And he began to discover things about the character of the men on the Star Circle Ranch.

They were given to loud laughter, but he noticed that most of this laughter was at the misfortunes of others.

And they were always playing jokes on one another and cutting up tricks; but beneath this playfulness there seemed to be a sort of fierceness--something like the ferocity that lurks beneath the play of a tiger.
He had plenty of time for these reflections and feelings, as Walt Lampson did not seem to be in a hurry about attending to Mr.Sherwood's business, and Whitey caught Walt and the men looking at him in a peculiar way, when they thought he was not noticing them.

On the third day after his arrival--an unpleasant, lowering day, for that time of the year, with a cold wind--Walt spoke thus to Whitey: "I'm havin' some stock cut out, t'day, t' send to your dad.

How'd ye like t' go out on th' range an' take a look at it ?" "Is that the business Bill sent me on ?" asked Whitey.
"Partly," Walt answered.