Mower County transcript., 1907-05-29
a TALE OF TIE OLD WEST
& ~ HAQRYI YI[ONWIl SON rI.H Hysses ss9ss.a. e

It right at both ends, too-Dandy will
and he's got a mighty tasty lope."
At supper and afterwards Mr.. Fol-
lett talked freely of himself, or seemed
to. He was from the high plains and
the short-grass country, wherever that
might be-to the east and south she
gathered. He had grown up in that
country, working for his father, who
had been an overland freighter, until
the day the railroad tracks were Joined
ut Promontory. He, himself, had
watched the gold and silver spikes
driven into the tie of California ma
hogany two years BEFORE. and then,
though they still kept few wagon
trains moving to the mining camps
north and south Of the railroad, they
had looked for other occupations.
Now their attention was chiefly de-
voted to mines and cattle. There were
great times ahead in the latter busi-
ness. His father remembered when
they had killed cattle for their hides
and tallow, leaving the meat to the
coyotes; but now, each spring, dozen
men like himself, under herd boss,
would drive 5000 head to Leaven-
worth, putting them through ten or IL
miles a day over the Abiline trail,
keeping them fat and getting good
prices for them. There was plenty of
room for the business. "Over yonder
across the hills" .as Mr.. Follett put it,
there was herding ground 400 miles
wide east and west, and thousand
miles north and south, covered with
buffalo grass, especially toward the
north, that made good stock feed the
year around. He, himself, had, in win
ter, followed a herd that drifted from
Montana to Texas; and in summer he
had twice ranged from Corpus Christi
to Deadwood.
Down in the Panhandle they were
getting control of ranch that would
cover 5000 square miles, and some
day they would have every one of it's
100000 acres enclosed with stout
wire fence. 1t would be big ranch,
bigger than the whole state Of Con-
necticut-bigger than Delaware and
Rhode Island Jumped together" he
had been told. Here they would have
the &C lazy G" brand on probably a
hundred and fifty thousand head OF
cattle, He thought the business would
settle down to this conservative basis
with the loose ends of it pulled to-
gether: will closer attention paid to
branding, for one thing; branding the
calves, so they would no longer have
to rope a fullgrown steer, and tie it
with a scarf such as he wore about
his waist:
7; But they were also working some
placer claims up around Helena, and
developing quartz prospect over at
Carson City. And the freighting was
by no means "played out" He, him.
self, had driven a six-mule team with
one line over the Santa Fe trail, and
might have to do it again. The re-
sources of the west were not exhaust
ed, whatever they might say. A man
with head on him would be able to
make a good living there for some
years to come.
Both father and daughter found him
an agreeable young man in spite OF his
being an alien from the Common
wealth of Israel. He remained with
them three days looking over the coun-
try about Amalon, talking with it's
people and making himself at least not
an object of suspicion and aversion, as
the casual Gentle was apt to be. Pru.
dence found herself usually at ease
with him; he was so wholly likable
and unassuming. Yet at times he
seemed strangely mature and reserved
to her, so that she was just little
aWed.
He told her in their evenings many
wonder-tales of that outside world
where the wicked Gentiles lived; of
populous cities on the western edge of
the interior clear over to the Atlantic
ocean. She had never realized before
what a small handful of people the
Lord had set His hand to save, and
what vast numbers He had made with
hearts that should be hardened to the
glorious articles Of the new covenant
When he left he told them he was
making little trip through the set
Elements to the north, possibly as far
as Cedar City. He did not know how
/ long he would be gone, but if nothing
prevented he might be back that way.
He shook hands with them both at
parting, and though he spoke so vague
ly about a return, his eyes seemed to
tell Prudence that he would like very
much to come He had talked freely
about everything, but the precise ma
ture of his errand in the valley.
In her walks to the canyon she
thought much Of him when he had
! gone She could not put his face into
/. the dream because he was too real and
| tmmanent He and the dream would
not blend, even though she had de-
cided that his fresh-cheeked, clear
eyed face, with its clean smile and the
! yellow hair above it was almost better
! to look at than the face Of the youth
| In the play. It was not 50 impalpab BILE;
lit satisfied. So sho mused about them
J. - L