Capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1893-1895, 1894-02-03

Even bar didn't skeer her-at least
a cinnamon-and she killed several
OF 'em. l guess she'd even made it
warm for a grizzly if she'd happened
onto one. She was a gal of the from
tiers and warnt skeerd for nothin
that Travelled mountain or plain.
Jack Lang came over to this side
of the mountains with big herd of
cattle from his fathers ranch in So
noma county, Cal. He and his cow
boys herded these cattle on the
Truckee medders, no ranches bein
took up in that section then, and all
bein free and out O. doors like. Jack
soon met Ella Harl scoutin about,
and after he'd once seen her he spent
most of his time at her fathers ranch
or ridin over the country with her,
leavin the hired men to look after
his fathers cattle.
1T seemed a case of love at first
sight, and we all thought the pair
made for each other. Iguess old Sam
Harl was of bout the same opinion,
for he alters seemed tolike to see Jack
and Ella ridin about together, racin or
chasin rabbits or kyoties-games that
Ella most alters come out fust best
in. Ella wasn't to blame for fallin in
love with the young feller, for he was
no doubt the first real dashin young
man she'd ever seen in all her life.
No sich young feller was to be found
among the Mormon settlers, who
mostly held the country. All the
young Mormons were reglar yahoos,
and besides herpeople had but littleto
do with the followers of old Brigham
Young. So Ella looked on Jack as a
sort Of young Lochinvar. In her eyes
he was perfect, and whatever he said
or did was right. And no doubt her
father was well satisfied, for Jacks
father owned half dozen big ranches
over in California and so many cat
tie that he could hardly count 'em.
"All summer Jack and Ella were
out ridin about together most every
day, and we all said it was a match.
1 remember one day when they rode
by laughin gayly. Barney Glow
looked after 'em with all his eyes;
then turnin to me with wink he
said, "A match as sure as if the knot
were already tiedr 1t seemed to us
it would be a mighty good match,
too-good for the Langs as well as
for the house of Harl, for there was
lots of land and cattle on both sides.
But good lool1in and fair spoken as
Jack was, it seems there must have
been something not exactly honest
and square in his makeup-would
look thataway by the way he finally
acted.
Zone day long in the fall, bout
the 1st of October, old Sam Harl,
who had been ridin about the valleys
swappin cattle and yarns with the
settlers, went home kinder troubled
in mind over some news he had
heerd This news was that Jack
Lang had been pushin his cattle out
of the country and would soon have
'em all on the California side-the
main herd havin already been driven
out of Truckee medders and up inter
the mountains as far as Donner lake.
Jack was goin to strike up inter the
montains next day, leavin some of
his cowboys to gather up and bring
along a few stragglin lots of cattle.
"Old Sam had happened to meet
one of Jacks cowboys, who told him
that Jack had got letter from his
father orderin him to gather up the
cattle and return to California at
once. The cowboy frrder said Jack
was in peck of trouble, as his fa-
ther was determined he should marry
a Spanish senorita, who had hun
dreds of square leagues Of land and
countless herds of cattle. Seems this
marriage had been arranged by
Jacks folks and the Spanish family.
"Of course all the cowboys had seen
Ella and Jack gallopin about together
and were glad to see that their young
boss had had the luck to win the
brightest and handsomest gal in the
country--One that could ride with
any of 'em and beat most Of 'em when
it came to shootin. They looked on
Ella Harl as a sort Of queen among
women-a reglar goddess. Not a
man among them but would have
risked his life for Ella. So they didn't
like to see Jack fxin to slip out of the
country as he was doin; in fact, they
had held a sort of indignation meet
in about it among themselves.
"By askin a few questions old Sam
Harl found that Jack had gone up to
Eagle ranch, in Eagle valley, where
Carson City now stands, and that IN
the afternoon he would return to
Truckee medders, and next mornin
push on up inter the mountains to
catch his main herd of cattle This
news give Sam a feelin of oneasiness,
as every day for weeks he had been
expectin Jack would ask him to give
him Ella for wife. SO, mountin his
boss. he struck for home likes hurry
cane to see Ella, tell her what was up