Waterbury evening Democrat., 1904-02-26
The Hoodoo of the Crossbar 4
By IzoLA L. FORESTER
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 tCopyright, 1903. by Daily Story Pub. col


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 Copyright. 1905. by Daily Story Pub. col
 XXIHEN Don Travers brought
 w brand new wife home from Kan sas City the second time he went down with 2,O0O head of sound stock, there was a favorable ripple of public opinion from Sunrise to the Crossbar.
 The Crossbar had been a white ele- plant on the hands of several until Travers took 1t in hand. He sold off the old herd at a sacrifice, and filled up the ranch with fine, new picked stock. His ideas of breeding and grazing were somewhat ahead of Sunrise, and its environs, but he persevered, and pros pered in the face of the Crossbar hoo doc.
 "You may come out fair and square the first year, sonny" old dickson told him the first time he showed up in the social circle on the front stoop of the "Rodgh Diamond" we'll get an easy winter anyhow, but wait till an eight day blizzard strikes you in that shack, with hundreds of your finestsdropping under the drifts, you'll wish the whole Crossbar in Tunket. There ain't de- cent weather shed on the place, and the last two fellows there settled the hoo doc on it for sure Rocky Davis and his brother Jim We found Jim froze stiff with the cattle last March, and Rocky's going to the dogs. Better look out for Rocky. He isn't very sweet on the Crossbar.
 Travers nodded with a grin of de- termination. He had bought up the ranch cheap from Rocky Davis, and be- lieved modern methods would go far towards chasing the hoodoo. The pas- turage was good. He made new fence divisions on his own judgment against the advice of Rocky. and cut down the stock 500 head the first year, to run no risk of over crowding.
 When he went to Kansas City the second year he took along the finest herd Sunrise section had ever seen, and it brought his own price. Rocky heard of the sale with sullen moroseness, but Hickson and the rest averred mildly that the. youngster had mighty good stuff in him.
 So when along with his business en- terprise, Travers returned with a pretty wife, public opinion sided with Hick- son, and admired. the hustling qualities of Travers, without regard for Rocky or his failure.
 As for Betty herself, she was more than pretty. There was poise to her carriage, and style to her dress that Cat hn ;rs1 ola ment of Sunrise. -
 At first she was said to be "stuck up." Bunny Pierce said so when she sug- gested that he lift his hat when he said good-morning, but when she pitched in and made Minnie Hickson's wedding dress by the pattern of her own, and sent her off 10 Sioux Falls on her wed- ding trip with Bunny, looking like some body, the verdict was reversed, and she was held to be worthy of Travers.-- It was in February that the big bliz- gard came. After week of clear skies, and wind-swept wastes, the clouds closed in, and by the first nightfall. old ranch CTS were driving in all they could of their herds. ..rt..
 Travers watched and waited, hoping the worst was over. It was well into the third day when Rocky Davis brought word of over hundred deaths the night before in the northwest division of the ranch. The boys had tried to bunch the cattle, and drive them south, he said, but the snow was too deep
 Betty watched him as he stood by the kitchen stove, one foot on the hearth hoI ha had found him one night down in Sum- rise, few months after his marriage, going to the devil as fast as an empty purse would let him. He had heard himself cursed at the bar of the Rough Diamond" and the novelty of it had struck him unpleasantly when he found that Rocky was the curser.
 With variety of side compliments on the subject delivered in his own pe- world at large his undylng hatred of one Travers, an outsider who had come in, and dared to make money out of the ranch that had been the death of his brother and the ruin of himself.
 Whereupon Prayers had promptly offered him all the help in his power, and had given him work at the Cross bar, and tried to brace him up.
 You won't be afraid, will you. Betty?" Travers asked. anxiously: "It may be for all night"
 The previous winter he had been out with the boys, sharing the hardships and danger and enjoying the fight for success, but now the charm Of her face and the fear for her safety held him back.
 Rocky can stay and look out for you" he added.
 "1'm going along with you" said Rocky, carelessly. sr-...z-
 Something in his tone made Betty turn and look him in the eyes. His glance fell, shiftily, before the steady questioning of her own. but Travers did not notice 1t, and she hesitated to tell him of her suspicion.
 I'm not afraid" she told him. 'Just be careful
 After the two had gone, she barred the heavy door and stood at the window, trying to see in the blackness outside