His bedclothes were heavy upon his aching limbs; he had to wait upon his own wants; the fretful crying of Lovin Child or the racking cough of Cash was always in his ears, and as for cool drinks, there was ice water in plenty, to be sure, but nothing else.

Fair weather came, and storms, and cold: more storms and cold than fair weather.

Neither man ever mentioned taking Lovin Child to Alpine.

At first, because it was out of the question; after that, because they did not want to mention it.

They frequently declared that Lovin Child was a pest, and there were times when Bud spoke darkly of spankings--which did not materialize.