The Emmett index. [volume] (Emmett, Idaho) 1893-1925, 1897-11-19
WHALEN'S
SHEEP RANCH.

Whalen's luck was coplous, and It be-
came proverblal; the facts here record
ed are but specimen pages from the
book OF his experience.
When the Consolidated Canal Com
pany went into insolvency. its assets
consisted of n mortgaged right of way
through the sagebrush and several
completed but detached sections OF
big ditch
Mr.. Brick Whalen. the contractor on
section three. had finished the heavy
work there and was preparing to move
camp to section six when the company
went broke. II was. in fact, upon the
very day the suspension was posted
that Whalen. having had his contract
work inspected, took the engineers
certificate up to headquarters to get
his check. lie received instead state
ment that the company was In tenn
porary difficulties, and an assurance
that 1t would soon resume.
Whalen had before this worked for
shaky corporations: he knew better.
and lost no time in acting on his knowl-
edge.
mo good howlin' over broken pipe
or tryin' to save the pieces he told
himself To his gang of twenty men,
he said; "By's the company's broke and
so am l. can't pay We and can't
feed ye. You got to rustic"
whats the matter with us taking
the mules; said one.
'rhem mules and scrapers don't be-
long to me. as I've often told ye.' said
Whalen, whose custom 1t was to refer
TO a legendary hacker. This ditching
outfit Is the property of Martin. of San
Francisco. and any man that NEEDLES
with It will get the sheriff after him -
I'm take one, just the same" said
Shorty. "and tell Martin he can have
him again when my wages Is paid.
That's about fair
A few others took the same view of
the equities involved. and took mules,
TO which Whalen made only a wordy
resistance Most of the men were in
duced to accept orders on the defunct
company for the amount due them,
payable with large interest. "And II
you don't get 1t very soon, the interest
viii double your money said Whalen.
When the last man had gone, Whalen
went out to the corral and counted the
mules. "Forty-one head; that was a
close call" said he.
1t was late in the season to find an.
other job OF scraplng. but the mules
could not live on sagebrush and were
at once started for the railroad on a
small stream where camp was made
one night a band of trail sheep was
also camped. Whalen eyed them dis
dalnfully.
81 see the beggars eat sage" said he
"Why, certainly" replied the sheep
mau; that's the finest kind of feed fol
sheep"
Il wish work-mules would do that.
said Brick. Il never was so near
sheep In my life." he continued; 9Th,
smell OF 'em a mile away is enough
for me. Funny little fellows. and the,
look some like mules, with ears an,
tails cut or. What do you do Will
themT
Double our money on them ever.
twelve months" was the reply.
No extended description OF sheep
farming would have impressed tn
fancy of the veteran mule-skinner bu
'double your money was his own IA
mlliar phrase for describing any hope
full venture. and on that evening h
smoked many pipes Of black plug owe
II. A brute that can thrive on brus
diet and double your money every yea
I is an interesting creature.
: At daybreak Whalen was in tn
I sheep-camp negotiating trade 9
] sheep for mules on a basis of fifty I
one, and prepared to accept much les
Three days later he sat in the door {
the shack which had long done duty a
+ mess house on section three of I'll
canal, as many an evening before /
had sat watching the mules come
u from water. Tonight there was nevs
a mule In sight. Down the breeze can