The herald., 1893-12-21
BOB AND MAY.
Bob and NAV were swl,leethearts. Il

Bob and May were sweethesrts.
OF course they were; that what they
had been learning ever since Bob, a
STRIPPING of 90, had tconne out from Ten
nessec to the Texas Panhandle with the
family.
In those days May was bright hair
ed, high strung little girl of IA whom
Bob never called nor thought of as "red-
headed" ~
Bob was strong, good humored boy,
not a bit afraid oftwork, and he had
way with him that gave him command
of men and creatures. He rose rapidly
in old man Loves employ from simple
COW puncher to wagon boss, then fore
man, and when he was only 25 went,
with the approval. and good will of his
employer, to take the position of ranch
manager for Boston company.
All the world loves lover. Bob was
such whole hearted one, his state of
mind was SO patent. he took such de-
light in it, wore ;. his chains with such
open pride and enthusiasm, that all the
Panhandle felt with and for him.
And old man Love was pleased
enough with the match and greatly
given to Dragging Of Bob as coming
adjunct to the Love greatness, until the
tragedy of the one horned brindle COW,
which tore things all up generally,
threatened to sever two loving hearts
and darken forever Bobs and Mays
happy horizon.
This old cow-worth perhaps ST.
bobbed up at one of the roundups sport
ing, in addition to the B N of the Bos-
ton National, which was facetiously
known as the Bean brand, old man
Loves (xxx).
Though very uncommon, such acci-
dents may occur in the haste and con-
fusion of branding without necessarily
implying dishonesty on some ones
part. While they do sometimes result
in fights and killings they are easily
enough adjusted between reasonable
people, since any clever cattleman can
readily tell which brand is of the long
er standing.
But any cowboy on the range would
have told you that while old man Love
was square enough himself he was
crazy crank about the sacredness of his
brand. His long suit was to jump up
and down and swear that it never yet
was ON anything that wasn't his own.
He invariably claimed an animal that
bore it in addition to another brand
fas did this old cow however plainly it
showed as the newer of the two, though
as matter of fact his branding irons
were handled by just as many careless
cowboys as any others.
If Bob had known what that aged
and damaged brindle COW was going to
cost him, he might perhaps have blink
ed his obvious duty and let old man
Love have her-in the face of right and
reason.
But he was not the man to be backed
down by any one, and he dared the
worst-and got it!
He held the COW for his company, aft
or a fierce contest, and old man Love
went home raging, to give his distorted
version of the affair, issue orders that
no member of his family was to speak
to or of Bob from that time forth, and
to remark significantly that he had far
rather see a child of his married to
horse thief than to person capable of
such behavior.
Communication between the lovers
had since been managed, once or twice,
by the utmost stealth and secrecy. Hav-
ing, by this means. been assured of his
sweetheart S steadfastness and readiness
Bob sent her word by one of her fathers
cowboys to ride good horse past the
half way branding pen, armed himself
with a license and hung around the
Triple x ranch for week.
When May finally found the oppor-
tunity to slip away in the most careless
manner, with one of the mems som
breros on and in the face of threatening
weather, she received rapturous well
come from the long banished Bob, and
they promptly headed their ponies for
Squire Wiley's, just the other side of
Roaring creek, who was supposed to be
holding himself in readiness for their
visit.
What Mexican or other paid spy or
what unfriendly or envious hand car
ried the news to old man Love will not
be known, but he burst into one of his
near cow camps at dinner, shortly aft
er Bob and Mays departure, like roar
ing South African lion with mustard in
his eye.
The boys"-who knew well enough
what was afoot, and what would be
asked of dropped their tin cups
and plates, jumped on their waiting
ponies and were out Of halling distance
before he fairly lit in their midst.
But old Hank Pearsall, the cook, was
a new man, not long from southwest
Texas, neither knowing Of nor caring
particularly for Bob Holly and his love
affair. So he stood at his official post,
at the tail end of the chuck wagon, and
gave amiable attention to the impas-
stoned harangue and singular antics OF
this new and entertaining employer.
Being commanded to come along and
assist in dispensing Bob and rescuing
May, he mounted a serious appearing
but fitful tempered buckskin colored
pony, with one white eye and much
symmetry of bone-as much of char
acter in its way as Hank was in his
and started, with considerable interest
and curiosity.
They rode hard and were near over
hauling the lovers within a mile OF
Roaring creek. But while pursuer and
Y,urcue6 r1leha1 oO aft their utmost mace