Sacramento daily record-union., 1890-09-07
Buying A RAHCH.

Three months ago Hon. Horace Green
field came to America to seek his fortune.
lie has just returned to England-without
the fortune. Being the younger son of a
peer of limited means, Hon. Horace had
been brought up with view to the family
living, but when, Just as his university
career was drawing to close, his aunt
died and left him couple of thousand
pounds, he relinquished the idea of taking
orders, and determined to go out to the far
West in search of adventures and wealth,
and he persuaded two of his fathers serv-
ants-a groon and gardener-to accom-
pany him.
With, nearly $4,000 in his pocket, an
outfit that would last a lifetime-most of
it could never be utilized where he was
going-two servants and three dogs, he
embarked for the United States. After a
quick passage he arrived in New York;
and here he met his first disappointment.
| The very next morning, few minutes
before starting on his journey westward,
! his groom notified HIM that their relations
of master and servant had ceased.
SHOW is that ?" asked Horace.
swell, you see, sir" said the servant,
who was an Irishman, 81 have an uncle in
this city who is great politician. | went
to see him last night, and he says that il
Pll stay here he'll make me p'liceman in
ten days. He says as berth on the p'lice
force is worth salary of $100 month
and lot of outside money to smart chap
as amt too partickler."
So Hon. Horace was compelled to go on
his way without the groom, although ii
had cost about $3.50 to fit him out and pay
his passage. He had already been in ne
gotiation for small ranch near Helena
Tex, and it was thither that he was going
On arriving at Austin he found that there
was no train for twenty-four hours, and
accordingly he put up at the Shooters
! Hotel. Here he came in contact for the
first time with a genuine Texan" who
| greeted him according to the modest
stereotyped formula Morning, stranger
Hain't seen you hereabout afore. Glad to
| get 'quainted WI you. Come to settle
What's your biz? Come and take some
thing"
Young Greenfield met number of these
gentry during the day, and being a frank,
unsuspecting young fellow, he readily
opened his heart to them and told them Of
his prospects, his hopes and his intentions
They treated him kindly, always inviting
him to drink, but generally leaving him to
settle the bill.
In the morning his remaining servant
came and begged to be released from his
service, stating that nursery garden in
the town had been offered to him, and that,
as he had saved sufficient money to enable
him to invest in it, he thought that his
chances would be better in an independent
vocation than in service.
"Are you prepared to reimburse me for
my expenses in bringing you here ?" asked
Horace.
81 can't afford that, sir" was the reply.
'fVery WE'LL" said Greenfield, 81 can't
prevent you going. The only creatures
| that are faithful to me are my dogs. 1t
cost me about $500 to equip and bring you
| two men out and you desert me at the first
opportunity. You can CO."
Attended by his three dogs the young
man continued on his journey to Helena,
and the next day went to view the ranch
which he contemplated purchasing.
Things were not exactly as he had been
| led to expect, but they were not So bad as
to cause him to change his mind. The
handsome two-story dwelling, photo
graph of which had been shown to him in
| London, turned out to be combination of
stable and cattle shed, with loft, which
had been used by the last owner as his
| habitation.
The soil was fairly fertile and the past
ure good, but the broad, deep river which
he expected to find flowing in front of the
building, was in reality only gully few
| feet wide, down which water did slowly
trickle in the winter, but which was per-
fectly dry during the summer months.
However, he was not discouraged, and hav-
ing obtained concession in the price, he
paid the first installment of the purchase
money. Then he brought ont his three
dogs and all his portmanteaus, and took
possession of the loft over the stable. Two
days later he became the possessor of a
horse and mule, paying price for them
that made his neighbors smile when they
heard of it. Every man in the locality
now called and offered to sell him "cheap''
many implements and animals which they
did not need, but without which, they
said, he could not possibly get along.
One individual, whom he had previously
met in Austin, came from distant ranch
and begged him to go and see some cattle
he had to sell. Now cattle was what
Horace wanted, and believing himself to
be fair judge of them, he mounted his
horse and rode away with his new acquain-
tance. After ride of about twenty miles
they reached an inclosed tract of land, upon
which over hundred head of stock were
grazing unattended by cowboys.
! 81 tell YOU, stranger" said the Texan,
refining in his horse and looking over the
fence, ''thar be the finest beasts in this
State, and they're to be sold as cheap as
dirty-S30 per head all round"
Horace could see at glance that there
was no deception here; they were really
fine animals, and in fairly good condition
"How many are there@ he asked.
"One hundred and fifty" replied the
ranchman SIN six months from now,
with the pasture you've got, they'll have
put on 800 pounds of flesh apiece, and you
know what money that means"
The two men tied their horses to the
fence, climbed over it and walked among
| the animals 1t was much the best herd
that Horace had seen in Texas, and as it
appeared to him that in few months he
would make handsome profit out of the
transaction he announced his intention OF
buying the lot.
'Done with you, stranger p cried the
Texan, shaking hands energetically with
young Greenfield; "and now we'll jist trct
into Austin and drink to your success. |
do the treating"
Z They rode into Austin, and going to the
hotel at which Horace had stopped few
days before, drank to the young English
mans success in two quarts of champagne,
for which the generous Texan paid $40 a
bottle When the wine was consumed the
| ranchman said:
''The sun'll be getting low, young man,
before you git them cattle home. You'd
better start. Whar's your money?-in
bank, think you said"
Horace nodded.
''Go and get it." the Texan continued,
'and when you've passed it over you can
take the cattle One and fifty times thirty
is forty-five hundred; that's what you want,
| and trihe 10 pay some boys help you
| drive tho cattle home