The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1905-10-18
AT Double
Tee RANCH
BY FRANK II. SWEET
Copyright, 1905, by L. c. PARCELS

nllnSell Il better cowboy than | am.
flashed the girl Then as her gaze
swept over the assembled outfit of the
Double Tee ranch. she broke into Il
ringing. scornful laugh. But the men
felt there had been more than jest in
her words. Hairy faced Tom Bigelow
-Wooley Dog Tom placed his hand
over his heart.
"Ghem's pinted sentiments, Miss
! Tensile" he rehukcd suavcly, and it
implies us boys here considerable, see
| ing four of us have asked YOU to marry
since you stood here on the horse.
| Now In justice TO the Double Tee out
fit we'd ask YOU 10 name the conditions
and cards. If its TO round up STAN
pcding herd single handed or ride II
locoed horse or
Il don't think the mans among you,
Mr.. Wooley." interrupted the girl. III
you'll hurry Pete up with that note I'll
he going could have written dozen
answers in this time. There he comes
now
\ cowboy was emerging from the
ranch shack, and following him was
the new owner, fresh from the east
and immaculate in Il tailor made cow
| boy costume He was Il handsome fell
| low and came forward quickly, doilinG
his hat
Tell year father l am awfully ohlig-
ed to him for his ncighhorlncss. Miss
Neuman," he said, and that he can
depend upon me to be ut the ranch
mems meeting | 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 10 paper or
| pencils in the outfit
Tensile Ncuman took the note and
| bowed, then touched her horse lightly.
As she swept away the curiosity i'll the
new owners eyes was mingled with
surprised admiration.
y magnificent girl he calculated
| involHntariy. But Robson. the fore
man, was near enough 10 hear him.
YES" he said quietly; You don't see
such girls in the east, MIR. Rand. and
even hero on the plains Miss TENSE Is
an exception
shes goddess agreed Mr.. Rand
enthusiastically Then lie swung sud
denly to the outfit, his face darllenIng
Look here, mem" he cried holly. Il
don't like the way you talked 10 that
girl II was positively Insulting Why,
l heard four of you proposing to the
girl right here In the presence of ali
the rest. and you were In earnest"
ON dead earnest" assented Wooley
Dog Tom pathetically the deadest
| kind OF earnest An / have myself
heard the same four propose to her in
! dvidunlly an collectively more times
| than I've got fingers nm 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, nm 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, sis how she snaps out some
times, just like now. Maybe we ought
to draw her off by herself, boys, an
not speak out so in meetin'. Maybe
gals like proposn's to be private re-
hcarsals"
Not Miss Tensile" declared Wooley
Dog Tom authoritatively. IT'S prac-
tlce for her to say no in different ways.
She's bound to like IT. Lord I'd rather
hear her say no than any other gal yes!
It's worth prOposn' just to have her
eyes on one and her attention for n
minute. And that's the way we all
feel. Every cuss IN this outfit has been
proposln' to her, except Robson there,
an he don't propose to nobody. Hes
too all fired dried up. Now, Mr..
Rand
"Never mind bringing me in," said
Mr.. Rand shortly. mo girl cares to be
proposed TO in that way, much less Il
girl like Miss Ncuman. You COW
boys
Are as fine u lot Of men as there
are In the world" finished the foreman
brisldy. II nm glad you feel that way
about us, Mr.. Rand, especially rs you
are to become n cowboy, in n way,
yourself Miss TENSE 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 Is more than many Of the
well dressed men east would do The
mere fact of her having to famillarlze
as with the word No detracts nothing
and the outfit And, yes, | viii add
that contrary to Mr.. Woolcy Dog
Toms belief, l proposed to her myself
more than year ago and was refused.
Now"-sharply- Of YOU scatter to
the upper range and relieve the boys
there. Keep an extra keen lookout for
the wolves are around again and liable
to cause another bad stampede. Miss
Tensile rode that way, you know, and,
brave and familiar with cattle as she
II, | wouldn't like her to get In front
sf stampede when wolves We're be-
danger, OF course, or / would have
warned her Wolves are not apt to
venture out TIL night. but | shall go
along"
There had not been u serious STAN.
pede for several weeks, though scatter.
ing wolves were seen almost daily
along the edge OF the foothills. AZ
night the cowboys We're unusually vigil
liant, with occasional fires built at dan
gcrous points, and 80 the wolves had
been kept back. And it was ut night
alone that danger was apprchcnded.
But the wolves had been growing
hungry, and with hunger came bold
ness. An hours riding, with ten miles
left behind, and the cowboys saw the
figure which they had only tried to
keep within sight whlrl suddenly and
come toward them. A few moments