The Cass County Sun (Linden, Tex.), Vol. 54, No. 7, Ed. 1 Tuesday, February 12, 1929 Page: 3 of 8
eight pages : ill. ; page 20 x 14 in. Digitized from 35 mm. microfilm.View a full description of this newspaper.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
The
Settling
cf Sage
By
IIAL G. EVARTS
Copyright by Hnl O, Evarta
WNU Service
¥
WHAT HAS GONE BEFORE
At the Warren ranch, the
Three Bar," a stranger ap-
plied for work as a rider. WU-
liainette Ann Warren—known to
all as "Blllle," Is the owner of
the ranch. The girl's father,
.Jal Warren, had been the origi-
nal owner. The question whetn-
er the territory Is to remnin
"cow country" or he opened o
settlement Is a troublesome one.
The newcomer Is put to worli.
Cattle "rustlers" have been
troubling the ranch owners. The
new hand 'gives his name as Cal
Harris. By his announcement In
favor of "squatters" he incurs
the enmity of a rider known as
Morrow. The will made by Cnl
Warren stipulated that half tli«
property should go to the son of
his old friend, William Harris,
under certain conditions. The
new arrival is the man, and he
discloses the fact to Billie. Slade,
a ranchman with an unsavory
reputation, visits Billie. Slade, en-
deavoring to embrace Billie Is in-
terrupted by Harris. The reg-
ular calf round-up Is begun.
While the riders are at their
evening meal, far out on the
range, six outsiders join them.
Billio knows them to be "rust-
lers," who, under the leadership
of Slade and a man named Harp,
er, have In the past stolen Three
Bar cattle. To test Harris' cour-
age the girl appoints him tem-
porary foreman, suggesting that
he order the visitors to leave.
Somewhat to her surprise he does
so
CHAPTER IV—Continued
Harris nnd the girl worked the last
draw themselves and when they drove
their cows nut of the mouth of It they
found a herd already milled, two hun-
dred yards above the wagon. Harris
left her and circled the bunch, esti-
mating It.
When the last rider appeared with
tils bunch and threw It Into the herd
Harris signaled all hands to change
mounts. Half the men repaired to
the rope corral and caught up cow
horses while the balance of the crew
held the herd, each one relieving some
other as soon as he had saddled a
fresh horse.
A sagebrush fire was burning fifty
yards above the wagon and each man
rode past It, leaned from his saddle
nnd dropped his running Iron In the
flame.
The men worked round the edge of
the bunch and slipped n noose on
every calf that was thrown to the
edge of the constantly shifting mass.
Morrow roped the first calf and
dragged It to the fire.
As much as she loved the round-up,
many times as she had seen It, Blllle
Warren had never become calloused to
the brutalities perpetrated on the
ealves. She withdrew and sat In the
shade of the wagon. She was down-
wind and the dust raised by the
trampliitg hoofs floated down to her,
mingled with the odor of steaming
cows, the acrid smoke of the sage fire
iind the taint of scorched hair and
flesh.
In a short space of time the herd
had been worked, the last calf brand-
ed, and Harris led the men up the
bottoms. Five miles up the valley,
at the spot where he had crossed it a
few hours before, they found the
wagon waiting at the new stand, the
corral refashioned nnd the remuda In-
side it. It was but ten o'clock but
the first circle had commenced at
four. The noon meal on the round-up
was served whenever the first circle
was completed. The men foil raven
ously on the hot meal, changed to
tnr'. circle horses and started again.
It was falling dusk when the herd
gathered In the third circle had been
worked and the last calf branded for
the day.
At the end of the first week out
from the ranch Harris pulled up his
horse beside the girl's and showed her
his tally book.
"We've run Slade's mark on more
calvos than we have our own," ho
said. "That's one way he works.'
"ltut that's not his fault and It
doesn't mean anything," she said.
"His cows are sure to drift This
first strip we've worked Is the south
ernmost edge of our runge and his
north wagon works the strip right
south of us. We're sure to find a
number of his cows. As we double
back oti -our next lap we'll not find
Uic Mime proportion."
"Not quite—but plenty," he pre-
dicted. "We've marked more calves
for Slade In one week than all his
three wagon crews will murk for ihe
Three Bur in a year. The llrst three
weeks of each season your men do n
little more work for Slade than they
do for you. it's a safe bet tliut the
llalfuioon !> does the same, nnd so on
through every brand thnt Joins ids
range. That puts him way off ahead."
'ltut that is pure accident," she
said.
"It's pure design," he stated. "Ills
boys are busy shoving his cows from
the middle all ways so that when fail
comes lie has a good inside block
that's only been lightly fed over. They
fall back on that lor winter feed.
Last winter, when cows were dying
like rats, his men were out drifting
Slade's stulT back toward his middle
range."
"That's true enough," she admitted.
"But—"
"But you thought he was doing It
as n favor to you getting his sur-
plus off your territory so your own
cows would have a better chance.
That's the same kind of talk he lloat-
ed all round the line; playing the
benevolent neighbor when In reality
the old pirate had deliberately
planned, year after year, to overcrowd
your range and feed you out."
"But his men would know," she ob-
jected
"Not many of them would grasp the
whole scheme of It," he suld. "You
hadn't thought of It yourself, nnd
what if a few of them did surmise?
They're riding for his brand."
The girl nodded. That unalterable
code again—the religion of being loyal
to one's brand. Not one of Slade's
men would balk at doing It knowing-
ly; each would do anything to ad-
vance his Interests as long as he drew
his pay from Slade.
As they talked Harris detailed men
for each draw but when they reached
the point where they were due to drop
down and cross the valley be pulled
up his horse.
"You take the rest of the circle,
Carp," he instructed Carpenter. "I'm
going to ride Off up the rise a piece."
The girl regurded him curiously. No
less than three times In the last week
he had stopped midway of the circle
and asketl her to complete It. Now
lie had turned It over to Cnrp and he
slgnuled her to remain with him.
"Where are we going?" she asked
as she watched the men ride down
toward the bottoms. "And why?"
"Back the way we came," he said.
"And maybe I can show you why."
He headed back the divide they
had Just followed until he came to
the saddle at the head of a draw that
led down to the vniley. Far below
them they could see a rider hazing a
hunch of cows out Into the bottoms.
High on the right-hand slope of the
gulch lay a notch, a little blind basin
watered by the seepnge from a side-
hill spring, and there on the green
bed of it a dozen cows with their
calves grazed undisturbed. For per-
haps five minutes Harris lolled side-
wise in the saddle and watched them.
Then a rider appeared on the ridge
thnt divided that draw from the nest,
dropped in below the cows and head-
ed them back over the ridge Into the
draw from which he hud appeared.
Even at that distance she recognized
this lust man as Lanky Evans. Har-
ris resumed his way down the divide
and she knew thnt lie had discovered
some irregularity for which he had
been seeking.
"Who was the man that overlooked
those cows?" she asked. "Who worked
that draw?"
"Morrow," he said. "Ills eyesight
is getting bad. That's the second time
this week—and the last."
"Then Morrow Is an inside man for
Harper," she said. "Drawing Three
Bar pay and working against us, too."
"Yes," he said. "Only he's an In-
side mun for Slade."
"But how could his leaving those
calves behind benefit Slade?" she de-
manded.
"How could It benefit Harper?" he
countered. "Can you tell me thnt?"
She could not and motioned for him
to go on.
"None of Harper's men has a brand
of his own," he said. "They're living
on the move. They can't wait for
calves to grow up. The way they
work is to run a bunch of beef steers
across Into Idaho. They'll pick up
another hunch there nnd shove them
across the Utah line nnd repeat by
moving a drove of some Utah brand
up In here. Only beef steers—quick
turning stuff. . You know about the
reputation of the O V and the Lazy
H Four."
She knew all too well. There was
a half-feud, a smoldering distrust dis-
played between cowmen on each side
of the three state lines, a triangle of
111 feeling. It wus current rumor thut
the O V and the Lazy H Four, rang-
ing far southwest of the Three Bar,
would traffic In any steers thnt came
from across either the Utah or Idaho
line. In the corner of those stntes
were siinllnr outfits that were receiv-
ing stations for rustled stock from the
opposite sides. The trlnngular feud
hnd been fostered to a point where
the thieves were lmmtmn, Uvea If a
direct complaint should be brengM
against them they hnd hut to rlda
across Into another state and « sheriff
following them would he helpless, the
Inhabitants resenting (Ids Intrusion
Into their affairs h.v an officer from
another state, truly huvlng no right
there, nnd refusing to aid him even
if they did not actually oppose his
passage.
"But how would It benefit Slade?"
she repeated.
"Why, suppose that Morrow over-
looked a nice bunch of Three Bur
calves all along this first strip next
to Slade's range." Harris sitla. "Then
some Slnde rider happens to drop
aliuig alter our wagon litis moved on
and he hazes them off south. Later
nrimher picks them up and shoves
them along another half-day's drive-
way beyond where our hoys ever work,
even beyond the strip covered by
Slade's north wagon, the only one
that' carries a Three Bar rep; what
then?"
"The calves would still be with
mothers wearing the Three Bar mark,"
she said. "After they leave the cows
they're slicks, fair game for the first
man that puts Ids rope on them—and
Slade wouldn't risk running one of
Ids own brands on them before they
left the cows."
"Not one of his own, no," Harris
said; "only one that's going to be bis
later on. Hid It ever strike you as
queer that Slade, whose way Is to
crush every new outfit, should suffer
a soft-hearted streak every year or
so and befriend some party that hnd
elected to start up for himself right
In the middle of Slade's range? And
later buy him out? That's the way
he came into nearly every brand he
runs. Several of those dinky little
owners have moved out right sudden
with n dozen riders from some other
outfit fanning along close behind;
McArthur didn't even get moved, for
Brandons went on the war trail tie-
fore he had time to start. But it
transpired that he was all set to go
because Slade showed bill of stile for
Mac's holdings, dated old* the day
before. That's how tie came to own
every one of those brands that match
up so close with those of every outfit
thnt overlaps his range."
They had turned their horses down
a long ridge tliar led to the wagon In
the bottoms.
"I'll mention to the boys thut Mor-
row sold out Ihe interests of the
Three Bnr while he was drawing
Sown your pay. They'll pass sentence
on him right sudden. Four hours from
now they'll have dry-gulched him so
far from nowhere that even the ecy-
otes can't find him."
"Not thnt," she said. "Turn him
over to the sheriff. You caught him
In the act."
"In the act of missing a few cows
on his detail. The sheriff would
hold him almost an hour before he
let him go."
"Then give him his check nnd send
him off the Three Bar range," *he
said.
Harris waited till the herd hnd
been worked and the men had gath-
ered round the wagon. Then he
handed Morrow a check.
"Here's your time," he said. Ton
can be leaving almost any time now.*
Every man knew that Morrow had
been caught at some piece of work
contrary to the Interests of the Three
Bar. The discharged hand gave •
short ugly laugh.
"As soon ns yon pussyfooted Into
the foreman's Job I knew It was only
a question of time," he said.
"Exactly," Harris returned. "Pack
your stuff."
"A foremnn has a scattering of *
dozen or so men to back him up,"
Morrow observed with a shrug of one
shoulder toward the rest of the men,
Harris turned to the girl.
"I resign for about sixty seconds,"
he said and swung bock toward Mor-
row; and again nil hands noted hli
queer quartering stand. "I'm not fore-
man right ot this minute," he said.
"So if you had anything In particular
to address to me in a personal vein
yon can start now. Otherwise you'd
better be pneking your stuff."
Morrow turned his back and hended
for the rope corral. When he had
saddled one horse nnd packed his ef«
fects on another he turned to Evans.
"You helped frame this on me," ha
said. "I thought I saw you mesRlng
over Into my detail a few days back.
One day right soon I'll run across yon
again."
"Then I'll tnke to riding with my
head over my shoulder—surveying
my back-track," Lanky promised. "Be-
cuuse we'll most likely meet from be*
hind."
Morrow started to snarl an nnswer,
his usual self-repression deserting
him, but Harris waved an Impatient
hand.
"Drag Itl" he snapped. "Get mov-
ing. If I had my own wny we'd lead
your horse out from under you—nnd
we will If I ever hear of your turning
up on the Three Bnr range again."
(TO BE CONTINUED.)
The Nature of Art
Art Is born of constraint, live* on
conflict, and dies of liberty.—Vanilf
LIFE'S
UTILE
JESTS
SEE YOU LATER
"How long are you going to ba
gone?"
"Can't say."
"Well, approximately?'*
"I really don't know."
"You've no Iden, then, Just how
long it will take you?"
"Not the least."
"Well, all right. I guess I can be
back by then, too."
"Splendid. Don't forget I'll be look-
ing for you."
"Sure thing. I'll be there."
LOOKED LIKE IT
Bug—My goodness, If there Isn't
one of those old-fashioned hansom
cabs I
Truth Will Prevail
The truth Is mighty, though sometimes
frail
When It's put to the test
t he truth is mighty and will prevail—.
If it Isn't suppressed.
Thrifty Cave Lady
Mr. Sklnpunts—Now we're old mar-
ried folks we might us well get rid of
all these old love letters that are clut-
tering up the cave.
His Wife—Say, dearie; let me keep
this one that I chiselled when we were
first engaged. It will make such a
sweet tombstone when you get bumped
off or something.
Silver Thread*
The still young mun was prema-
turely gray nnd proud of it.
"Looks quite poetic, don't you
think?" he asked the girl.
"It does remind me of a certain
poem," she suid.
"And what is that?"
'"When the Frost Is on the Pump
kin.' "
He's No Centipede
Absent-Minded Man—I want a pair
of socks.
Clerk—What number?
Absent-Minded Man—Why-ah two, of
course I
The Uusuai Thinjj
Agatha—What makes Bettle want
a divorce? Is it that husband of hers?
Harriet—No, it's that husband thai
isn't hers.
A Crying Good Time
Henry—Say, Josephine, did you and
Ruth enjoy yourselves at the theater?
Josephine — Yes, yes; we cried
"'rough the whole play.
FOR EARLY SEASON
"Say, Bill, how do 1 look In my
new hat?"
Not Double-Jointed
She optimist his soul anoints
With balm—Is never disappointed.
With rheumatism in his Joints,
Is glad he Isn't double-jointed.
Free From That
"Has your husband any hobbles?"
asked the neighbor who was calling.
"No," said Mrs. Neurlch, "he has
rheumntlz a good deal, and hives now
and then, but he ain't never had no
hobbles."
Soma Job
"What is the biggest problem?" we
tsked the manager of the installment
house.
"Getting 'em to pay np after thej
have paid down," he sighed.
OLD FOLKS SAY
DR. CALDWELL
WAS RIGHT
Tho basis of treating sickness has not
changed since Dr. Caldwell left Medical
Collego in 1875, nor since he placed on
the market the laxative prescription he
liad used in his practice.
He treated constipation, biliousness,
headaches, mental depression, indigestion,
sour stomach and other indispositions
entirely by means of simple vegetable
laxatives, herbs and roots. These are
still tho basis of Dr. Caldwell's Syrup
Pepsin, a combination of senna and
other mild herbs, with pepsin.
The simpler the remedy for constipa-
tion, the safer for the child and for you.
And as you can get results in a mild
and safe way by using Dr. Caldwell's
Syrup Pepsin, why taice chances with
etrong drugs?
A bottle will last several months, and
fell can use it. It is pleasant to the
taste, gentle in action, and free from
narcotics. Elderly people find it ideal.
IA1I drug stores have the generous bottles,
or write "Syrup Pepsin," Dept. BB,
Monticello, Illinois, for free trial bottle.
.PISO'S
WwfCOUghS
Quick Relief! A pleasant, effective
«yrup—35c and 60c dzea. And ex-
ternally, uie PISO'S Throat and
Cheat Salve, 35c.
iieaitn (living
«ia n«*ltiia
^ All Winter Long "
Marvelous Climate Good Hotels — Tourist
Cam pa—Splendid Koadi—(iorgeoui Mountain
Views The wonderful desert retort of the West
F Write Croo A Chaffoy
ciIBBB Sprinsjm
CALIFORNIA ^
Still Fighting On
President Butler of Columbia, apro-
pos of the jibbing of France and
other countries over Secretary Kel-
logg's anti-war pact, said at a re-
ception :
"War would vanish if mankind real-
ly worked against it. If men only
persevered in wise things as splendid-
ly as they do In foolish ones the mil-
lennium would be here next week.
" 'Jones is a man of remarkable
perseverance,' a banker said to me.
"'Yes?' said I.
" 'Yes. He's tried 238 cures for bald-
ness In the last 19 years, and he's stili
fighting on ns hard as ever.'"
Big Circulation
Friend—Are your poems widely
tead?
Poet—I'll say they are. More than
twenty editors read the last one.
Makes Life
Sweeter
Children's stomachs sour, and need
an antl-acld. Keep their systems
sweet with Phillips Milk of Magnesia!
When tongue or breath tells of acid
condition—correct It with a spoonful
of Phillips. Most men nnd women have
been comforted by this universal
Bweetener—more mothers should In-
voke Its aid for their children. It Is a
pleasant thing to tnke, yet neutralizes
more add than the harsher things too
often employed for the purpose. No
household.should be without it.
Phillips Is the genuine, prescrlp-
tlonal product physicians endorse for
general use; the name Is Importnnt.
"Milk of Magnesia" has been the U. S.
registered trade mark of the Charles
H. Phillips Chemical Co. and Its pre-
decessor Charles H. Phillips since 1875.
PHILLIPS
* Milk .
of Magnesia
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Newspaper.
Banger, J. E. A. & Erwin, W. L. The Cass County Sun (Linden, Tex.), Vol. 54, No. 7, Ed. 1 Tuesday, February 12, 1929, newspaper, February 12, 1929; Linden, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth341149/m1/3/: accessed June 21, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Atlanta Public Library.