St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-12-11
Tim awful g ad to see you, boys.

I Justice to the GXc6IlGnt meal INC Woludil
| had prepared.
When the boys rode away they trav-
erSed quite distance in silence. FINAL
ly Mat said:
That gal makes me teel queer inside,
Tony. A sort of hankerin' fetlln', you
know Fust gal | ever seed L thought
I'd like to have pack my brand"
"She'S sumner, Nat. dead sure.
war lust thinkin' I'd sort O. like TO
git matermonial rope Oh her myself"
RECKON she wouldn't keer fur either
one o. us to come nosin' round the home
ranch. Reckon she's already got Teller
Staked out somewhat"
"You can't always tell, Mat. Girls is
queer critters"
Time passed, and one day Tony was
sent down the river to look for saddle
horses that had drifted off the range.
When he returned he said 10 his chum:
81 tux III the ranch down the river
again. Mat, an sWar Pm getting stuck
on that gal down thar. She war sweet
erin pie, an the ole woman treated me
like she'd known me all my life. The
gal said the L Y alluS had SIGH nice
felIers workln' fur it, am jest as much
as tol me she thought heap o. my
company" ~
Mat said but little. His companion's
words did not greet his ears pleasantly.
for very tender feeling toward the
little ranch girl had taken possession
of the citadel Of his own heart. Ere
many days the fates seemed to smile on
him, for his duties took him to the mouth
of Sand creek alone. NV hen heaz re-
turned Tony asked: > =
Wizard you ride to, MatF'
Nd fha
neighborhoOd."
''See The Rogers folks?" NJ '- 'e@-'ss' <e
Course | did. You don't reckon a
heaven 'ithOut tryln' to selimb 'em, do
you? Had a slick time down thar"
"Did Mary ak about me"' aes ~
mo: never heard her mention moth
i'm bout you. Don't reckon she ever
thought o you. l b'lieve she's sort o.
stuck on me, fur she said l war the
most entertainln' Teller she'd - ever
talked to. | aXed whose company she
liked best 'mong all the fellers she
knowed, an she looked .down at4the
floor sort O. blushy-like, am said 1t
wouldn't be modest to answer that
question long as war thar"
"She never said no s;ch thing. Mat.
She couldn't say it arter talkin' honey
to me like she did. '"
"You don't reckon Pd Lie 'boutit, do
you?" =s --@'t~''~
"a Teller kin reckon wat he pleases
'thOut sayin' it out loud!" a."s
1t was the nearest the friends had
ever come to quarrel, and they stood
and looked at each other in-ilo amIable
mood. There was painful silence Of
few moments, until Tony said:
''Mebbe she's cO-cat, Mat"
IA W'at?"
IA co-cat, as they call 'em. One o.
those gals at never meets a Teller 'thOut
drawin' him on till he gets dead gone
on her, an then gives him the royal
shake by sayin' she war only jokin' an
didn't think it would come to that.
Heartless cc-cats, they call 'em."
''Mary Rogers isn't no SIGH sort of
say so no mo-! She give me honest talk
an she meant it."
''She gave me jest as nice talk. Watts
she tryin to rope two critters at one
throw fur if she amt co-cat?"
"She amt never slung but one rope,
an | know who il frightened OH. | won't
talk to you no mo- till you git hobble
on yer sense"
And he walked away in anger, the
bitter feeling toward his friend greatly
intensified.
For several days they would speak to
each other only on matters connected
with their work. Each now regarded
the other as rival, and each believed
the other had spoken falsely regarding
the attentions paid him by the down
river ranch girl. At every opportunity
they would separately visit the Rogers
ranch, each aware of the others visits.
The girls name was never mentioned
between them, but their eyes when they
met mirrored the bitter enmty which
filled their hearts. One day Mat sat for
an hour revolving the matter in his
mind, and determined to bring it to a
focus. Approaching Tony, he said:
Ppm willin' to do the squar thing.
Let's leave this hull thing to Milt, an
do Jest as he says. Watts the sense o.
you an me goin' around var with blood
in our eyes, arter bein' friends so long?
We can't both have the gal, an let's ak
Milt to say who shall rope her?" r
Tony assented to this proposition, and
together they sought the foreman -1
"Milt. do you know Mary Rogers,
down the river?"
"Reckon do. Knowed her sence she
want any taller'n week old calf"
"Well, it's like this: Ne an Tony's
both claimin' the right to put a brand
on her fur life, an we can't settle who
has the best snow fur ropln' the little
crtter, so we've agreed to leave it all to
you. arter you've heard both OF US.
| We"
Pull up right thar, Mat" the fore
man said. Il can help you settle bust
ness matters, an Pm always glad to do
| it; but you can't rope me into no gal
Scrape. Settle your own love affairs"
He walked away, leaving the two
rivals facing each other in anger.
mo use talkin'. this things got to be
settled" Tony said. You made a
propersition an it wouldn't work. Now,
III make one. Wen both of us pack
our war bags, saddle our hosses an tie
'em to that corral fence. Then we'll
20 in the corral and fight it out, an the
one AT gifts licked far an squar'll git
ca his boss and pull out fur some other
range, leayin' the other var TO sit the
GAL"
"Thar amt hothin' crooked bout
that, an I'll 60 you," Mat replied
Lets pack our traps
packed their worldly effects in the, long
sacks used by the cowboys in lieu Of
valises, and which are Known iii the
task completed, they sadded theil
horses, tied the bags behind the saddles
and secured the anir..als to the corral
fence.
No two pugilists about to battle for Z
| 4 4. 9TH al