"Call me 'Monty,' Mrs. Smith-and what's your name? Mighty pretty place you've got here...for so far out in the country."

"If you gentlemen will excuse me, 'I have a couple of things to do to get supper on the table." She turned quickly and hurried back into her kitchen.

Lazarus answered, "I'm glad you like it, Monty. It's the best we've been able to do so far, while getting a farm started." The back wall of the compound had four rooms built against it: storeroom, kitchen, bedroom, and nursery. All had doors into the compound, but only the kitchen door was open. The rooms interconnected.

Outside the kitchen door was a Dutch oven; in the kitchen was a fireplace used for other cooking and for all cooking when it rained. That and a water barrel were as yet Dora's major kitchen equipment-but her husband had promised her running water "sometime before you are a grandmother, my lovely." She had not pressed him about it; the house grew larger and better equipped each year.

Beyond the Dutch oven and paralleling the bedrooms was a long table with matching stools. At the other wall by the storeroom was an outhouse; it and a water barrel and two wooden tubs made by cutting another barrel in two constituted, so far, their "bathroom-toilet-refresher." A pile of earth with a shovel stuck into it was by the outhouse; the cesspit was being slowly backfilled.

"You've done pretty well," Montgomery conceded. "But you shouldn't have put your privy inside. Don't you know that?"

"There is another privy outside," Lazarus Long told him. "We use this one as little as possible and I try to keep it from being too whiff. But you can't expect a woman to go outside after dark, not in loper country."

"Lots of lopers, eh?"

"Not as many as there used to be. Did you see any dragons as you came through the valley?"

"Saw a lot of bones. Looked like a plague had hit the dragons hereabouts."

"Something of the sort," Lazarus agreed. "Lady! Heel!" He added, "Monty, tell Darby that it's not safe to kick at that dog; she'll attack. She's a watchdog, in charge of this house, and she knows it."

"You heard what the man said, Darby. Leave the dog alone."

"Then she had better not come sniffing around me! I don't like dogs. She growled at me."

Lazarus said directly to the older son, "She growled because you kicked at her when she sniffed you. Which was her duty. If I had not been present, she would have taken your throat out. Leave her alone and she'll leave you alone."

Montgomery said, "Bill, you had better put her outside while we eat." Phrased as a suggestion, it was made to sound like an order.

"No."

"Gentlemen, supper is served."

"Coming, dear. Lady. High sentry." The bitch glanced at Darby but immediately trotted up the ladder to the roof, using the rungs without hesitation. There she made a careful full-circle scan before sitting down where she could watch both outside and the supper party below her.

The Supper party was more successful as a supper than as a party. Conversation was limited mostly to small talk between the two older men. Darby and Dan simply ate. Dora answered briefly sallies that Montgomery made at her and failed to hear any that she regarded as too personal. The sons seemed surprised to find their plates set each with knife, fork, chop tongs, and spoon, then relied mostly on knife and fingers; their father made some effort to use each eating tool, getting quite a bit of food into his beard.

Dora had piled the table with hot fried chicken, cold sliced ham, mashed potatoes and chicken gravy, hot corn pone and cold whole wheat bread with bacon drippings, a mug of goat's milk at each place, lettuce-and-tomato salad with grated goat's-cheese-and-onion dressing, boiled beets, fresh radishes, fresh strawberries with goat's milk. As promised, the Montgomerys ate for six, and Dora was pleased that she had provided a plenty.

At last Montgomery pushed back his stool and belched appreciatively. "My, that hit the spot! Miz Smith, you can cook for us all the time. Right, Dan?"

"Right, Pop!"

"I'm pleased that you enjoyed it, gentlemen." She stood up and started to clear the table. Lazarus stood and started to help her.

Montgomery said, "Oh, sit down, Bill. Want to ask you some questions."

"Go ahead and ask," Lazarus said, continuing to stack plates.

"You said there was no one else in the valley."

"That is correct."

"Then I think we'll stay right here. Miz Smith is a very good cook."

"You're welcome to camp here overnight. Then you'll find excellent farmland farther down the river. As I told you, I've homesteaded all of this."

"Been meaning to talk to you about that. Doesn't seem right for one man to grab all the best land."

"It isn't the best land, Monty; there arc thousands of hectares just as good. The only difference is that I've plowed and cultivated this part."

"Well, we won't argue about it. We outvote you. Four voting, I mean, and us three all voting the same way. Right, Darby?"

"Right, Pop."

"It's not subject to vote, Monty."

"Oh, come now! The majority is always right. But we won't argue. Been a nice feed, now for some entertainment. Do you like to rassle?"

"Not especially."

"Don't be a spoilsport. Dan, do you think you can throw him?"

"Sure, Pop."

"Good. Bill, first you rassle Dan-out here in the middle and I'll referee, keep everything fair and square."

"Monty, I'm 'not going to wrestle."

"Oh, sure you are. Miz Smith! Better come out here, you won't want to miss this."

"I'm busy now," Dora called out. "I'll be out shortly."

"Better hurry. Then you rassle Darby, Bill-then you rassle me."

"No wrestling, Monty. Time for you folks to get into your wagon."

"But you want to rassle, young fellow. I didn't tell you what the prize is. The winner sleeps with Miz Smith." His second gun appeared as he said it. "Fooled you, didn't I?"

From the kitchen Dora shot the gun out of his hand just as a knife suddenly grew in Dan's neck. Lazarus shot Montgomery carefully in the leg, then even more carefully shot Darby-as Lady Macbeth was at his throat. The fight had lasted under two seconds.

"Lady. Heel. Nice shooting, Dorable." He patted Lady Macbeth. "Good Lady, good dog."

"Thank you, darling. Shall I finish off Monty?"

"Wait a moment." Lazarus stepped over and looked down at the wounded man. "Got anything to say, Montgomery?"

"You bastards! Never gave us a chance."

"Gave you lots of chance. You wouldn't take it. Dora? Do you want to? Your privilege."

"Not especially."

"All right." Lazarus picked up Montgomery's second gun, noted that it was indeed a museum piece but did not seem to be hurt. He used, it to finish off its owner.

Dora was peeling off her dress. "Half a moment, dear, while I get this off; I don't want to get blood on it." With the dress out of the way, her pregnant condition showed a little. She also showed several other weapons as well as a gun belt riding low on her hips.

Lazarus was getting out of his kilt and other finery. "You don't need to help, sweetheart; you've done a full day's work-and a fine one! Just toss me my oldest overalls."

"But I want to help. What are going to do with them?"

"Put them into their wagon, take them far enough downriver that lopers will dispose of them, drive back." He glanced at the Sun. "An hour and more of daylight left. Time enough."

"Lazarus, I don't want you away, from me! Not now."

"Upset by it, my durable one?"

"Some. Not much. Uh...made horny by it, I'm ashamed to say. Perverted, huh?"

"Rangy Lil, anything makes you horny. Yes; it's somewhat perverse...but a surprisingly common reaction to one's first encounter with death. Nothing to be ashamed of as long as you don't get hooked by it; it's just a reflex. On second thought never mind the overalls; I can scrub blood off my hide easier than getting it out of cloth." He removed the bar and opened the gate as he' talked.