On to the Siwash 



unlikely this circumstance was owing to the fact 

 that several of the rude chairs had soft layers of old 

 blanket tacked on them. Whatever were Frank s 

 internal emotions, he presented a remarkably placid 

 and commonplace exterior; but when Jim began to 

 search for the missing pan of dough, the joker slowly 

 sagged in his chair. 



&quot; Shore that beats hell ! &quot; said Jim. &quot; I had three 

 pans of dough. Could the pup have taken one? &quot; 



Wallace rose to his feet, and the bread pan clat 

 tered to the floor, with a clang and a clank, evidently 

 protesting against the indignity it had suffered. 

 But the dough stayed with Wallace, a great 

 white conspicuous splotch on his corduroys. Jim, 

 Frank and Jones all saw it at once. 



&quot;Why Mr. Wai lace you set in the 

 dough ! &quot; exclaimed Frank, in a queer, strangled 

 voice. Then he exploded, while Jim fell over the 

 table. 



It seemed that those two Arizona rangers, 

 matured men though they were, would die of convul 

 sions. I laughed with them, and so did Wallace, 

 while he brought his bone-handled bowie knife into 

 novel use. Buffalo Jones never cracked a smile, 

 though he did remark about the waste of good flour. 



Frank s face was a study for a psychologist when 

 Jim actually apologized to Wallace for being so care- 



193 



