The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1898-06-07
"LAzY C" BRAND.


ed with the young owner of the White
River ranch.
Henry Penryn, the proprietor, relied
no little upon the Judgment and expert
ence of Howard, and the subject of their
present discussion was serious one.
"Come now; stock doesn t disappear,
even in Texas, without human agency, :"
Penryn said refectively. According to
the books, more than 500 head have dis
appeared-totally evaporated, SO to
speak-since last round up, and now
that there are SO many calves to brand
/ don't know what will happen. The
leakage must stop, or shall have to
give up the ranch.
Looks like there were niger in
the wood pile, don't it?"
Penryn looked at him without reply.
His silence evidently exasperated Jase.
"See hereP' he exclaimed. He used the
butt end of his whip to draw in the red
dirt of the trail the figure used on the
White River ranch as brand, thus
(--), "lazy o. in the nomenclature
of the plains. With a horizontal stroke
the G was converted into d.
"Sweet, pretty little trick, amt it?''
he said sarcastically. can our mark is
ON the same part o the critter too.
"But how does he get 'emf'' demand
ed Penryn; "that is, if he is the guilty
party"
"Oh, he's guilty fast enoughI I've
seen many rustler hung on less evil
dence in the old days"
They were speaking of M. Perriot, a
young Frenchman who had been for a
time dealing in cattle in their neigh
borhood and was rapidly growing rich.
M. Perriot was good looking besides
being wealthy young Frenchman.
Penryn had met him several times
usually at Colonel Dahlgreen's home
stead, which lay several miles from the
White River ranch. Before NJ Perriot
had come into the country Penryn had
been about the only young man visitor
at the colonel's. The colonel's daughter
Josie was the magnet which drew him.
Nowadays he always found Perriot
there before him.
That very afternoon Penryn, taking
what he called his constitutional, saw
before him the young lady with Perriot
as her escort. They were we'll mounted
and his pony had all he could do to
overtake the couple and might not have
done so but that they drew rein on the
verge Of hill and sat contemplating
what was going on below on the other
slope, where Perriot had his little
camp. So interested were they in the
cattle branding that they did notice
Penryn till he was close upon them.
After saluting Miss Dahlgreen and ex-
changing few grave words with Per-
riot Penryn raised his hat again to the
lady and trotted down the farther side
of the hill. AS he went, however, he
turned to Perriot, and said as he point
ed to the believing herd and the excited
Mexicans below them: give heard of a
man being hung for branding bunch
of steers like that. Times have changed
in Texas, but it ism t healthy oocupa-
ton even now"
"What mean you?" sputtered Perriot.
But Miss Josie turned her back upon
the American. Penryn spurred his po-
ny on and rode down into the midst of
the rabble about the camp wagon and
fires. The Mexicans saw him coming,
and somebody recognized him. Those
at the fires and the branders huddled
together and turned black looks upon
him as he rode into their midst.
There was a steer on his side near
one of the fires, held by the lariats of
two herdsmen. There was an old mark
a mark Penryn knew well-on the
beasts nigh fore shoulder.
Somebody ran from one of the fires
and laid hot iron on the steer side.
There was sickening odor of burning
hair and flesh, and the astonished steer
beloved loudly.
The Mexicans gathered around the
American with threatening faces. He
looked down upon them contemptuous-
ly. "You know what this means in
Texas, he said calmly. 'This range
will be too hot for you fellows-under-
stand?"
He turned his pony about and rode
out of the group. One man made grab
at his bride rein, and Penryn raised
his whip and brought it down with
singing force across his face Then he
put spurs to his pony and rode off over
the rise, expecting every instant to hear
the report of guns behind him. But no
volley followed him, and he passed over
the crest of the rise unmolested. Miss
Josie and her escort had disappeared.
''If the fool remains around here "a
hours, won't answer for the conse-
quences. There were cattle from ranch
es other than mine in that bunch. -
He struck off for his own range in a
different direction from that by which
he had come The country was wilder
and more broken There was a grove
of stunted trees and branch of the
river in his path, and he stopped to
give his pony an hours rest.
He was still sitting by the side of the
stream, his steed feeding a few yards
away, when he saw group of half a
dozen or more horsemen coming out of
gulley across the brook They forded
Dhe stream and then, apparently catch
ing sight Of him, drew up in an excited,
gesticulating group. Penryn was quick
to recognize them as Mexicans-qulte
evidently herdsmen from Perriot' s
ranch.
He sprung up, intending to get his
horse and be prepared for whatever was
to follow, but as he loosened the gun
in his belt he heard hail behind him.
Instantly the group of horsemen spurred
up the incline toward him, but before
he could turn around to see what new
danger threatened him from the rear a
moose settled over his head and shout
ders and was pulled taut, pinioning his
arms to his sides.
Some of his enemies had made flank
movement, and he was at their mercy.
He was dragged to the ground, the chat
tering crowd at once surrounded and
disarmed him, and he was bound with
his own belt to a lightning riven stump
on the edge Of the grove. Penryn be-
lieved his condition to be desperate in
deed, but he would not show fear before
his captors and laughed in their faces.
At that one-the fellow who had struck
back at the branding camp-lashed him
twice across the cheek with his own
whip, and the blood flowed from the
gashes.
But even the pain of the wound did
not COW him. "Do you think you can
kill me and go scot free?' he demanded
you'll find your mistake. My boys
will hunt you to the Rio Grande-and
beyond. And all Perriot's money won
save you.
At that they drew aside to confer,
while Penryn leaned against the tree to
which they had bound him, half faint
ing from loss of blood and the pain of
the gashes on his face. He remembered
with bitterness how the colonel s daugh-
ter had turned her back upon him when
be accused Perriot of jumping his