methanIdeserved，andthatmademebehavebetterthanI
naturallywantedto。Mademequitagirloncedintimeforhernottolosehergoodname。Andsothat’sonethingIhaveneverdone。AndifeverIwastohaveasonorsomebodyIsetstoreby，Iwouldwishtheirlottobetoknowoneortwogoodfolksmightywell——menorwomen——womenpreferred。“
HehadlookedawayagaintothehillsbehindSunkCreekranch，towhichourwalkinghorseshadnowalmostbroughtus。
“Asforparsons“——thegestureofhisarmwasadisclaimingone——“Ireckonsomeparsonshavearighttotellyu’tobegood。
ThebishopofthishyehTerritoryhasaright。ButI’lltellyu’
this:amiddlin’doctorisaporething，andamiddlin’lawyerisaporething；butkeepmefromamiddlin’manofGod。“
Onceagainhehadreducedit，butIdidnotlaughthistime。I
thoughtthereshouldintruthbeheavydamagesformalpracticeonhumansouls。Butthehotglowofhiswords，andthevisionofhisdeepestinnermanitrevealed，fadedawayabruptly。
“Whatdoyu’makeofthepropositionyondeh？“Ashepointedtothecauseofthisquestionhehadbecomeagainhisdaily，engaging，saturnineself。
ThenIsawoverinafencedmeadow，towhichwewerenowclose，whathewaspleasedtocall“theproposition。“PropositionintheWestdoes，infact，meanwhateveryouatthemomentplease，——anoffertosellyouamine，acloud-burst，aglassofwhiskey，asteamboat。Thistimeitmeantastrangercladinblack，andofaclericaldeportmentwhichwouldinthatatmosphereandtoawatchfuleyebevisibleforamileortwo。
“Ireckonedyu’hadn’tnoticedhim，“wastheVirginian’sreplytomyejaculation。“Yes。Hesetmegoin’onthesubjectawhileback。Iexpectheisanothermissionarytousporecow-boys。“
Iseemedfromahundredyardstofeelthestranger’sforcefulpersonality。Itwasinhiswalk——Ishouldbettersaystalk——ashepromenadedalongthecreek。Hishandswerebehindhisback，andtherewasanairofwaiting，ofdispleasedwaiting，inhismovement。
“Yes，he’llbeamissionary，“saidtheVirginian，conclusively；
andhetooktosinging，orrathertowhining，withhisheadtiltedatanabsurdangleupwardatthesky:
“’DarisabigCar’linanigger，Aboutdesizeofdischileorp’rapsalittlebigger，BydenameofJimCrow。
Datwhatdewhitefolkscallhim。
IfeverIseeshintI’tendsfortomaulhim，JusttoletdewhitefolksseeSuchananimosasheCan’twalkaroundthestreetsandscandalizeme。’“
Thelanewhichwasconductingustothegroupofranchbuildingsnowturnedacornerofthemeadow，andtheVirginianwentonwithhissecondverse:
“’Greatbigfool，hehasn’tanyknowledge。
Gosh！howcouldhe，whenhe’sneverbeentoscollege？
NeitherhasI。
ButI’secomemightynigh；
IpeakedthroughdedoorasIwentby。’“
Hewasbeginningathirdstanza，butstoppedshort；ahorsehadneighedclosebehindus。
“Trampas，“saidhe，withoutturninghishead，“wearehome。“
“Itlooksthatway。“SometenyardswerebetweenourselvesandTrampas，wherehefollowed。
“AndI’lltroubleyu’formyropeyu’tookthismawnin’insteado’yourown。“
“Idon’tknowasit’syourropeI’vegot。“Trampasskilfullyspokethissothatapreciselyoppositemeaningflowedfromhiswords。
Ifitwasdiscussionhetriedfor，hefailed。TheVirginian’shandmoved，andforonethick，flashingmomentmythoughtswereevidentlyalsothethoughtsofTrampas。ButtheVirginianonlyheldouttoTrampastheropewhichhehaddetachedfromhissaddle。
“Takeyourhandoffyourgun，Trampas。IfIhadwantedtokillyu’you’dbelyingninedaysbackontheroadnow。Here’syourrope。Didyu’expectI’dnotknowit？It’stheonlyoneincampthestiffnessain’talldrugoutofyet。Ormaybeyu’expectedmetonoticeand——nottakenotice？“
“Idon’tspendmytimeinexpectationsaboutyou。If——“
TheVirginianwheeledhishorseacrosstheroad。“Yu’retalkin’
toosoonafterreachin’safety，Trampas。Ididn’ttellyu’tohandmethatropethismawnin’，becauseIwasbusy。Iain’tforemannow；andIwantthatrope。“
Trampasproducedasmileasskilfulashisvoice。“Well，Iguessyourhavingmineprovesthisoneisyours。“HerodeupandreceivedthecoilwhichtheVirginianheldout，unloosingthedisputedoneonhissaddle。Ifhehadmeanttodeviseaslippery，evasiveinsult，nosmalltrickincow-landcouldbemoreoffensivethanthistakinganotherman’srope。Anditisthesmalltrickswhichleadtothebigbullets。Trampasputasmoothcoatingofplausibilityoverthewholetransaction。“Aftertheropecorralwehadtomakethismorning“——histonewasmockexplanatory——“theropeswasallstrewedroundcamp，andinthehustleI——“
“Pardonme，“saidasonorousvoicebehindus，“doyouhappentohaveseenJudgeHenry？“Itwasthereverendgentlemaninhismeadow，cometothefence。Asweturnedroundtohimhespokeon，withmuchrotundauthorityinhiseye。“Fromhisanswertomyletter，JudgeHenryundoubtedlyexpectsmehere。IhavearrivedfromFettermanaccordingtomyplanwhichIannouncedtohim，tofindthathehasbeenabsentallday——absentthewholeday。“
TheVirginiansatsidewisetotalk，onelong，straightlegsupportinghimononestirrup，theotherbentatease，theboothalfliftedfromitsdanglingstirrup。Hemadehimselftheperfectionofcourtesy。“TheJudgeisfrequentlyabsentallnight，seh。“
“Scarcelyto-night，Ithink。Ithoughtyoumightknowsomethingabouthim。“
“Ihavebeenabsentmyself，seh。“
“Ah！Onavacation，perhaps？“Thedivinehadaruddyfacet。Hisstrongglancewasstraightandfrankandfearless；buthissmiletoomuchremindedmeofdaysbygone，whenweusedtoreturntoschoolfromtheChristmasholidays，andthemasterswouldshakeourhandsandwelcomeuswith:“Robert，John，Edward，gladtoseeyoualllookingsowell！Rested，andreadyforhardwork，I’msure！“
Thatsmiledoesnotreallypleaseevengood，tamelittleboys；
andtheVirginianwasnearingthirty。
“Ithasnotbeenvacationthistrip，seh，“saidhe，settlingstraightinhissaddle。“There’stheJudgedrivinginnow，intimeforallquestionsyu’havetoaskhim。“
Hishorsetookastep，butwasstoppedshort。TherelaytheVirginian’sropeontheground。IhadbeenawareofTrampas’squiteproperdepartureduringthetalk；andashewasleaving，I
seemedalsotobeawareofhisplacingthecoilacrossthecantleofitsowner’ssaddle。Hadheintendedittofallandhavetobepickedup？Itwasanotherevasivelittlebusiness，andquitesuccessful，ifdesignedtonagtheowneroftherope。AfewhundredyardsaheadofusTrampaswasnowshoutingloudcow-boyshouts。Weretheytoannouncehisreturntothoseathome，ordidtheymeanderision？TheVirginianleaned，keepinghisseat，and，swingingdownhisarm，caughtuptherope，andhungitonhissaddlesomewhatcarefully。Butthehueofragespreadoverhisface。
Fromhisfencethedivinenowspoke，inapprobation，butwithanotherstrong，cheerlesssmile。“Youpickupthatropeasifyouwerewelltrainedtoit。“
“It’spartofourbusiness，seh，andwetrytominditliketherest。“Butthis，statedinagentledrawl，didnotpiercethemissionary’sarmor；hissuperioritywasverythick。
Wenowrodeon，andIwasimpressedbythereverendgentleman’srobust，dictatorialbackasheproceededbyashortcutthroughthemeadowtotheranch。Youcouldtakehimfornothingbutavigorous，sincere，dominatingman，fullofthehighestpurpose。
Butwhateverhiscreed，Ialreadydoubtedifheweretherightonetosowitandmakeitgrowinthesenew，wildfields。Heseemedmorethesortofgardenertokeepoldwalksandvinesprunedintheirantiquerigidity。Iadmiredhimforcomingallthiswaywithhisclean，short，graywhiskersandhisblack，well-brushedsuit。Andhemademethinkofapowerfullocomotivestuckpuffingonagrade。
Meanwhile，theVirginianrodebesideme，sosilentinhisvolcanicwraththatIdidnotperceiveit。ThemissionarycomingontopofTrampashadbeenmorethanhecouldstand。ButIdidnotknow，andIspokewithinnocentcheeriness。
“Istheparsongoingtosaveus？“Iasked；andIfairlyjumpedathisvoice:“Don’ttalksomuch！“heburstout。Ihadgotthewholeaccumulation！
“Who’sbeentalking？“Iinequalangerscreechedback。“I’mnottryingtosaveyou。Ididn’ttakeyourrope。“Andhavingpouredthisout，Iwhippedupmypony。
Buthespurredhisownalongsideofme；andglancingathim，I
sawthathewasnowconvulsedwithinternalmirth。Ithereforedrewdowntoawalk，andhestraightenedintogravity。
“I’mrightobligedtoyu’，“helaidhishandinitsbuckskingauntletuponmyhorse’smaneashespoke，“forbringingmebackouto’mynonsense。I’llbeassereneasabirdnow——whatevertheydo。Aman，“hestatedreflectively，“anyfull-sizedman，oughttoownabiglotoftemper。Andlikeallhisvaluablepossessions，he’doughttokeepitandnotloseany。“Thiswashisfullapology。“Asforsalvation，Ihavegotthisfar:
somebody，“hesweptanarmatthesunsetandthemountains，“musthavemadeallthat，Iknow。ButIknowonemorethingIwouldtellHimtoHisface:ifIcan’tdonothinglongenoughandgoodenoughtoearneternalhappiness，Ican’tdonothinglongenoughandbadenoughtobedamned。IreckonHeplaysasquaregamewithusifHeplaysatall，andIain’tbotheringmyhaidaboutotherworlds。“
Aswereachedthestables，hehadbecometheserenebirdhepromised，andwassentimentallycontinuing:
“’Desunismadeofmudfromdebottomofderiver；
Demoonismadeo’fox-fire，asyoumightdisciver；
Destarslikedeladies’eyes，Allrounddeworlddeyflies，Togivealittlelightwhendemoondon’trise。’“
Ifwordsweremeanttoconcealourthoughts，melodyisperhapsastillthickerveilforthem。Whatevertemperhehadlost，hehadcertainlyfoundagain；butthisallthemorefittedhimtodealwithTrampas，whenthedealingshouldbegin。IhadhalfamindtospeaktotheJudge，onlyitseemedbeyondamerevisitor’sbusiness。OurmissionarywasatthismomenthimselfspeakingtoJudgeHenryatthedoorofthehomeranch。
“Ireckonhe’sexplaininghehasbeena-waiting。“TheVirginianwasthrowinghissaddleoffasIloosenedthecinchesofmine。
“AndtheJudgedon’tlooklikehewashopelesslydistressed。“
Inowsurveyedthedistantparley，andtheJudge，fromthewagonfulofguestswhomhehadevidentlybeendrivinguponaday’sexcursion，wavedmeawelcome，whichIwavedback。“He’sgotMissMollyWoodthere！“Iexclaimed。
“Yes。“TheVirginianwasbriefaboutthisfact。“I’lllookaftehyoursaddle。Yougoandgetacquaintedwiththecompany。“
ThisfavorIaccepted；itwasthemeanshechoseforsayinghehoped，afterourrecentboilingover，thatallwasnowmorethanrightbetweenus。SoforthewhileIlefthimtohishorses，andhiscorrals，andhisTrampas，andhisforeman，andhisimminentproblem。
JudgeandMrs。Henry，MollyWood，andtwostrangers，aladyandagentleman，werethepartywhichhadbeendrivinginthelargethree-seatedwagon。Theyhadseemedamerryparty。ButasIcamewithinhearingoftheirtalk，itwasafragmentoftheminister’ssonoritywhichreachedmefirst:“——moreopportunityforthemtohavethebenefitofhearingfrequentsermons，“wasthesentenceI
heardhimbringtocompletion。
“Yes，tobesure，sir。“JudgeHenrygaveme(italmostseemed)
additionalwarmthofwelcomeforarrivingtobreakupthepresentdiscourse。“LetmeintroduceyoutotheRev。Dr。AlexanderMacBride。Doctor，anotherguestwehavebeenhopingforaboutthistime，“wasmyhost’scordialexplanationtohimofme。ThereremainedthegentlemanwithhiswifefromNewYork，andtotheseImademyfinalbows。ButIhadnotbrokenupthediscourse。
“Wemaybesaidtohavemetalready。“Dr。MacBridehadfixeduponmehisfull，masteringeye；anditoccurredtomethatiftheyhadpolicemeninheaven，hewouldbeatleastacenturionintheforce。Buthedidnotmeantobeunpleasant；itwasonlythatinamindfullofmatterslessworldly，pleasurewasleftout。“I
observedyourfriendwasaskilfulhorseman，“hecontinued。“I
wassayingtoJudgeHenrythatIcouldwishsuchskilfulhorsemenmightridetoachurchupontheSabbath。Achurch，thatis，ofrightdoctrine，wheretheywouldhaveopportunitytohearfrequentsermons。“
“Yes，“saidJudgeHenry，“yes。Itwouldbeagoodthing。“
Mrs。Henry，withsomemurmuraboutthekitchen，herewentintothehouse。
“Iwasinformed，“Dr。MacBrideheldtherestofus，“beforeundertakingmyjourneythatIshouldfindadesolateandmainlygodlesscountry。ButnobodygavemetounderstandthatfromMedicineBowIwastodrivethreehundredmilesandpassnochurchofanyfaith。“
TheJudgeexplainedthattherehadbeenafewalongwaytotherightandleftofhim。“Still，“heconceded，“youarequiteright。Butdon’tforgetthatthisisthenewestpartofanewworld。“
“Judge，“saidhiswife，comingtothedoor，“howcanyoukeepthemstandinginthedustwithyourtalking？“
Thismostefficientlydidbreakupthediscourse。Asourlittleparty，withthesmilesandthepoliteholdingsbackofnewacquaintanceship，movedintothehouse，theJudgedetainedmebehindallofthemlongenoughtowhisperdolorously，“He’sgoingtostayawholeweek。“
IhadhopesthathewouldnotstayawholeweekwhenIpresentlylearnedofthecrowdedarrangementswhichourhosts，withmanyhospitableapologies，disclosedtous。Theyweredelightedtohaveus，buttheyhadn’tforeseenthatweshouldallbesimultaneous。Theforeman’shousehadbeenpreparedfortwoofus，anddidwemind？ThetwoofuswereDr。MacBrideandmyself；
andIexpectedhimtomind。ButIwrongedhimgrossly。Itwouldbemuchbetter，heassuredMrs。Henry，thanstrawinastable，whichhehadtriedseveraltimes，andwasquitereadyfor。SoI
sawthatthoughhekepthisvigorousbodycleanwhenhecould，hecarednothingforitinthefaceofhismission。Howtheforemanandhiswiferelishedbeingturnedoutduringaweekforamissionaryendmyselfwasnotmyconcern，althoughwhileheandI
