St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1904-09-17

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Copyright, 1892 by The shortstory Pub
fishing Company. All rights reserved
CUDDEN and unlooked-for things
~ happen in the mountains. For al
that we are civilized, and the bad mar
is no longer very bad, evil deeds are
done among the lonely peaks, anG
sometimes two men go on a journey
and very long afterwards one skeleton
Is found.
am now able to give some sort OF
an explanation of the motives which
brought about the strange disappear
ance of my partner last October
though many Of the facts remain to be
cleared up. ~ ~ .s.
To tell connected story, I have to
go back to time when was only q
small ranchman, holding the pucleua
of the present splendid property, and
the Black Hills Land & Cattle COM
pany did not exist. In matter OF
business had made the acquaintance
OF old Matthew Sparks, the great
dressed beef man at the Chicago stock
yards, and the business acquaintance
had developed into personal friend
ship, during the course OF which Mr.
Sparks had been very kind to me in
deed. ssx @eyv M .4-as -. 4-,s
1t was in the spring Of ,97 thatI re-
ceived the letter from Mr.. Sparks
which made SO great = change III my
prospects. It was very long. and went
rather fully into business details, but
one extract from it is necessary for the
proper understanding of later events
II am sorry to say" lie wrote, that
Archie CHS only. son) has signalized
his entrance into business life by q
very disreputable social scandal.
There was an ENHANCEMENT with a
girl, followed by her suicide. need
hardly say that had known Of 1t in
time. Archie should have done his duty
ut any cost to the family, but, as it is,
Chicago Is too hot to hold him, and. it
will be better for him to keep away for
several years. Archie Is devoted to
outdoor pursuits, and will very prob
ably take quite, kindly, to ranching,
though he is no good 1t all In the Of
flee"
Then followed an offer which made
me sit up. Briefly, was to acquire on
his behalf enough neighboring prop
erty to support 1900 head Of csttle.
and my own interest In the concern
was to be so large as to make me a
fairly wealthy man in the course Of
very few years. The only pin was
Archie. l had met that youth, and did
not like him. He was to be appointed
q subordinate ofhcer in the company,
and was to enjoy the income Of . large
block Of its stock, provided that he
made his regular home at the ranch
and never slept. away from it for more
than IA consecutive nights.
Apart from my obligations to- Mr..
Sparks, the offer was too good to be-
refused. There is sweet certainty
about cattle when you are embodied in
the kindly arms of the beef trust that
no cowman could resist; and 80 it was
not very long bsfore Archibald Sparks
came to take mp his residence at the
ranch .-e1s-s'.
It is well to say nothing but good
Of the dead, but as there is not yet any
legal proof that Archie has crossed the
great divide 4 must haste to describe
him while cob do so with = clear con-
science. s#s
He belonged to a-~not uncommon
type that is repulsive to men. though |
by no means sunattractive to women.
I type which, can only define as the
physical. His body was |
robust and he had glorifled the care Of
his person intD kind Of religion. He
was an extremely welI-built boy with
one Of those yearning,ssintense faces
that you see@Among small class Of
poets and ACTORS and . large class Of
brutes. OF brains, morals and applica-
ton he was destitute.
During the first few months OF the
expansion OF the property the work
was chiefly OF clerical nature-se-
curing options. besieging land. Offices.
surveyors and the like.
In this l did not look for any help
from my new partner and none was
volunteered; hut when the great herds
Of cattle beesn to pour In from the
west and soufA, certainly expected to
be able to rely on him. And for sew
eral weeks, before the novelty wore
81. he did save me q great deal OF trou-
bic. BY July, however, the hot, dry
season had begun In earnest, and you
could hardly see the stock you were |
driving for TIE dust they raised. This
vas too much for Archie. He7was not
going to injnre his precious eyes for
my mere business consideration.
After that Isaw very little OF him.
His time va divided between shoot
ne. fishing and other pursuits Of less
reputable nature, and his appearances
It the ranchswere just sufficiently fire.
,uent to fulhll the conditions which
held his interest in the properly.
Il Was towards the end OF July that
;sarf FaDtdS arrived n The town u Z
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