Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1894-01-22


little girl of fourteen, whom Bob never
called or thought of as "red headed. :"
,sboo was strong, good humored
BOY, not bit afraid of work, and he
had way with him that gave him com.
mand OF men and creatures. He rose
rapidly IN old man Loves employ from
simple COW puncher to wagon boss
then foreman and when he was onl,
twenty-five went with the approval anc
good will of his employer to take the
position of ranch manager for Bos.
ton company.
All the world loves lover. Bob wa.
such whole hearted one, his state o
mlnd was so patient, he took much de
light In 1t, wore his chains with sucl
open pride and enthusiasm, that al
the Panhandle felt with and for him,
Besides being fellow that Cir
could love without any difficulty, any,
oody-wlth n daughter to spare
might have been pleased with Bob fo,
a son-in-law.
And old man Love was pleased enoucl
with the match, and greatly given tc
Dragging OF Bob as a coming adjunct
TO the Love greatness, until the TRAGEDY
OF the one horned brindle COW, which
tore things all up generally, threat.
ehed TO sever two loving hearts and
uarhen forever Bob's and Mays happy
This old COW worth perhaps 81
ooDDed up at one of the round-ups
sporting, in addition to the b. N. of
the Boston National, which was
iacetously 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 re.
suit in fights and killings they are
easily enough adjusted between
reasonable people, since any clever
cattleman can readily tell which brand
is of the longer standing.
But any cowboy on the range wouId
have told you that while old man Love
was square enough himself, he was a
crazy crank about the sacredness of
his brand. His long suit was to lump
up and down and swear that it never |
yet was on anything that wasn't his
own lie invariably claimed an ami
maj that bore 1t in addition to an
other brand las did his old cow. how
ever plainly it showed as the n.wer of
.he 'Wo' though as matter of fact his
branding irons were handled bv inst
as many careless cowsboys AZ anv
other.
IT Bob had known what that aged
and damaged brindle COW was going
to cost him he might perhaps have
bllnked 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,
Sitef fierce contest, and old man
Love d;Sy went home raging, to give his
distorted version of the affair, issue
oruefs That no member of his family
was 10 speak to. or of, Bob, from that
time forth, and to remark Significantly
that he had far rather see n child ~
his married to horse thief than to a
person capable of such behavior
Communication between the lovers
had since been managed, once or
twice, by the utmost stealth and
secrecy. Having, by his means, been
assured of his sweetheart's stendfast
ness and readiness, Bob sent her word
by one of her fathers cowboys to ride
a good horse past the halfway brand
ing pen, armed himself with license,
and hung around the Triple X ranch
for n week
When May finally found the oppor-
tnEity 10 slip away in the most care
less manner, with one of the mems