"Do you know, Adam," said Robin, when they had walked a mile in
silence, "do you know that you are a fraud?"
"Well, yes," he responded, "but I didn't know you knew it. Is the
discovery recent?"
"Never mind about dates, but tell me why you didn't use the rifle
instead of the lariat? What did you take it for?"
"I took it for your peace of mind. I didn't use it for several good
and substantial and sentimental reasons. To reverse them, this last
year I have grown to understand your horror of killing things. We have
done very well without sacrificing any of our dependents; in fact, it
would seem like murder to slaughter the animals about us. And it's
such a little world it seems a pity to kill off any of its
inhabitants. To tell the truth, I hope the bear got away all right.
This is maudlin, I know, but I don't want my hand first to bring death
on all there is left of earth. Incidentally,--there are no
cartridges."
He stopped the horses, while Robin readjusted the kids to make them
more comfortable, and took the lame one in her arms, then they moved
on.