Page:J Allan Dunn--The Girl of Ghost Mountain.djvu/85

Rh itched to punch it back into place. Then the rest saw them, some with frowns, others with pure-half-drunken amazement. Sheridan sized them up. Two or three of them he did not know. But they were all palpably of the same kidney, loafers on the work of their women or the money of strangers, gained by any trickery.

"I see you've comp'ny, Miss," said Hollister, swaggering forward with a show of ease. "We didn't know you was acquainted round here. Figgered you'd be kind of lonesome."

"So you came up to cheer us up a bit. That was nice of you. Won't you sit down? I'm afraid some of you will have to sit on the floor."

She smiled at them as they clumsily disposed of themselves. Hollister sat astride a chair, gazing belligerently at Sheridan and Red, who paid no attention. She did not show surprise at their having discovered the way in.

"I wonder if you're not hungry after your ride?" she asked, her manner confidently perfect. "Mr. Jackson does not seem to have a good opinion of doughnuts but I am going to change it. One good thing about them, plates are not necessary, but you'll have to drink your coffee out of odds and ends."

They made a ludicrous picture as they sat, some of them crosslegged on the boards, dumb, goggling at the girl, at the great figure of Thora, pouring from the big kettle as if it weighed no more than a teapot. As each man thumbed his doughnut, reached up for his cup of coffee, served in tin and