A slow grin spread across Bud’s broad face.  Dorothy looked solemn disapproval.  “I can’t help it,” he said as he shook all over.  Two tears welled in the corner of his eyes and trickled down his cheeks.  “I can’t help it, missy.  I ain’t laughin’ at you.  But Lorry gettin’ scalped!  Why, here you been livin’ up here, not five miles from the Apache line, and I ain’t heard you tell of bein’ scared of Injuns.  And you ain’t no bigger than a minute at that.”

“That’s just it!  Suppose the Apaches did come over the line?  What could we do if Lorry were gone?”

“Well, you might repo’t their trespassin’ to me.  And I reckon your daddy might have somethin’ to say to ’em.  He’s been around some.”

“Oh, I suppose so.  But there is a lot of work to do in Lorry’s district, I noticed, coming down.  The trails are in very bad condition.”

“I know it.  But he’s worth more to the Service doin’ bigger work.  I got a young college man wished onto me that can mend trails.”

“Will he live at Lorry’s cabin?”

“No.  He’ll head in from here.  I ain’t givin’ the use of my cabin and my piano to everybody.”

Dorothy’s eyes twinkled.  “If Lorry were away some one might steal your piano.”

“Now, see here, missy; you’re joshin’ your Uncle Bud.  Do you know that you’re tryin’ to bribe a Gov’ment officer?  That means a pow’ful big penalty if I was to repo’t to Washington.”

Dorothy wrinkled her nose.  “I don’t care if you do!  You’d get what-for, too.”

“Well, I’ll tell you, missy.  Let’s ask Bondsman about this here hocus.  Are you willin’ to stand by what he says?”

“Oh, that’s not fair!  He’s your dog.”

“But he’s plumb square in his jedgments, missy.  Now, I’ll tell you.  We’ll call him in and say nothin’.  Then you ask him if he thinks I ought to put Lorry Adams over west or leave him to my camp this summer.  Now, if Bondsman wiggles that stub tail of his, it means, ‘yes.’  If he don’t wiggle his tail, he says, ’no,’—­huh?”

“Of course he’ll wiggle his tail.  He always does when I talk to him.”

“Then suppose I do the talkin’?”

“Oh, you can make him do just as you wish.  But all right, Mr. Shoop.  And you will really let Bondsman decide?”

“‘Tain’t accordin’ to rules, but seein’ it’s you—­”

Bud called to the big Airedale.  Bondsman trotted in, nosed Dorothy’s hand, and looked up at his master.

“Come ’ere!” commanded Shoop brusquely.  “Stand right there!  Now, quit tryin’ to guess what’s goin’ on and listen to the boss.  Accordin’ to your jedgment, which is plumb solid, do I put Lorry to work over on the line this summer?”

Bondsman cocked his ears, blinked, and a slight quiver began at his shoulders, which would undoubtedly accentuate to the affirmative when it reached his tail.

“Rats!” cried Dorothy.

The Airedale grew rigid, and his spike of a tail cocked up straight and stiff.