Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1900-06-07
When Charlie Laid Down
BY Kennett F. Harris.

The brOwn-faced man at the
Transit house, Ticking his boot will
a little rawhide whip and smiling
broadly; II didn't s'pose. a man coulc
get into the yards and not hear Of
1T. You know old man Ketter-Bron
son Ketter-don't you?" t
"From the Panhandle? ?" asked the
man in the corduroy suit.
Panhandle nothin'. He's just
over in Indiana-retired last week
about two million to the good; yor
the papers. Don't you read a paper
xever?'' ,.e j
"Name sounds sort of familiar. ]
may have seen something about him
but I disremember it just now. What
about him, anyway? How did he get
the best of Charlie ~ ...
ooh, WE'LL" said the brown-faced
imam in tone of slight disgust, sd
you don't know Ketter you can't ap
.preciate it. I'd thought you'd have
maybe heard of the biggest stock.
raiser in the state, though. Bronson
r. Ketter!" .''."
NO." said the man in the corduroy
suit, II can't just call him to mind"
"Pshaw! Well, anyway, the old
man came up here som'er's about a
month ago to buy bunc-. of stock
,ers and feeders. He made up his mind
that he could save the buyers COM
mission just about as well as not, and
he wasn't far out at that. Why, of
course you know Ketter: You heard
of him selling that Hereford bull for
-$7.5OO?' :. 80.
mo, I haven't got him placed yet.
Maybe know him, though ?
'Sure thing you know him; he
breeds more Herefords than any one
man in the United States, and there
amt Il better judge of live stock no.
where's. I used to think I was a
tarrable good guesser on weight I'M
sil [ met up with him. generally fig
ured I could come within a quarter
of pound of how much a steer would
scale, but old man Ketter II give it
to you in ounces. Yes, he skinned
Charlie a plenty.
He came down to the yards one
morning looking about as innocent as
ever you see man look in your life,
and rubbering around with his mouth
half open, like he was making his
first visit. Charlie said he seen him
when he first came in, looking at the
red-plush mounted horns as if he'd
got right smart notion to buy a
pair to hang up in the sittin'-room
That done as much as anything prob'ly
TO throw Charlie off.
after awhile he drifts around to
the pens where Charlie and Parker
sStebbs and Gore Hennessey was hold
ing their stockers and feeders-quite
a bunch of them-and he looked over
at the cattle sort of as if he wanted
the boys to think that he was dead
on to his job. Charlie says it was
peach of a bluff that he made. He
had straw in one corner of his
mouth, and when he chewed down
on that and pulled his chin whiskers
and cooked his old gray eye at the
stock he looked so all-fire,. knowing
that any judge of human nature
would have swore up and down he
didn't know a darned thing
Charlie walks up to him. Fine
day. he says.
est might be wusser'n it is says
the old man. How they :sellin'?'
'Higher'n a cats back says
Charlie. Was you thinking of buyin'?'
I'll let EN- down a few notches if you
want to do business. It's a daisy
bunch Ss..a..
''The old man pulled plug of to-
bacco about as long as your arm out
of his pocket and bit off chew. Then
he says, kind of drawing and squeaky
you know how the old man talks
oh, l forgot, though, you said you
didn't know him; well, anyway, he
says: They amt so bla-a-me poor,
take 'em all round, an don't know
but what I might buy a few if you
don't open your mouth too wide when
you. tell me the price. I can't afford
TO pay no fancy price, thought
:. How many do you want to buy?
says Charlie.
''The old man scratches his chin
kind of thoughtfully. Then he takes
another look at the bunch.
I don't know he says, after
awhile. 'Mebbe two hundred, if the
price is right
I'll make the price right says
Charlie, winking at Hennessey. Come
in and take good look at 'em first
There was mixed lot in the pen,
and mighty few averages among
them. They was mostly good or bad.
The old man looked 'em over, and
while he was looking at the cattle
Charlie was looking at him, taking
particular notice of what seemed to
strike his fancy. According to Char.
dies idea the old man was showing
poor judgment. He'd pick out some
~consumptive Wisconsin Knothead and
shift his straw around in his mouth
and he'd say: There's a purity fair
lookin' critter. l bet if put him on
grass he'd run up to 900 in three
months afore he got d kernel of corn
9 Good 9O-day stock says Charlie,
and he winks at Parker Stebbs behind
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