Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1910-05-27

soon seated At the mlouas uAAnb N-o'S
Of that hospitable kingdom TAX IKE
water gushed from him
'Missis Yeager." be babbled. see |
q man the other dag on the hAneno
seco. down in Hidalgo county. by your
name-webb feager was bis. heu
just been engaged as manager. he
was a tall. light haired man. not say
ing much. Maybe he was some Kun
Of yours. do you thlnkT
"a husband" said Santa cordially
The Seco has done well. Mfr. feager
is one of the best stOckmen IN tne
west"
The dropping out OF a prince consort
rarely discrepancies a monarchy Vueen
Santa had appointed as mayor domo Oh
the ranch a trusty subject named Ram
say. who had been one OF her iathers
faithful vassals. And there was scarce
~ u ripple ON the NOpalito ranch save
when the gulf breeze created undula-
lions In the grass Of It's wide acres
For several years the Nopalito had
been making experiments Win an
English breed Of cattle that lo'keu
down with aristocratic contempt upon
the Texas Ionghorns. The expert
ments were found satisfactory. anu
pasture had been set apart for the blue
bloOds. The fame Of them hhd gone
forth into the chaparral.
As consequence one day sun
burned. capable. silk kerchiefed. hon-
chalant youth. garnished with reVoi''
ers and attended by three Mexican
vaqueros. alighted at the Nopaito
ranch and presented the FOLLOWING
businesslike epistle to the queen there
Of:
Mrs Yeager. the Nopaiito Ranch:
bear Madam am instructed by the
owners of the Rancho Seco to purchase
100 head OF two and three year OLD cows
Of the Sussex breed owned by you. II you
can I'LL the order please deliver the cattle
to the bearer. and a check Will be tor-
warded to you at once. Respectfully
WEBSTER YEAGER.
Manager the Rancho Seco
Business IL business. even - very
scantily did 1t escape being written
'especially"-in kingdom.
That night the hundred head Of cat
tie were driven up from the pasture
and penned In corral near the ranch
house for delivery In the morning.
When night closed down and the
house was still did Santa Yeager
throw heSelf down, clasplng that
formal no6 to her bosom. weeping
and calling out n name that pride
| (either In one or the other had kept
from her lips many a day. or did she
file the letter In her business way. re-
tanning her royal balance and strength?
Wonder, II you will. but royalty Is
sacred, and there is veil But this
much you shall learn:
At midnight Santa slipped softly out
Of the ranch house, clothed In some
thing dark and plain She paused for
a moment under the live oak trees.
Santa turned her face TO the south
east and threw three kisses thither.
ward. for there was none TO see.
Then she sped silently to the black
smith shop, hfty yards away. and what
she did there can only be surmised.
But the forge glowed red, and there
was faint hammering such as Cupid
might make when he sharpens his ar
row points.
Later she came forth with a queer
shaped handled thing In one hand and
a portable furnace such us are seen In
branding camps In the other. TO the
corral where the Sussex cattle were
penned she sped with these things
swiftly in the moonlight.
She opened the gate and slipped In
side the corral The SUSSEX cattle
were mostly a dark red but among
this bunch was one that was milky
white-notable among the others.
And now Santa shook from her Shout
der something that we had not seen
before-a rope iasso She freed the
loop of II. coiling the length In her left
hand, and plunged into the thick of the
cattle.
The white cow was her object She
swung the lasso. which caught one
horn and slipped off.
Again she made the cast, while the
aroused cattle milled around the .oul
sides Of the corral In a plunging mass
This throw was fair: the white COW
came to earth again. and before |,
could rise Santa had made the lass(
fast around post Of the corral will
swift and simple knot and had leap
ed upon the cow again with the raw
hide hobbies.
In one minute the feet of the ANNA
were tied. She ran swiftly to her fur
mace at the gate and brought thu
branding iron. white hot.
The below Of the outraged whit,
COW as the iron was applied should
have stirred the slumbering auricula
nerves and consciences Of the nearb,
subjects Of the Nopalito. but 1t did not
And 1t was amid the deepest nocturna
silence that Santa ran like lapwin,
back to the ranch house and there fel
upon cot and sobbed-sobbed a
though queens had hearts as simpl
ranchmen's wives have and as thoug
she would gladly make kings of prime
consorts should they ride back agai
from over the hills and far away.
In the morning the capable. revoly
cred youth and his vaqueros set fort
driving the bunch Of Sussex cattl
across the prairies to the Rancho Secc
The beasts arrived ut Rancho Sec
one evening ut dusk and were receive
and counted by the foreman.
, The next morning at 8 o'clock
horseman Hoped out Of the brush to tn
a Nopalito ranch house. He dismounte
stiffiy and strobe with whizzing spur
: to the house. His horse gave grea
SIGH and swa rad foam straakad wit