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Savvy Spanish?" asked Grayson.

I read and write it better than I speak it," said Bridge, "though I do the latter well

enough to get along anywhere that it is spoken."

Grayson wanted a bookkeeper worse than he could ever recall having wanted

anything before in all his life. His better judgment told him that it was the height

of idiocy to employ a ragged bum as a bookkeeper; but the bum was at least as

much of a hope to him as is a straw to a drowning man, and so Grayson clutched

at him.

"Go an' turn your cayuse in an' then come back here," he directed, "an' I'll give

you a tryout."

"Thanks," said Bridge, and rode off in the direction of the pasture gate.

'Fraid he won't never do," said Grayson, ruefully, after Bridge had passed out of

earshot.

"I rather imagine that he will," said the boss. "He is an educated man, Grayson--

you can tell that from his English, which is excellent. He's probably one of the

great army of down-and-outers. The world is full of them--poor devils. Give him a

chance, Grayson, and anyway he adds another American to our force, and each

one counts."

"Yes, that's right; but I hope you won't need 'em before you an' Miss Barbara go,"

said Grayson.

"I hope not, Grayson; but one can never tell with conditions here such as they

are. Have you any hope that you will be able to obtain a safe conduct for us from

General Villa?"

Oh, Villa'll give us the paper all right," said Grayson; "but it won't do us no good

unless we don't meet nobody but Villa's men on the way out. This here Pesita's

the critter I'm leery of. He's got it in for all Americans, and especially for El Orobo

Rancho. You know we beat off a raid of his about six months ago--killed half a

dozen of his men, an' he won't never forgive that. Villa can't spare a big enough

force to give us safe escort to the border and he can't assure the safety of the

train service. It looks mighty bad, sir--I don't see what in hell you came for."

"Neither do I, Grayson," agreed the boss; "but I'm here and we've got to make the

best of it. All this may blow over--it has before--and we'll laugh at our fears in a

few weeks."

220

The Mucker