The Jennings daily record. [volume] (Jennings, La.) 1900-1903, 1902-05-12
A u-puneher'S hove

ranches of Western IeXaS. re i'm
the steers he herded, from country
where law was looked upon as TOO sacred
for every day use. and where the SIZE y. q
1anchman's herd was Likely 10 oepe ny.
more upon the number and nerve or MS
cowboys than upon natural increase.
When he had limbered his legs, after
the inaction of the caboose on the ehu Oh
the cattle train. and looked over the mnes
of open prairie, he decided to like the
country. His first impressions were
spoken to his boss. Col Clarke, VINO
year. l.,
This amt so bad for country, he
had said but wouldn't 1t be SLICK II
this here long grass would cure on the
stem like the mesquite grass down IN
Texas and not have to be cut:
Sandy then helped to drive the cattle
from the little switch stock yards to the
range a dozen miles westward across
the prairie At the tiny board shanty
ranch headquarters he waited for other
xrainloads of cattle and other puhcners;
When these had arrived and the hefo
had been branded the routine of duties
were soon fixed.
.Weu, Sandy. you'll have the west line
of this ranch to ride. and every Mashed
O. that gets across makes your Jop
shaker These steers have got TO be held
quiet ii they're to fatten this summer.
The boss realized that the west me was
the farthest from q town, ana therefore
the most suitable to an unregenerate
puncher-
IAN right. Colonel west line goes. l
rides it four times Il day, beds the long
horns ever night an holds EN- TO the
range in spite of waterspOuts an cy-
Clones
ITO puncaer who spends his days
riding from one fixed point TO another,
with the slightest variation OF route
there comes a sense of monotony. Re
lief from this monotony in some way 10
necessary-some find it in occasional
tense sprees lasting foa a week or more
in a frankly wicked town and ended
when the wages are spent and the dance
hall proprietors grow unfriendly. "heh
this method falls 1t becomes matter
of speculation as to what the puncher
will do. He may steal a horse, JON
gang of marauding outlaws or get mar
ried. Sandy had grown tired or tne
elemental wckedness of mankind, ms
condition calling for radical treatment.
He fought" his horse unnecessarily
and swore at the food he had to COOK;
Texas friend. he confided to him that
the whole existence of wage-earnlnG
COW puncher was made bitter ny 'ne
ancient curse and that he would do
1t.
Nothing so hard about that" replied
Bill, who was nimble to wit. not over
scrupulous in the matter of branding
calves, and could command the highest
wages when he cared to work. Go into
business on your own hook. Get your
self a herd of 'dogies' and trade.
Yes that is simple. broke in Sandy,
..go out an pick bunch of cattle off
the bushes an trade. But maybe You
ran tell me where they grow"
"All around you" Bill swept half
circle with his hand. do you want to
know, sure?'
GO on: I'm listenin'' replied the line
rider.
..ft's inst this Sandy: steal a carload
or two of Clarke's steers, run EN- away
in the night to Kansas sell EN-, and keep
the money to trade on. If you want to do
II ri help YOU an go shares on the profit.
There's the chance of gcttin' caught but
there's the chances in every game"
Sandy was not surprised at the sug-
restion for he had thought of doing this
,,ar,, thirp hinseIf He told Bill that this
was the first bit of sense he had heard
since the neither world was covered with
a coating of ice In two weeks when the
Clarke steers would be in the best condi
,ion he agreed TO carry out the plan.
In the next two weeks Sandy grew al
most cheerful planning with Seymour
IN. details of the theft Whether the
thing were right or wrong morally he did
not stop to consider; 1t was a way out of
drudgerv and drudEery was for slaves.
Free men should have unrestricted lib
erty II was arranged that forty of the
choicest steers should be left at the north
end of the line late on a certain after
noon while the other cattle were driven
South The neglect would seem acciden-
tai Sandy would go to camp as usual.
cook supper and go to bed. At 9 O'Clock
he would ride north on a fresh horse.
meet Bill Seymour where the forty steers
had been left help to drive them to
Kansas and return the twenty miles in
time for his daily trip over the line in the
morning Bill had promised to sell them
10 a buyer he knew and divide the pro-
ceedS honestly.
On the night appointed by the two
Sandy carried out the first part of his
plan with no apparent difficulty. wonder
inc no fripuIliO.SS Of fat