The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-02-25
GIRLS WHO RUN A RANCH.
California Maids Wear Mems Clothes, Ride and Shoot and
Take Care of 5000 Sheep.

Gussie and Louise Lamn run a sheep
ranch covering fifty miles of Cali
fornia mountains. They run it both
mentally and physically. Both the
financial and out of door work they
do themselves, and it is a success.
Gussie is 10 and Louise 20. Each
girl spent six years in a convent in
San Francisco over books and needle
work and then went home, put on gar
ments sacred to man, bestrOde bTon-
chO and is doing the work of farmer.
Two years ago their father died and
since then the girls have managed
everything except the usual work al
loted to woman. That their mother
does.
They asked me to make them a
visit and 1 gladly turned my horses
head towards their ranch one day last
summer. 1t was just before sun down
and in country where a neighbor
within ten miles is too close for both
to breathe freely, away up in the
higher levels of the Coast Range noun
tains. When I had closed the big gate
and entered the Lamn domain I could
fancy myself riding through the park
of some great English country house in
Surry.
There are four miles of road way
from the Lamn's front gate to the door
under a wide porch laden with roses.
A little house it is and bare as all
the moUntaineers dwellings, but all
about are the marks that a woman
made her home there.
Mrs. Lamn was cooking supper and
Gussie and Louise were setting the
table. Deft both girls were, but it
was as if the Venus de Milo or Vic
tory had resumed her lost members.
pinned up her draperies and gone to
work. Both were dressed n blue jean
overalls tucked into heavy top boots.
shirt waists open at the throat and
piles of fair braided hair Their little
tired German mother seemed like the
witch wife in a fairy tale who held the
girls under spell. But it is no fairy's
life the girls live.
Supper must be hurried for there
were thiTty-twO head of cattle which
Louise had driven into the home pad
dock. We went out to look at them
and the girls picked out 0ne COW which
was to be tanned for milking and ten
others to be sold to the driver who
had come by in the morning on his
way to the market. The rest were
turned loose again on the hills after
down and then branded with a big L.
The Way It Happened.
How did come to begin this sort
of hfe?" Gussie said. as we sat on the
steps. We'll, il was five years ago
when wool first went so low. Before
that father had three men, but after
he could only afford TO pay one Indian.
I was at home for N : Christmas vaca-
r. Il vo-I
all day and all night and was still
showing and father and Sam were out
trying to get the sheep in. They did
not come to dinner till after o'clock
and when father came he was so tired
ne could hardly get of his horse.
About 700 sheep were in the snow
down in the gulch back of Chinese
mountain. They would just lie down
and die unless they were driven out.
Father I am going to help get those
sheep in I said and just made father
let me.
we worked in the snow till every
sheep was out and safe. They were
wet and chilled 50 we had to keep
them moving till they got some life
into them. It was nearly daylight
when We went home and mother was
waiting asleep in her rocking chair
but with lots Of hot coffee and a blaz-
ing fire in the kitchen stove. Such a
sight as I was! Every time I jumped
off that horse I caught my skirt and It
was torn from top TO bottom and of
the band, and I was wet to my neck.
When I woke up next morning father
was getting ready to ride the range to
see how the other sheep had stood the
storm. You know he was an old man,
past CO. and it was at least thirty
miles hard riding. 1 put on his clothes
and went and I have been doing it
ever since. I don't think it is half as
hard as mothers work, and I know
there is not one thing about it which
hurts any girl; and we like it, don't we,
Liechen?"