The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1909-06-06

yard and began track laying toward
the lower Crawling Stone valley. when
Mears said it was time to stop work TIL
spring. When McCloud told him he
wanted track across the divide and into
the lower valley by spring, Mears
threw up his hands. But there was
metal in the old man, and he was for
orders all the time. He kept up d run
ming fire of protests and fOrebodings
about the danger of exposing men dur
ing the winter season, but stuck to his
post.
Spring found the construction OF the
valley line well advanced, and the
grades nearing the lands of the Dun
ming ranch Right-of-way men had been
working for months with Lance Dun
ming over the line and McClOud had
| been called frequently into cOnsulta-
| ton to adjust the surveys TO obJec-
! tions raised by Dicksie's cousin to the
crossing of the ranch lands. Even
when the proceedings had been closed,
/ strong current of discomfort set rom
/ the managing head of the Stone ranch.
Rumors of Lance Cummings dissatis-
faction often reached the railroad peO~
/ pie. Vague talk of an extensive irrt-
/ cation scheme planned by Sinclair for
/ the Crawling Stone valley crept into
/ the newspapers, and il was generally
understood that Lance Dunning had ex-
pressed himself favorably to the enter
I prise.
Dicksie gave slight heed TO matters
as weighty as there. She spent much
Of her time on horseback. with Jim
! under the saddle; and in Medicine
/ Bend. where she rode with frequency
/ Marion's shop became her favorits
abiding place. Dicksie ordered hats un-
! til MariOn's conscience rose and she
practically refused to supply any
more. But the spirited controversy OF
this point, as on many OtherS-Dick-
sizes haughtiness and MaTion's restraint
quite unmoved by any show Of dis
pleasure-ended always in drawing thj
two closer to each other.
One March afternoon, coming homo
from Medicine Bend, she saw at som'
distance before her a party OF men OF
horseback. She was riding q trai
leading from the pass road that fol
lowed the hills, and the party Wa
coming up the bridge road from th'
lower ranch Dicksie had good eyes
and something unusual in the ridins
of the men was soon apparent to her
Losing and regaining sight Of them "A
different turns in the trail, she mad
out, as she rode among the trees, tina
! they were cowboys Of her own ranch
and riding. under evident excitement
about a strange horseman. She rec
Ognized I'm the escort Stormy German
the ferOcious foreman of the ranch. ant
. Denison and Jim Baugh, two of IN
most reckless Of the men. These thre
b carried rifles slung across their pom
mels. and in front of them rode tn
stranger.
} Fragments Of the breakfast-tabl
p talk Of the morning came back L
Dicksie's mind. The railroad grader
] were in the valley below the ranch
2 and she had heard ner cousin say
\ good deal on a point she cared littl
\ about. as To where the railroad shoul
5 cross the Stone ranch. Approachin
\ the fork Of the two roads towar
- which she and the cowboys were rid
- ing, she checked her horse i'm the shad
/. ! Of a cottonwood tree. and as the part
} rode up the draw she saw the horse
r man under surveillance. 1t was GeorG
!. | McClOud.
e UnluckiIy. as she caught a ElimpS
of him she was conscious that he wa
e looking at her. She bent forward
!. hide a momentary confusion, spol
g briskiy to her horse, and rode out
It sight. At Marion's she had CAREFUL
e avoided him. Her precipitancy at the
d last meeting haG seemed. on refie
h ton. unfortunate She felt that 81
a must have appeared to him shocking