The Rathdrum tribune. (Rathdrum, Idaho) 1903-1963, 1909-05-21
IN GIBSON'S VALLEY.
An original story by three Rathdrum
students.
CHAPTER l.
BY EMO BACON.

J SAID, somewhere into the unsettled
country to take up land. Som
; thought this showed poor judgmen
on the part Of the two men, but the,
were sure to 60 where old Mat Glib
son had settled, and of course h,
would put them on the right track
Mat Gibson had taken land th'
summer before in what he called tn,
prettiest little valley on earth. An
derson was married. He left his wife
in the village when, with his cousin
he went with Gibson to build himsel
home in the unsettled district O
central California.
1t was hard scratching that sum.
mer in Gibson's valley. The trac,
he selected for his own, lay in the
north end Of the valley. a fair sized
creek filled with trout ran out of the
mountains and down the middle oi
the valley. The place Anderson
selected to build his cabin was on
the bank Of this creek, hidden from
Mat Gibson's place by spur Of the
mountain which jutted out into the
valley.
Leaving Henry to cut logs for the
house, Anderson returned to civil
zation to get a team, wagon, seed
and what other farm supplies his
scanty means would allow. He did
not take his wife back with him, but
was to return for her in the fall after
the house had been built and crop
harvested, if there should be any.
The summer was almost too short
for all the work there was to be done.
However, they built house and
stable and dug cellar for the few
vegetables which they had raised.
They built a rail fence around the
small field and garden to keep out
Mat Gibson's cattle, the whole val
ley having once been their feeding
ground. They could not spend as
much time in this work as they
might have wished, it being neces-
sary for them to depend nearly en-
tirely for their food upon the wild
game and fruits Of the surrounding
country, and even these could not
always be found in as large quanti-
ties as could be desired. Deer were
somewhat scarce, owing to presence
Of cougars in the country.
! At length, however, the summer
was well spent. The crop, princi-
pally hay for the horses, had been
harvested and the vegetables stored
in the cellar for winter use. Ander-
son was eagerly looking forward to
the day when he should go for his
wife, but first they must get guam
tity Of smoked venison on hand for
the journey. Henry took one Of the
horses and went in search Of game,
expecting to be gone a couple o.
days. Anderson stayed behind tc
build smoke house and do some
extra work about the house, so tha
it might look as nice as possibl.
, when his wife came. About noon O
] the day Henry left Anderson noticet
two men trying to round up Glib
e sons cattle. Gibson noticed then
: too, and, with rifle in hand, rode on
y to investigate. The indruders he,
into the woods and Gibson drove hi
cattle, numbering about a dozen, int
: a corral which he had built a shor
!. distance from his cabin. A few hour
d later Anderson's attention was a,
:, tracted by two shots fired in quic
d succession, the sound coming fror
the direction of Gibson's ranch
Selling his rife and cartridge be
n he hurried across the spur Of tn
n mountain that hin Gibsons hous
'r from his own. Several more sho1
: were fired and then came the dee
! and loud report Of Gibson's 45-e
y Winchester. Anderson, feeling tn;
something must be wrong, approach
ed quietly, being careful to kee
M himself concealed in the brush. +
tt crept to place scarcely twen'