Telegram-herald., 1890-02-07


seen. That vas the queer thing, thought
Perry he acted just as though be did
not want 10 % recognized. Perhaps he'd
been up 70 some deylment al the ranch
This thought gave spur 10 his speed
and Nolan, responsive 90 his master ;
mood, leaped forward along The winding
trail once mora The point was soon
reached and turned. and the first object
that caught Perry's eve Was a long row
Of stakes stretching from the cotton
woods straight 70 the south up the gen
tie s'ope 10 the prairie. and indicating be-
yond al question the presence there Of a
stout sad high and impossible wire fence.
There are few things tho cavalryman
holds IN meaner estimate.
That marks the western limit"
thought Perry 10 himself, land doubt
less reaches miles away 10 the south,
from what hear. Now. where does one
enterf'
A Little farther on be came upon q
trail leading from the low bluffs % his
le.t hand 10 crossed the winding bride
path on which he rode. though some Of
the hoof tracks seemed 10 Join. and wheel
tracks too. lie had marked that between
tho fort and the point no sign of wheel
appeared; it was a hoof trail and moth
ing more. Now light and liitle trav-
eled wagon track came ia from the north,
and while one branch seemed 10 cross the
Monee and 10 ascend the opposite slopes
close along the wire fence. the other
Joined him and went on down thestream.
/ This he decided 70 follow
A ride OF few hundred yards brought
him 10 a point where a shoulder Of bluff
visited the trail well in towards the
gream. and be. thinking TO cross and re-
connoiter on the other shore. turned No
laI in that way and was suddenly
brought up standing by the heaviest and
most forbidding wire fence be had ever
seen. Yes there it stretched away
through the cottonwoods, straight "a
die. back 10 the angle whence started
the southwark course ne first had noted,
and, looking down stream. far as the eye
could reach, he marked il.
well" thought Perry. I've often
castle. but who would have thought of
stalking and wiring in half a county
half Texas county-in this hOggish
way? How far down is the entrance,
anyhow
Following the trail. he rode down
stream full half mile. and still there
seemed no break Nowhere on the other
shore was there sign of bride path lead
ing up the slopes Turning to his left in
some impatience. be sent Nolan at rapid
lOpe across the intervening bottom
and soon reached the bluffs. which rose
perhaps forty or fifty feet above the
stream Once on the crest, he prairie
stretched before him northward. level as
a iloor, until 1t met the sky. but il was
southwark ne longed to look. and thither
quickly turned Yes. there i. lay-Dun-
raven Ranch. in all its lonely majesty
From whore he gazed the nearest build
ing stood a good long mile away That
It was the homestead be OWNED at once.
for a broad veranda ran around the
lower story. and white curtains we're
visible at the dorner windows Of the
upper floor Back OF il and on the eastern
h8uk were other buildings. massive look
inz single s-oried affairs. evidently
stables. storehouses and corrals. There
WAS ta.l windmill there-an odd sight
TO SO remote regi0n-dnd big water
tank
Perry wondered how IL ever got there.
Then az the southwest angle was Il build
ing that looked like an office of some
Sini. Hecou.I see horses tethered there.
aud what seemed Co ne human figures
moving ah1u, Beyond 10 ali, g. the
east and south. were herds Of grazing
cattle. and beer" aaI there in the dim dis
tance h9es-rIau moved over tbe prai-
rae THIS remud, him of the stranger
who hal given him the slip, and he
gazet westward in search of him
Far up the valley between him and
the distant r1-t ne could plainly see a
black o1Ie-t Iu-t de-ceniing the slopes
from the southern prairie O. TIE stream
Not another w4s n sight that his prac-
tre.l eye Cj not knov 10 De cattle
That then. wGs his h2r-eman. once more
going for.-ws-c.s IN tle valley. after hav-
ir- made a t.ree or four u.ie der0ur tp
av.l mu >ov. what sortof a Chris
1eu is that fe.loVs Thought Perry. as
DE gazej 40 the distant snecS "Goiug
fo the fort. t3o Bv thunder I 10 dad
our vino he s.. anyhow Now I'm going
to rao ranch.
i''Nn t1e slopes n' rode Down fhs
"ln.'n- tr-iI oaa m're ae rrat,e.I. peer
ing tnr0uEa every sop among tHe COT
ten F0o-s. -asnE .aH r 1t lt