Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1909-10-23
At
TWO-Bar
Ranch
The Manager Got His Instruc.
tons and Obeyed Them
BY DONALD ALLEN
Copyright. 1909. by Associated Lit
erary Press
By DONALD ALLEN

complement at the Two-lsar ranch aud
every one except the manager was Ia
boring under suppressed excitement.
No orders had been promulgated. but
the Saturday afternoon Ind been de-
voted by unanimous consent toward
washing up. combing hair aud bring
Ing out white shirts and red ncckties.
Two weeks previously old Jim Brad
shaw. foreman. who was supposed to
be deep In the confidence of the man
| agcr had said to the storekeeper on
Lame Calf creek:
tom. old Two Bar IL coming right
to the front In business way"
"As TO how"
"Going Ia have n telephone line over
to the railroad"
THAT amt so much"
Going to III up an Office for the
manager with desks and chairs. same
as New York brokers' Office"
Nothing to brag Of"
"Going to have IA typewriting ma
chine"
Lots Of folks got en-
"And now hold your breath. you old
swindler. while | tell you the rest.
We're going to have girl to run the
machine"
| "No-o-o"
Its fact Coming from Chicago.
Smarter'n chain lightning She's 60
Ing TO be stenographer and type
writer. Yes. sir. she Is. and no other
blamed ranch for hundred miles
around has got one. Old Two-Bar is
ahead on the game
"well:" querlcd the storekeeper aft
er a long pause.
"Well. I'm here to give you tip.
II you haven't got two dozen white
shirts In stock. send for them quicker
| than lightning Send for red neck
ties. Send for silk handkerchiefs
Send for real cloth collars. and send
for perfumery and toilet SOAP"
| why"
"Why. you galoot? Because every
man on our ranch Is going to come
looping over here and inquire for them
very things and isn't going to worry
| about prices either. Because why?
Because every man is going to fall in
love with that girl before she gets
within Il mile of the ranch and is
| going to dress up and let her see what
a Jim dandy he Is. There can't but
one man marry her. and the rest Of
the gang will shoot him."
1t was n tip. The shirts and other
things were sent for. and the boys
loped over. Forty-nine cent white
shirts went for dollar and n half
and no questions asked. Perfumery
| and hair oil met with n firm market.
Red neckties were In great demand.
And now the great day had finally
arrived Old Tom had been sent over
to the railroad with the blackboard to
bring back the young woman and her
| trunk. Every man had volunteered to
| make the trip. and when Old Tom had
| been selected the gang gathered
around him. and its spokesman said:
| There's got 10 he II square deal or
bloodshed-no flirting or soft talk TO
| get ahead OF the rest Of us. You've
| got an old woman down on the Brazos.
Tom. and II you don't own up TO that
| girl that you have OF comes yonr
scalp"
Four hours later the blackboard was
sighted with tieldglass Fifteen
| minutes after the announcement IL
| could be made out with the naked eye.
While 1t was still mile away the
| cowboys formed In double line along
| the road to the house. At half Il mile
| they removed their hats and pulled
| out their shirt fronts. At twenty rods
| their red neckties blushed furiously.
| And now Old Tom. having the dig
nifty Of Roman senator. drove the
vehicle between the lines. and the
yelled lady bowed right and left as
every man bent his head and scraped
his right foot. Nothing further could
have been desired by the most crlti-
| cal.
"And what does she look like?" was
demanded OF Old Tom as he reached
the stables. where they waited for
him.
| Boys. she's cute. She's locker.
She's going to set hearts afre and
cause forty different murders. You
might just as we'll go into convention
and resolve that every galoot OF you
Is going to fall head over heels In
love with her ut first sight"
Old Toms prediction was fulfilled.
Every man as he got sight Of Miss
| Glacier fell In love with her or thought
he did. In a week discipline was lax:
In n fortnight there was none at all.
Every cowboy on the ranch wanted to
sit around looking pretty. and the
Chinese cook didn't have time to wash
half the white shirts awaiting him.
Old Tom stormed and the manager
complained. but things continued at
skies and sevens. Few OF the men
could make an errand at the Office. IL
was only while the typist was walk
ing out that they had sight Of her.
Three or four got up the nerve to APP
proach her. and the bearing and Ian
| -uage OF all Of them were alike. They