Los Angeles herald., 1907-12-08

Then, besides, there were several near neigh
bors, every claim of one hundred and sixty
occupied, and some there were two even
more families who were contesting for the rights
of that particular quarter section, so before the
winter had fairly begun neat little cottages, sod
houses or frame "ShackS" dotted the entire coun-
try.
Harry's work consisted mainly in breaking
out" as much of the land as possible, and when
the weather pleasant, the lad worked faith
fully. His happy hours, however, came with the
incement weather, when all of his time was spent
in hunting. Harry had often hunted with his
father and brothers in Missouri but the largest
game he had ever found there the cotton
TAIL" so easily captured after the first SHOWS of
winter
But this hunting was different-and it was one
of the proudest moments of his life when he killed
his first gray wolf. There had been quail and
prairie chicken in abundance, well as wild
geese and the great jack rabbits of the western
plains-but gray wolf indeed prize. Harry
had by this time become thoroughly familiar with
the barking of the coyotes at night and had often
jumped up and slipped quietly out to get shot at
them If possible-but more especially to see that
of the nine little pigs disappeared from
the pen the barn.
Several of his neighbors had suffered consider
able loss from coyote raids of late, and whenever
there a single waing bark, soon followed
by louder and closer coyote yell, there was
great answering clamor from the dogs who were
off like flash after their game That exactly
what the clever coyotes wanted. The dogs were
of the coyotes, then the rest of the wolves had
nothing to interfere with their plans for the cap
ture of young pigs, sheep chickens.
After several dogs belonging to neighboring
farmers, had been led astray in this way and
killed by bands of coyotes, Harry kept Jack and
Beauty chained up the door of the house, and
he heard coyote yell close at hand, he
quickly brought the dogs inside They soon
learned to keep perfectly quiet while Harry
climbed out of the window in the west end of the
house, and crept cautiously to the corner of the
roof, from which point he had an unobstructed
view of the pig pen If the wind blew from the
near, for they have keen sense of smell and al
ways know if person is near, but if the breeze
carried to them warning scent of danger, they
boldly on, and each time and sometimes
two fell victims to- well-timed Shots
1t was in this way that the brave young rancher
soon gained the reputation of being of the
best shots in the country, which pleased him
greatly, although he knew well that his success
was not due as much to his skill with firearms as
to the study of the habits of the cunning animals
which enabled him to become than match
for them in cleverness.
At last the winter, which had been at times
lonely and dull, but for the most part delightful
drew to close, and Harry's parents and two
ing he sat thinking about how the partitions which
to divide the house, could be arranged to the
best advantage, when it suddenly occurred to
him to build sod house a sleeping for
himself near the "shanty" as he expressed it,
The next morning he hard at work plowing
sod, now wildly enthusiastic over the project.
The he thought of the plan, the more
elaborate became the details, when he finished
the sod walls, he at once began preparations for