The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1905-10-31
AT Double
Tee Ranch
By FRANK H. SWEET
Copyright. 1905. by E. c. PARCELS

kOcOeO morse or
81 don't think the mans among you,
Mr.. Wooley," interrupted the girl. IF
you'll hurry Pete up with that note I'll
be going could have written dozen
answers In this time. There he comes
now"
A cowboy was emerging from the
ranch shack. and following him was
the new owner, fresh from the east
and immaculate In a tailor made COW.
boy costume. He was handsome fell
low and came forward quickly, dof1ng
his hat.
Tell your father am awfully oblig-
ed to him for his neighborliness, Miss
Neuman," he said, land that he can
depend upon me to be at the ranch
mems meeting. l want to Identify
myself with the country now That
note will explain about the horses. I'm
sorry to have kept you waiting so long,
but there seemed to be no paper or
pencils In the outfit"
Tensile Neuman took the note and
bowed, then touched her horse lightly
AS she swept away the curiosity In the
new owners eyes was mingled with
surprised admiration.
"A magnificent grip he calculated
involuntarily. But Robson, the fore
man, was near enough to hear him.
YES" he said quietly; you don't see
such girls in the east, Mr. Rand, and
even here on the plains Miss Tensile is
an exception"
''She's goddess agreed Mr.. Rand
enthusiastically. Then he swung sud-
denly to the outfit, his face darkening.
Look here, meng' he cried hotly. II
don't like the way you talked to that
girl 1t was positively insulting. Why,
heard four of you proposing to the
girl right here in the presence of all
the rest, and you were in earnest"
I'm dead earnest" assented Wooley
Dog Tom pathetically - ''the deadest
kind Of earnest. An 1 have myself
heard the same four propose to her In
dividually an collectively more times
than I've got fingers an toes an gen.
orally in the presence Of witnesses. An
why not? Everybody knows every
cuss here loves her, an faint nothin'
to be ashamed Of Lord, Mr.. Rand,
we've been acquainted with Miss Ten
sic ever since her father brought her to
this ranch two years ago, an we've
been proposing to her on all chances
an occasions through the twenty-four
months. I'd have asked her to marry
me today only these coyotes kept their
everlasting jaws going"
what gets me-" said Wild Smith
gently, "is how she snaps out some
times, just like now. Maybe we ought
to draw her OF by herself. boys. an
not speak out SO in meetin'. Maybe
gals like proposin's to be private re-
hearsals."
mot Miss Tensile" declared Wooley
Dog Tom authoritatively. ITS prac-
tee for her to say no In different ways.
She's bound to like it. Lord, ia rather
hear her say no than any other gal yes!
It's worth proposin' just to have her
eyes on one and her attention for q
And that's the way we all
feel. Every cuss in this outfit has been
to her, except Robson there.
an he don't propose to nobody. He's
too all fred dried up. Now, Mr..
Never mind bringing me In" said
Mr. Rand shortly. mo girl cares to be
proposed to In that way. much less a
girl like Miss Neuman. You cow
boys"-
Are as fine a lot of men as there
are In the world" finished the foreman
briskly. 81 am glad you feel that way
about us. Mr.. Rand, especially as you
are to become a cowboy, In a way,
yourself. Miss Tensile regards US In
the same manner, for she knows that
any one in the outfit would give his
life freely to save her from danger,
and that ia more than many of the
well dressed men east would do. The
mere fact Of her having to familiarize
us with the word No detracts nothing
from the warm feeling between her
and the outfit. And, yes, 1 will add
that, contrary to Mr.. Wooley Dog
Toms belief, proposed to her myself
more than year ago and was refused.
Of you scatter to
the upper range and relieve the boys
there. Keep an extra keen lookout, for
the wolves are ABOUND again and liable
to cause another bad stampede. Miss
Tensile rode that way. you know. and,
brave and familiar with cattle as she
Is, wouldn't like her to get In front
Of a stampede when wolves were be-
hind. l don't think there Is any real
danger. OF course. or l would have
warned her Wolves are not apt tc
venture out till night, but 1 shall go
along"
There had not been a serious STAN
pede for several weeks, though scatter
ing wolves were seen almost daily
along the edge Of the foothills At
night the cowboys were unusually vigi-
liant, with occasional fres built at dan
serous points. and so the wolves had
been kept back. And it was at night
alone that danger was apprehended.
But the wolves had been growing
hungry. and with hunger came bold
ness. An hours riding, with ten miles
eft behind, and the cowboys saw the
figure which they had only tried to
Keep within sight whirl suddenly and
ZONE toward them. A few moments
alter came a dull vibration of the earth
which caused Robson to throw his
horse forward, with a curse.
Ride, boysw he yelled. Stamped
ng cattle, and you know Miss Tensie's
horse came thirty miles from her IA
hers ranch this morning and is too
exhausted to lead a stampede driven
by wolves. Ride as you never did be-
lore. Sweep in between her and the
cattle and then turn, and. If need be,
every one of you die before a horn
touches her horse"
Dog Tom wrathfully. What reason
nave you to say that? Amt we all pro-
posed to her lastY'
But Tensile was mile away, and be-
lore that distance was lessened by half
he stampede had swept over the slope
behind and was closing in on her. A
quarter OF mile, and the clashing
,orns were less than a dozen yards
away; an eighth. and they were at her
horses flank.
Robson's face was set In rigid lines.
BE had ridden many miles also that
and his horse was not SO
fresh as his companions. but by sheer
force OF will he pushed the animal
ahead Of the others. two, three. four
engths, and when the clashing horns