As all Rocky Canyon gathered open-mouthed around the poster, Jack demurely joined the group.  Every eye was turned upon him.

“It don’t look as if yer Polly was in this show, any more than she was in the tablows,” said one, trying to conceal his curiosity under a slight sneer.  “She don’t seem to be doin’ any dancin’!”

“She never did any dancin’,” said Jack, with a smile.

“Never did!  Then what was all these yarns about her dancin’ up at the pass?”

“It was the Sacramento Pet who did all the dancin’; Polly only lent the goat.  Ye see, the Pet kinder took a shine to Billy arter he bowled Starbottle over thet day at the hotel, and she thought she might teach him tricks.  So she did, doing all her teachin’ and stage-rehearsin’ up there at the pass, so’s to be outer sight, and keep this thing dark.  She bribed Polly to lend her the goat and keep her secret, and Polly never let on a word to anybody but me.”

“Then it was the Pet that Yuba Bill saw dancin’ from the coach?”

“Yes.”

“And that yer artist from New York painted as an ’Imp and Satire’?”

“Yes.”

“Then that’s how Polly didn’t show up in them tablows at Skinnerstown?  It was Withholder who kinder smelt a rat, eh? and found out it was only a theayter gal all along that did the dancin’?”

“Well, you see,” said Jack, with affected hesitation, “thet’s another yarn.  I don’t know mebbe ez I oughter tell it.  Et ain’t got anything to do with this advertisement o’ the Pet, and might be rough on old man Withholder!  Ye mustn’t ask me, boys.”

But there was that in his eye, and above all in this lazy procrastination of the true humorist when he is approaching his climax, which rendered the crowd clamorous and unappeasable.  They would have the story!

Seeing which, Jack leaned back against a rock with great gravity, put his hands in his pockets, looked discontentedly at the ground, and began:  “You see, boys, old Parson Withholder had heard all these yarns about Polly and thet trick-goat, and he kinder reckoned that she might do for some one of his tablows.  So he axed her if she’d mind standin’ with the goat and a tambourine for Jephthah’s Daughter, at about the time when old Jeph comes home, sailin’ in and vowin’ he’ll kill the first thing he sees,—­jest as it is in the Bible story.  Well, Polly didn’t like to say it wasn’t her that performed with the goat, but the Pet, for thet would give the Pet dead away; so Polly agrees to come thar with the goat and rehearse the tablow.  Well, Polly’s thar, a little shy; and Billy,—­you bet he’s all there, and ready for the fun; but the darned fool who plays Jephthah ain’t worth shucks, and when he comes in he does nothin’ but grin at Polly and seem skeert at the goat.  This makes old Withholder jest wild, and at last he goes on the platform hisself to show them how the