthelooking-glass。HestoopedandkissedBillyontheforehead，and，risingfromthat，gavehimselfahangdogstareinthemirror，andsooninhisownbedwassleepingthesoundsleepofhealth。
　　Hewasfaintlyrousedbythechurchbells，andlaystill，lingeringwithhissleep，hiseyesclosed，andhisthoughtsunshaped。Ashebecameslowlyawareofthemorning，theringingandthelightreachedhim，andhewakedwholly，and，stilllyingquiet，consideredthestrangeroomfilledwiththebellsandthesunofthewinter’sday。“WherehaveI
　　strucknow？“heinquired；andaslastnightreturnedabruptlyuponhismind，heraisedhimselfonhisarm。
　　TheresatResponsibilityinachair，washedcleananddressed，watchinghim。
　　“You’reawfullate，“saidResponsibility。“ButIweren’ta-goingwithouttellingyougood-bye。“
　　“Go？“exclaimedLin。“Gowhere？Yu’surelyain’tleavin’metoeatbreakfastalone？“Thecow-punchermadehisvoiceveryplaintive。SetResponsibilityfreeafterallhistroubletocatchhim？Thiswasmorethanhecoulddo!
　　“I’vegottogo。IfI’dthoughtyou’dwantformetostay——why，yousaidyouwasa-goingbytheearlytrain!“
　　“Butthedurnedthing’sgotawayonme，“saidLin，smilingsweetlyfromthebed。
　　“IfIhadn’ta-promisedthem——“
　　“Who？“
　　“SidneyEllisandPeteGoode。Why，youknowthem；yougrubbedwiththem。“
　　“Shucks!“
　　“We’rea-goingtohavefunto-day。“
　　“Oh!“
　　“Forit’sChristmas，an’we’veboughtsomegoodcigars，an’Petesayshe’lllearnmesure。O’courseI’vesmokedsome，youknow。ButI’djustasleavesstayedwithyouifI’donlyknowedsooner。Iwishyoulivedhere。Didyousmokewholebigcigarswhenyouwasbeginning？“
　　“Doyoulikeflapjacksandmaplesyrup？“inquiredtheartfulMcLean。
　　“That’swhatI’mfiguringoninsidetwentyminutes。“
　　“Twentyminutes!Ifthey’dwait——“
　　“Seehere，Bill。They’vequitexpectingyu’，don’tyu’think？I’doughttowaked，yu’see，butIslep’andslep’，andkep’yu’frommeetin’yourengagements，yu’see——foryoucouldn’tgo，ofcourse。Amancouldn’ttreatamanthatwaynow，couldhe？“
　　“Coursehecouldn’t，“saidBilly，brightening。
　　“Andtheywouldn’twait，yu’see。Theywouldn’tfoolawayChristmas，thatonlycomesoncedayear，kickin’theirheelsandsayin’’Where’sBilly？’
　　They’dsay，’Billhassuremadeotherarrangements，whichhe’llexplaintousathisleesyure。’Andthey’dskipwiththecigars。“
　　Theadvocatepaused，effectively，andfromhisbolsterregardedBillywithaconvincingeye。
　　“That’sso，“saidBilly。
　　“Andwherewouldyu’bethen，Bill？Inthestreet，outoffriends，outofChristmas，andleftbothways，notobaccerandnoflapjacks。Now，Bill，whatdoyu’saytousputtingupaChristmasdealtogether？Justyouandme？“
　　“I’dlikethat，“saidBilly。“Isitallday？“
　　“Iwasthinkin’ofallday，“saidLin。“I’llnotmakeyu’doanythingyu’drathernot。“
　　“Ah，theycansmokewithoutme，“saidBilly，withsuddenacrimony。“I’llsee’emto-morro’。“
　　“That’syou!“criedMr。McLean。“Now，Bill，youhustledownandtellthemtokeepatableforus。I’llgetmyclothesonandfollowyu’。“
　　Theboywent，andMr。McLeanprocuredhotwateranddressedhimself，tyinghisscarfwithgreatcare。“WishedI’dacleanshirt，“saidhe。
　　“ButIdon’tlookverybad。Shavin’yesterdayafternoonwasagoodmove。“
　　Hepickedupthearrow-headandthekinni-kinnic，andwasparticulartostoretheminhissafestpocket。“Iain’tsurewhetheryou’recrazyornot，“saidhetothemaninthelooking-glass。“Iain’tneverbeensure。“
　　Andheslammedthedoorandwentdown-stairs。
　　HefoundyoungBillonguardoveratableforfour，withallthechairstiltedagainstitaswarningtostrangers。Noonesatatanyothertableorcameintotheroom，foritwaslate，andtheplacequiteemptiedofbreakfasters，andtheseveralentertainedwaitershadgatheredbehindBilly’simportant-lookingback。Linprovidedathoroughmeal，andBillypronouncedtheflannelcakessuperiortoflapjacks，whichwerenotuponthebilloffare。
　　“I’dliketoseeyouoften，“saidhe。“I’llcomeandseeyouifyoudon’tlivetoofar。“