Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1906-11-01
Borrowing a
Bear
Copyright, 1905, by p. c. Eastment
By C. b. LEWIS

Joe Whitman, cowboy, rode up to
the Circle ranch house one day to see
old Colonel Meecham about some lost
cattle, and ten minutes later he had
lost his heart to Miss Rose, the colo
ners daughter, who was then girl of
nineteen and her fathers housekeeper.
Circle ranch had 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 a 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 a hundred miles away, and her en-
vironments had 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 f1irt about her. She doesn't
know what Irritation means. She's
just 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
age daughter Miss Rose was good
looking and honest hearted, but she
would fiirt with a 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
away and soldiers passing on the road
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 so 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
buckcd 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 coloneps
stray stock.
1t was a 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
colonels 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 he 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. don't, colonel, but don't it
strike you that Joe Whitman is COM
ing here mighty often?"
us 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 1 hope that Rosa returns
my thanks in proper way"
Joe was working the cattle business
for all II was worth and calling at the
Circle ranch between times with or
angeS and boxes of candy sent to him
from Denver when rival suddenly
entered the field.
Sergeant Smith, from the fort, came
along one day with a squad of men and
stopped at the house to make some In
auiries. The sergeant was good look
ing man He had taking way with
him. A Irritation was started almost
ut 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 wife. While he continued
to be soldier she could have place
rs 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
er as rivals and glared and muttered,
but there was no bloodshed
When the son Of Mars had gone,
there was 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
lie would bring back no more lost cat
tIe and was told not to put himself out
ia future, and he called Miss Rose a
Iicartless fiirt. and rode away with his
broncho's heels in the air.
Ut Is just as easy for man to make