The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1897-11-20
Selected Story.
MISS MURPHY.

M ISIS MURPHY was born on the
NL cattle range at Rocky Flat,
shelfrunning at the base OF the Rocky
mountains in Colorado. 1t averages
about three miles in width; beyond
is lower plateau of about fifty miles,
and then the land gradually drops
down into the Mississippi valley. The
name is descriptive of the place.
Rocky Flat is a succession of rocks
and stones, a place SO unattractive
and Improbable as never to attract
the homesteader - fit for cattle
range, nothing else.
To the tourist Rocky Flat has some
redeeming features. 1t discloses a
magnificent view of the surrounding
country on one side, while the other
leads directly to the canyon mouths,
where the streams leave the noun
tains, cut through the fiat and wander
off on the plains below. These can
yons, where the narrow wagon road
and the stream twist about each other,
crossing and recossing twenty times
in mile, are we'll worth visiting.
On Rocky Flat, spring comes with
the daisy-not our long-stemmed,
white Eastern daisy, but delicate,
pink thing that nestles close down to
the ground. Then the grass starts
and the wild flowers spring up, max
ing prodigious growth, covering all
available space with blade and bios
som, and Rocky Flat is thing of
beauty. Then it is that the ranch
men of the surrounding country
bring their cattle and leave them for
the summer, making occasional trips
to see that all is we'll and to brand
he increase. Sometimes the cattle
leave the range, but they are prompt
ly driven back by the nearest ranch
men and made to know that there
they must stay through the summer.
The nursery of the range is on the
shore of the artificial lake. They
have kindergarten system OF their
OVID. Around the lake the ground is
soon eaten bare, and the calves are
too young or weak to follow their
mothers about on the range. Day
after day the calves are left in charge
OF a few COWS on the shore of the lake.
1t is not unusual to see a COW in
charge of five calves, and from her
treatment it is impossible to Judge
which particular calf is her own. Ami
mails make good stepmothers. In
the evening the COWS return to the
lake, take charge of their own, and
relieve the day nurses, who wander
off in their turn. It's wise calf that
knows its own mother under such
circumstances, yet they are soon
sorted out, and each mother lies down
with her own and the extra one which
may be left to her care. The nurses
are changed every day. SO that no COW
serves two days in succession.
The kindling of fire on the range
drives every COW to her calf. 1t means
branding. Though the calf cannot
escape it, the mother can greatly al
leviate the pain by licking the burn
with her tongue. Saliva contains a
great healing property. ALI animals
know this.
Except that Miss Murphy was
Murphy's calf, she was just like the
dozen other little brown calves on the
range until John Simpson discovered
that she was different from the rest
John Simpson was New York boy
who was sent to Colorado on account
OF recent illnees, end who made bis
appearance on Rocky Flat one day in
a sprirg wagon. In the same wagon
was his uncle, raj chmaD, who had
come to lock after his cattle, and his
two sons followed on horse back.