Red Lodge picket. [volume] (Red Lodge, Mont.) 1889-1907, 1893-01-07
THE CLAIM JUMPER.

asked Joe Scaggs, pointing toward
an object that had made its appear
ance on the prairie a mile to the
south. Bill Barnum looked in the
direction indicated.
IA house, or I'm a livin liar!" ex-
claimed Bill with emphasis. "An
on Dick Barber's claim, tool" he con-
tinued, with a gesture of excitement
DO ye suppose he's goin ter jump
Dicks claim2'' asked Joe.
Il dunno" answered Bill Il
guess he's not stoppin out thar fer
his health. If he is, I'm thinkin
he'll soon go way on the same ar
rant, won't he, Joe2''
you bet!'' sanctioned Joe. But
the way ter find out is ter go over
an see, and while ye air cookin sup
per III ride over an interview the
stranger.
With this he walked from the door
of the half board, half dugout
shanty, where the two had been
standing, and approached a small
barbed wire corral near by. where he
mounted a powerful cayuse and gal
loped away across the stretch OF
wind swept prairie that separated
him from the distant shanty Oh the
prairie to the south.
A few moments ride brought him
to the front Of little dugout shanty
that nestled in the side of a hill at
the edge of a small ravine Just
around the slight elevation in the
prairie stood a covered wagon, or
prairie schooner, as they are fainil-
iarly termed in the west.
A pair of sorrel mules, tied to the
rear end Of the wagon, were busily
engaged in eating their evening meal
Of corn and dry grass out Of the
wagon box A man came cut of the
shanty with a frying pan in his hand
and held it over a fire in front of the
dwelling.
Hello, thar!" exclaimed Joe an
grily. What in the blazes air ye
doin hyar''
The stranger turned ana looked at
the visitor a moment, and then said
quietly, ''Fryin meat"
Joe's anger rose. "Oh, ye air, air
yea Waal, as ye seem ter be so
smart, mebbe ye can tell me whose
claim ye air squattin on
Il reckon / ken; hits mine"
Hit is2'
That's the way hit looks ter me. !"
Look hyar, stranger!' said Joe
scaggs, clinching his fist, me an
my pardner over thar, jerking his
thumb over his shoulder in the di-
rection of his own shanty, ''air hold
in this yere claim fer Dick Barber,
who's comm out hyar in the spring
from Injiany, an we'll jist give ye
tell termorrer to git out O this!''
! "Tain't long enough time" said
the stranger, deliberately turning
over a liberal slice Of 'muddling"
that smoked in the frying pan.
How long do ye want1" questioned
Joe. his wrath somewhat Modified by
the strangers evident intention of
leaving.
How long does a man have ter
live on a claim before he ken git a
deed fer hit?' was the reply of the
stranger.
Give years." replied joe
! "Waal, then" continued the stran-
ger, make hit five years. and hits a
barg'in."
you impudent skunk!" roared
Joe, now thoroughly aroused by the
strangers cool manner, ''fer a cent
I'd wallup the ground with yer onery
carcass"
"Yas, ye might undertake hit fer a
cent, but ye'd never lay up any
money at hit, !" was the answer as he
set the frying pan down and con-
fronted Joe Scaggs.
/ Joe now moved his hand toward
his pistol, but hesitated.
Look hyar," said the stranger.
"You order me ter leave this claim.
Is hit yourn?'
! mo, not exactly mine, but we're
holdin hit fer a friend, me an my
pardner air. We've got the two lyin
north O this, an we're holdin this fer
Dick Barber, an we're goin ter hold
hit"
! IAN right" he answered. II
guess hit won't need much holdin.
Hit'l be hyar when yer friend comes
so will l. If hits yer claim, I'll get
off, but yer can't hold hit fer some
body else. / know the law.
"Yas, ye may know the law, but
ye don't know our law. We've made
special law fer sich fellers as ye, an
we're goin ter go by that, an don't ye
forgit hit. !"
"Waal, when ye force me ter go, III
ko-not before.
| Angry words rose to Joe's lips, but
he hesitated The cool, Indifferent
manner of the claim jumper puzzled
him.
| He was about to speak when the
tramp of a horses feet sounded in the
grass behind him and Bill Barnum
rode up, Winchester rifle swung
across his saddle.
Thought mebbe ye'd have
trouble" he explained, land that I'd
come over an see ye out"
Bill" said Joe. gaining courage