The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1907-11-01

Generous by Nature.
II was haying season on the range,
Just before the beef roundup. when
tired team drew three Norfolk men
A. II. Kiesau, Sam Reynolds and n
News man--into the ranchyard OF old
Jack Whipple, away out In the west
ern edge of the big Rosebud reserva-
ton. The strangers wanted to leave
their exhausted pair of horses for the
night, rent a fresh one from Whipple
and make long drive before sunrise
in order to return early next day and
save twenty-four hours in the return to
civilization. Whipple's horses were all
being heavily worked at the haying
To give up fresh team meant losing
their work and a mans work for a
day. He hesitated and noted the de-
pressing effect upon his visitors. Like
a flash he turned to a cowboy near at
hand.
Go out in the hills and bring in
that grey team, Jack he simply said
and the strangers drove Whipple's
horses out into the night.
When pay was mentioned next day
for the service, old Jack Whipple,
bronzed with a lifetime of sunshine,
turned upon his unknown guests with
bitter resentment and injured feeling.
why, hell" said he, 81 never charg-
ed man for a favor in all my life;
and | guess l don't start now"
And then later, when he'd cooled
down, he remarked: "If you really
you what you can do. When you get
back to Norfolk, you just drink a good
cold bottle Of beer and think of Jack
Whipple out in the hot bayfield,.
| That's what you can do"
1t was one night just at dusk when
the same strangers drove into the
ranchyard of Nels Nelson. A cowboy
| appeared from the little shack and be-
gan unhtching the team. you'll stay
here tonight with us" he simply said.
The ranchmen had had their supper
an hour before. The unknown guests,
unintroduced and not even their names
given, sat on the bed talking with Mel
son. the ranchman. Suddenly came a
queer voice from the other corner of
the room. "Supper's ready" said the
voice. The cook had gotten a second
meal. And it was square one. Pan
cakes, fried potatoes, coffee. bacon
pie-these were features. The cow
boys called the cook Gene" He was
big, black bearded fellow with high
pitched voice. He waited on the
guests at supper better than any met
ropolitan waiter ever did, keenly
watching for every wish and removing
the paper covering from the syrup
bottle or the butter plate-the paper
coverings were protection from flies
at the slightest look on the counten-
ance Of a guest. He walked around
softly. Dishes washed, he turned in"
for the night without word. There
seemed to be a mystery lurking over
this fellow. Where was he from?
Why was he away out here on the
plains cooking in ranch house? What
story was told by the pallor of his
cheeks? What had been the nature Of
his indoor confinement and why had
he stolen away from the busy world?
Perhaps he had just gotten out-but
in the thought there may have been
injustice.
Cowboys Not SO Rough.
And those cowboys-they weren't
so rough. One Of them looked like a
college football player and had big
brown eyes that looked straight at you.
And they had recently changed their
shirts!
BY o'clock the whole crowd had
crawled, without too much preliminary
ceremony, into the hunks. For little
while they answered questions Of
their strange bedmates. But they
were mysterious concerning their own
affairs. They only turned the subject
gently and politely when anybody
asked what their brand was, how many
cattle they had, or how many they ex-
pected to market. They might have
boosted of the enormity of their prop
osition but the lack Of companions to
gossip with had taught them to keep
their own business pretty well to
| themselves.
This much was conceded by the cap
tain of the flock-Nelson himself be-
fore slumber fell over the little ROOM
That within five years there'll be no
more of the range.
Just before he turned over to go to
sleep somebody asked what effect the
settlement of this country would have
on the range. We'll have to quit, )"
said Nelson.
and how long-how long will it be,
do you suppOse?"
"Five years at the most" said the
ranchman. give years more and the
farmer will have crowded us out"
WHEAT DOWN THREE CENTS