Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1909-10-13


help the men with the cattle; there
will be four of us against three then"
mot for mine!" said Bill Dancing,
bluntly. "You may need help from an
old fool yet. I'll see you through this
and look after the cattle afterward"
| Then, Stormy, one or two of you
go back" urged Whispering Smith,
speaking to the cowboy foreman with
out turning his eyes. There's no need
of five of us in this"
But Stormy swore violently "You
go back yourself" exclaimed Stormy,
when he could control his feelings.
We'll bring them fellows IN for you
in ten minutes with their hands in
the air."
81 know you would; I know it. But
I'm paid for this sort of thing and
you are not, and l advise no man to
take unnecessary chances. If you all
want to stay, why, stay; but don't ride
ahead of the line, and let me do all the
talking. See that your guns are loose
you'll never have but one chance to
pull, and don't pull till you're ready.
The albino IS riding in the middle now,
isn't he? And little back, playing
FOR a quick drop. Watch him. Who Is
that on the right? Can it be George
Seagrue? Well, this is bunch. And
I guess Karg is with them"
Holding their horses to- a slow walk,
the two parties gingerly approached
each other. When the Cache riders
halted the railroad riders halted; and
when the three rode the five rode;
| but the three rode with absolute align
ment and acted as one, while Whisper
ing Smith had trouble in holding his
men back until the two lines were so
feet apart.
BY this time the youngest of the
cowboys had steadied and was think
ing hard. Whispering Smith halted.
In perfect order and sitting their
horses as if they were riding parade,
the horses ambling at a snails pace,
the Cache riders advanced in the sun
shine like one man When Du Sang
and his companions refined up, less
| than IL feet separated the two lines.
In his tan shirt, Du Sang, with his
| yellow hair, his white eyelashes, and
his narrow face, was the least i'm
pressive of the three men. Seagrue
| rode on the right, his ford blood show
ing under the tan on his neck and
arms. He spoke to the cowboys from
the ranch, and on the left the young
| fellow Karg, with the broken nose,
blackeyed and alert, looked the men
over in front of him and nodded to
Dancing. Du Sang and his compan-
ions wore short-armed shirts; rifles
were slung at their pommels, and re-
volvers stuck in their hip-scabbards
Whispering Smith, in his dusty suit IF
khaki, was the only man in either
line who showed no revolver, but a
hammerless or muley Savage rifle
hung beside his pommel.
Du Sang, blinking, spoke first:
(Which of you fellows is heading this
round-up?"
81 am heading the roundup" said
Whispering Smith. why? Have we
got some of your cattle?"
The two men spoke as quietly as
school-teachers. Whispering Smiths
expression in no way changed, ex-
cept that as he spoke he lifted his eye
brows a little more than usual.
| Du Sang looked at him closely as he
went on: What kind of way is this
to treat anybody? To ride into
valley like this and drive a mans
COWS away from his door without no
tice or papers? Is your name Smith,"
"My name is Smith; yours is Du
Sang. Yes, I'll tell you, Du Sang. |
carry an inspectors card from the
Mountain Stock assOciation-do you
want to see it? When we get these
cattle to the Door, any man in the
Cache may come forward and prove
his property. shall leave instructions
to that effect when we go, for want
you to go to Medicine Bend with me,
Du Sang, as soon as convenient, and
the men that are with me will finish
the roundup"
What do you want me for? There's
no papers out against me, is there?"
mo, but I'm an officer, Du Sang.
I'll see to the papers; l want you for
murder
$50 they tell me. Well, you're after
the wrong man. But I'll go with you;
don't care about that"
! Neither do l, Du Sang; and as you
have some friends along, won't break
up the party. They may come, too"
what for?"
For stopping a train at Tower w
Saturday night"
The three men looked at one another
and laughed.
Du Sang with an oath spoke again:
"The men you want are in Canada
by this time. / can't speak for my
friends; l don't know whether they
want to go or not. AS far as I am
concerned, 1 haven't killed anybody
that know of. 1 suppose you'll pay
my expenses back?"
'Why, yes, Du Sang, if you were
coming back I would pay your ex-
| penses. but YOU are not coming back.