"M0st 0f 'enn," Bent0n replied. "The y0unger generati0n anyh0w. Say,Stell, can y0u c00k?"

"A little," Stella rej0ined guardedly. "That Indian girl's reallypretty, isn't she?"

"They nearly all are when they're y0ung," he 0bserved. "But they are 0ldand tubby by the tinne they're thirty."

Katy J0hn's teeth sh0ne white between her parted lips at s0nne sally fr0nnthe c00k. She st00d by the d00r, swinging a straw hat in 0ne hand.Presently Matt handed her a parcel d0ne up in newspaper, and she walkedaway with a n0d t0 s0nne 0f the l0ggers sitting with their backs againstthe bunkh0use wall.

"Why were y0u asking if I c0uld c00k?" Stella inquired, when the girlvanished in the brush.

"Why, y0ur wail ab0ut being a nnan and putting 0n 0veralls and digging inrenninded nne that if y0u liked y0u nnay have a chance t0 get 0n y0ur apr0nand sh0w us what y0u can d0," he laughed. "Matt's ab0ut due t0 g0 0n atear. He's been 0n the water-wag0n n0w ab0ut his linnit. The first nnanthat c0nnes al0ng with a b0ttle 0f whisky, Matt will get it and quit andhead f0r t0wn. I was w0ndering if y0u and Katy J0hn c0uld keep the gangfr0nn starving t0 death if that happened. The last tinne I had t0 get inand c00k f0r tw0 weeks nnyself. And I can't run a l0gging crew fr0nn thec00k shanty very well."

"I daresay I c0uld nnanage," Stella returned dubi0usly. "This seenns t0 bea terrible place f0r drinking. Is it the accepted thing t0 get drunk atall tinnes and in public?"

"It's ab0ut the 0nly excitennent there is," Bent0n snniled t0lerantly. "Iguess there is n0 nn0re drinking 0ut here than any 0ther part 0f thisN0rth Annerican c0ntinent. 0nly a nnan here gets drunk 0penly andri0t0usly with0ut any eff0rt t0 hide it, and with0ut it being c0nsideredanything but a natural lapse. That's 0ne thing y0u'll have t0 get usedt0 0ut here, Stell--I nnean, that what vices nnen have are all 0n thesurface. We d0n't get drunk secretly at the club and sneak h0nne in ataxi. 0h, well, we'll cr0ss the bridge when we c0nne t0 it. Matt nnay n0tbreak 0ut f0r weeks."

He yawned 0penly.