The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-02-25
GIRLS WHO RUN A RANCH.
THEY WEAR GARMENTS SACRED
TO MEN.

and Louise Lnmn Lead the Lives of
Enterprising Young Men, They
Hold Their own in Fighting For
est Fires, Recovering stolen Cattle
and Keeping Poachers OF Their
Land-Thcy Agree That Housework
Is Harder Than Ranching and Pity
Their DomesticaIIy Inclined Moth
CIR.
San Francisco, Feb 2O.-Gussie and
Louise Lamm run sheep ranch covering
80 miles of California mountains. They
run it both mentally and physically. Both
the financial and out of door works they
do themselves, and it is a success.
Gussie is 10 and Louise 90 Each girl
spent six years in a convent in San
Francisco over books and needle work
and then went home, put on garments sa-
cred to man, bestrode broncho and is
doing the work of farmer
Two years ago their father died and
since then the girls have managed every
thing except the usual work allotted to a
woman That their mother does.
They asked me to make them visit and
I gladly turned my horses head towards
lust 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
mountains. When ] had closed the big
gate and entered the Lamn domain l
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
q wide porch laden with roses.
A little house it is and bare as all the
roountaineer's dwellings. but all about are
the marks that a woman made her nome
there
Mrs. Lamn was cooking supper and
Gussie and Louise were setting the table.
JOeft both girls were. but it was as If the
Venus de Milo or a Victory had resumed
her lost members pinned up her draperies
and gone TO work. Both were dressed in
blue lean overalls tucked into heavy top
boots shirt waists open at the throat ana
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 1t IS no larry lie
the girls live.
Supper must be hurried for there were
thirty-two head of cattle which Louise
had driven into the home paddock. we
went out to look a them and the girls
ricked out one COW which was to be tam
ed for milking and ton 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 mus
after four OF them had been lassoed
thrown down and then branded with a
big L.
The Way 1t Happened.
"How did I come to begin this sort of
eai1 "a Ua the steps
well it 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. l was at nome
for my Christmas vacation. 1t began
showing and it showed all day and all
night and was still showing and father
end Sam were out trying to get the sheep
in They did not come to dinner till af-
ter 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 l am GO
ing to help get those sheep in l said and
just made father let me
1--WE worked in the snow till every sheep
was out and safe. They We're wet and
chilled. so we mad TO keep them moving
tin they got some life into them. 1t was
nearly daylight when we went home and
mother was waiting, asleep in her rock
ing chair, but with lots of hot coffee and
a blazing fire in the kitchen stove. Such
a sight as l was Every time l jumped
off that horse l caught my skirt and II
was torn from top to bottom and off the
band and / was wet to my neck. When
] woke up next morning father was get
ting ready to ride the range to see how
the other sheep had stood the storm. You
know he was an old man, past 60, and it
ut thirty miles hard riding. |
put on his clothes and went and have
been doing 1T every since. / don't think
1t is half as hard as mothers work, and
know there is not one thing about 1t
which hurts any girl, and we like It,
don't We, LLechen|'
Every Day RanchinE.
Next day at dawn Sam, the Indian. had
been attempting to milk the dow who did
not want to be civilized He had been
obliged to call Louise to take up the white
mans burden. The COW was tied TO the
bumpers posts one for each leg
and was left TO mediate while we start
ed out after breakfast to ride the range
AN the dogs begged to go, but Gussle only
united three, talking to the Others like
children and promising them futurihes.
The dogs are an industry by themselves
furnishing the girls with fol de roll mon
ey, and two woman's magazines, for both
of the girls revel in the heart of heart
talks of the womans own page.
Over the hills we rode. each girl with
a great bag of salt over her saddle 10
scatter on top of a hill where the sheep
sleep. Each carried rifle, too, and fire.
quently jumped off her horse 10 examine
the sheep or see If a panel of fence needed
replacing.
Later on, while Louise was cooking,
Gussie and I lay in the shade.
1T was just in here" she said, some
hunters were camping last summer. They
had no right TO, but we cant keep them
off. Half of them cannot tell a deer from
a sheep. They kill twice as many sheep
as deer. The hunters who were camped
here left a fire and ii got started. 1 saw
the smoke and rode over here. No one
else would be liable to be near enough
to see the smoke before night, then ev-
cry one would come as fast as they could
Il tied my horse and looked around and
saw the fire could not wait If 1t gol
Inmch more of a slart II Momld be so hnl