Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1903-07-09
AT WHITE
BUFFALO
By IzoLA L. FoRREsTER
-&9 0&
Copyright. 1908. BY Daily story Pub. Coz

and it is neither picturesque nor
desirable town for habitation, but II
has its redeeming qualities, not
judged by the standard of the out
side world. and the reprieye of Billy
Kane was one of them.
Once there was a railroad which
thought some day il might take a
notion TO travel along Buffalo creek.
Whereupon, certain enterprising gen.
tlemen anticipated its movements
and their own fortunes by laying out
the city lots Of White Buffalo. They
had anticipated as far as one-story
hotel, six saloons and a few pine
boxes, when the railroad changed its
mind, and went 20 miles south at Syl-
yania
So White Buffalo failed TO prosper,
but a few trustful people got strand
ed there, and went 10 live in the pine
boxes, and ON Saturday nights from
fifty to a hundred herders and ranch
ers, and half breed Indians used TO
stroll in and support the six saloons
and the hotel. Things kept moving
slowly when Tommy Taylor got the
mail route from Sylyania, and White
Buffalo became a postal station, and
once in awhile a letter came there.
After Billy Kane landed at the
Crossbar ranch a letter came every
week, and as il was a clean, well-ed-
ucated looking letter, it went long
way towards establishing Billy in the
estimation of White Buffalo.
T He was an awfully nice boy. Quiet
and easy tempered, and used TO an
swer these letters regularly. Five
Ace Fuller said he looked like the
head soprano in the choir. Fuller
was a minister once somewhere, and
never really got over it. He wore
black clothes, and never shot at a
man when he wasn't looking.
Billy liked fair play, too. You just
couldn't help but like the boy. Slim
and blue eyed, and pensive, with
brown hair that curled at the edges,
and a fair skin that even the range
sun never burned to a brick red as
1t did the other boys. And he could
sing like a bird at sunrise; one Of
those little, brown birds that shoot
up out of the tall prairie grass from
under your pony's feet, and sing
their hearts out to the morning
light.
Sunday mornings about five o'clock
Billy would start for home, full of
everything that White Buffalo keeps
in tap for those it loves. But he would
sit his pony like a temperance
colonel, and as he rode along the
trail from town we could hear him
singing. Sometimes il was 'Moll
Kelly" and sometimes IL was The
Holy City," and once in awhile, if he
was very full, it was Rock of Ages"
And he'd sing until your heart ached
and you wished you were a good boy
like Billy Kane.
Once Tommy Taylor asked who the
letters were from, and Billy laid his
nice, new, shiny, lightweight Smith
d Weston half a yard from Tommy's
ear, and asked him to please repeat
the question. Tommy didn't. There's
No sense rushing in places unless you
can see footprints of angels ahead of
you.
Then we liked him for the CrossDar
sheep killing affair. The sheepmen
from Wyoming drove a bunch of |
sheep down on the Crossbar range,
and the Crossbar boys left a few dead |
sheep around just as a hint TO them |
to clear out. There were over hun
dred head of good, sound yearlings |
died the next week on the range from /
drinking from a poisoned spring. and I
the Crossbars said they'd have to
shoot the first sheepman that showed
up. 1t was fair play. They gave
warning. but the sheepmen stayed, so
one night Billy led the crowd of cow
boys against them. There was one
man shot and he was a herder, and
his own left him to die, and the Cross
bar boys thought it best not 80 med
die. But Billy put him on his own
horse. and took him home and
nursed him. And when he went over
the state line into Wyoming he told
of a man who shot him and then
saved his life, and the sheepmen
stayed in their own range. But Billy
said. as a point of sentiment. he
could shoot herder when he was
herder, but when he was only a man
with bullet in him il was another
point of sentiment. So we loved him
and let him have his way in little
things.
And so he was spoilt somehow.
One night he began singing "Moll ,
Kelly" and the chorus wasn't strong
enough TO suit him. so he started
through the town after recruits. One Z
II two strangers from Sylvania, who
iidn't know Billy, objected. and we ,
buried them neatly the next day !
quarter of mile down the creek. ,
We didn't mind it so much. because ,
Billy was sorry about il. and even Of /,
erred to sing at the funeral. but Svl-
-ania didn't think il was neighborly. ,
md they had a sheriff down there.
We are awfullv sorry for tho ~. I ,