The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1902-01-05

amt two DAYS behind the boys. an by no
time after that blizzard SINNERS thar's
/ canIp-fircs burn;n' between the Canadian
! an the Red. an reachin' all along from
the Choctaw country as far west as the
! Panhandle. Shore. every cowpuncher makes
for the nearest smoke, feeds up an re-
cooperates: an then begins the gatherin
OF the cattle an the slow northern drive
OF the return. Which the spring overtakes
'em an passes 'em on its way to the
moth, an the grass 10 green an deep be-
fore they're back on them ranges ag In.
ITS a great ride. says you? Son, l once
attends where a lecture sharp holds forth
| as to that Napoleon's retreat from Moscow.
| NacheralIy, l sets silent through them hard
ships. But l shorely could. IL I'm disposed
to become a disturbin' element, or Is out 10
cut in cantankerous an dispootatious on
another gents game. have showed him them
French experiences that Moscow time IL
mere Suuday-school excursions compared
with these yere trips tie boys makes when
on the breath of tEGt six weeks blizzard
they swings south with their herds. Them
! yooths. some of en-, is over 500 miles from
their home-ranch; an 1 must say she's the
first an only time l ever crosses up with a
Yellowstone brand on the Lower Canadian.
'You-all can put down a bet I'm no idle
an ~listlesS spectator that blizzard tlme'
which l grows speshul active at the close.
II shore behooves US Red River gents OF
: cattle TO stir about q whole lot. Them wild
riGin' knight errants OF the rope an spur,
who cataiacts themse'fs upon US with their
! driftiu' cattle DORM said temDest. LOOKS
like they're plenty apple of drivin' our
steers Moth with their own. sort o maxim
up them deficiencies of the storm. 1 brands
over 1900 calves the spring before, which
means l has at least 0,000 head-or five
! times what l Observation-Disclosures an by
bernatin' about them ranges. An bein' as
you-all notes I'm some strol.s on cattle. an
not allowiu' none for them add
venturers to drive some of 'em Moth none,
I've got about 'ieven outfits at Work over
haulin' the herds an roundups, an ridin'
rcMnd an through EN-. weedin' out my
brand. an THROWN EN- back on my Red
River range a whole lot. Shore. | has to do
It, or them Yellowstone sharps would have
stole ne pore as Jobs turkey.
Whatever is a outfit. you asks? It's a
chuck wagon with four mules an a range
COOK. with two hess hustiers to hold the
ponies. eight riders an a bunch of about
seventy ponies-saY seven to n rider. These
yere 'leven outfits, as l calls 'em, is scat
/ tered east an west mebby she's a hundred
miles along the moth fringe of my range
that time. a-combin' an a-sea-chin' of the
punches an cuttin' out all specimens of my
brand when found. For myself, personal,
I'm romancin' round on the loose like,
stoppin' some nights at one camp an some
nights at another. keepin' cases on the deal.
ITS at one OF my camps one eVenln
when / crosses up first with this yere Hard
robe. HIS son. Bloojacket. is with him.
Hardrobe himself is mebbe goin' on 50, while
Bloojacket that away, amt more'n say, q.
Shore, they're out for cattle, too; them saw
ages has a heap of cattle. an they mach
orally finds their brands an punches an
gets all tangled up with them Yellowstone
aliens doorin' the blizzard. Hardrobe an
lis son Bloojacket rides up an asks, Can
they work with an outfit of mine.