The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1906-11-13
Borrowing a
Bear
By C. B. LEWIS


Circle ranch mad been great ranch
in its day, but the colonel had met
with all sorts of bad luck and couldn't
pay his debts. He had few cattle
and one cowboy left, while a colored
woman assisted Rose about the house
work
Rose Meecham had not been educat-
ed in the east. She had been born in
the ranch house and sent to school
not hundred miles away, and her en-
vironments bad been Of the plainest.
AS the adoring father said of her more
than once after his wife died:
"Rosie is good looking and honest
hearted and will make some man a
good wife. There's nothing Of the CO.
quette or flirt about her. She doesn't
know what a Irritation means. She's
just a plain girl. with her heart set on
doing all she can for her old daddy"
That was the colonePs way of put
ting it, and it simply shows how little
the average father knows of the aver
looking and honest hearted, but she
would firt with cross eyed cowboy.
Any other girl in her situation would
have done the same thing There
| wasn't another girl for fifteen miles
around while there were about fifty
cowboys within that distance. and, be-
sides there was the fort only five miles
Il L
every day.
Joe Whitman may have been above
the average cowboy in looks and ed
ucation Miss Rose had decided with
in FIVE minutes that she liked him.
Within another five she was smiling
so sweetly and talking 50 nicely that
she had Joe stammering out his words
That was the beginning of things
He had driven home bunch of the
coloners cattle that he had cut out of
his herd, and though he wanted to
linger at the ranch and talk about the
price of beef on the hoof, the drop in
hides and the dry summer, he wasn't
equal to the occasion and was almost
bueked off his pony in taking his leave.
Joe rallied when he got back to his
cattle and began to lay plans, and from
that day on it was a cold day when he
did not bring in some of the coloners
stray stock
1t was puzzle to the old gentleman
why his cattle should wander six or
seven miles after pasture when they
had better at home, but it was no mys-
terry to Miss Rose. Every time bunch
of the missing cattle came back Joe
had to stop to explain and to call for a
drink of water and to hang around for
a good half hour and that girl who
didn't know what Irritation meant,
| laughed to herself after he had de-
| parted.
Jim Taylor, the lone cowboy in the
coloners employ. was past forty, had
a wife somewhere in the east and was
out of the running. but he was no
wooden head. When those lost cattle
We're driven up he would go to the
colonel and declare that somebody was
driving them off that he might have
the privilege of driving them back
again. and that If Miss Rose were his
daughter lie would put his foot down.
Then the colonel would look up in an
! innocent way and exclaim:
| Lord love us, but you don't think
Rosa drives off our cattle and then
drives them back againr
mo, l don't, colonel, but don't it
strike you that Joe Whitman is COM
ing here mighty often?'
| SIS he? Well, he has to bring back
the strays, you know, and it is very
kind of him indeed. l don't always
see him, but hope that Rosa returns
my thanks in q proper way"
Joe was working the cattle business
for all it was worth and calling at the
Circle ranch between times with or
anges and boxes of candy sent to him
from Denver. when a rival suddenly
entered the field
Sergeant Smith. from the fort came
along one day with squad of men and
stopped at the house to make some In
quiriee. The sergeant was good look
ing man. He had a taking way with
| him. A Irritation was started almost
at once, and when he took up his line
Of march again he promised himself the
| pleasure of another call.
! Three days later he rode out to the
ranch and began to make love in ear
nest. He had served Uncle Sam for
twelve years, saved up 5000 and was
looking for a wife. While he continued
to be a soldier she could have place
as one of the laundresses in Com
pany G.
Before the sergeant got away Joe
Whitman came riding up. The two
men instinctively recognized each 9th
Ell as rivals and glarcd and muttered
but there was no bloodshed.
When the son of Mars had gone
there was a quarrel between the two
left. Joe's jealousy made it. although
! when asked what rights he had he
could not define them. He limited that
he would bring back no more lost cat
tie aud was told not to put himself out
in future, and he called Miss Rose a
heartless firt and rode away with his
broncho's heels in the air
1t Is ju as easy for a man to make
fool of himself on the plains Of the
west as ut Newport or Saratoga, When
|
t& was in the wrong, but 1t required
more moral courage than he possessed
to ride over and make a confession. In
this emergency he haunted the spring
until he found out from Martha. the
colored woman, that on a certain day
and date Miss Rose and the sergeant
were to take two mile walk to GER
tain limestone cave on the banks of the
river
Every man has friend somewhere
if he Will only hunt him up. After
thinking things over Joe decided to go
to old man Barnes, who kept a saloon,
eati ( house and sort of menagerie
in town, and when his case had been
stated the old man replied
Easiest thing in the world. my boy.
You want to run that sergeant off the
ranch aud make hero of yourself at
the same time"
but he don't look like Teller who
could be rum" was protested.
Make no mistake, my boy. You can
run his coat tails out straight if only
you go about 1t right"
"But how can | make hero of my
self"
That's a part of the game. Now
listen TO me"
Three days later the sergeant rode
up TO the ranch with his chest pulled
out and complacent look on his face.
He felt that he was a winner He was
going to honor the ranchman's daugh-
I for hy takinO har into TTncIQ SANS
service.
His welcome wasn't quite as genial
as 1t might have been. as Miss Rose
was beginning to feel conscience strick-
en- about Joe Whitman She had found