The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1910-06-01
scantily did 1t escape being written
respectfully kingdom.
rr1..4 1.-THE 49,, h,.rdrod hMad of nat


house for delivery in the morning
When night closed down and the
house was still did Santa Yasger
throw herself down. clasping the
formal note to her bosom. weeping
and calling out a name that pride
(either in one or the other had kept
from her lips many a day. or did sha
file the letter In her business way, re-
tanning her royal balance and strength
Wonder. if you will. but royalty ~
sacred, and there is a veil But this
much you shall learn: ri.
At midnight Santa slipped softly out
Of the ranch house, clothed in some
thing dark and plain. She paused fot4
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, fifty yards away, and what
she did there can only be surmiseda
But the forge glowed red, and there
was a faint hammering such as Cupid
might make when be sharpens his ar
row points.
Later she came forth with a queer
shaped handled thing in one hand and
a portable furnace such as 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 lasso. She freed the
loop of it. 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 sour
sides of the corral in a plunging mass.
This throw was fair; the white cow
came to earth again, and before it
could rise Santa had made the lass0
fast around a post of the corral with
a swift and simple knot and had leap
ed upon the COW again with the raw
hide hobbies
In one minute the feet of the animal
were tied She ran swiftly 0 her fur
mace at the gate and brought the
branding iron, white hot.
The below Of the outraged white
COW as the iron was applied should
have stirred the slumbering auriculaF
nerves and consciences Of the nearby
subjects Of the NopaitO, but it did not
And it was amid the deepest nocturnal
silence that Santa ran like a lapwing
back to the ranch house and there fell
upon a cot and sobbpd- sobbed as
though queens had hearts as simple
ranchmen's wives have and as though
she would gladly make kings Of prince
consorts should they ride back again
from over the hills and far away.
In the morning the capable, revolv-~
cred youth and his vaqueros set forth
driving the bunch of Sussex cattle
across the prairies to the Rancho Seco
The beasts arrived at Rancho Seco
one evening at dusk and were received
and counted by the foreman.
The next morning at o'clock a
horseman lOped out of the brush to the
Nopalito ranch house. He dismOunted
stiffly and strobe with whizzing spurs
to the house. His horse gave a great
sigh and swayed foam streaked, with
down dropping head and closed eyes.
But waste not your pity upon Bel
shazzar. the flea bitten sorrel. Today
in NopalitO horse pasture he survives,
pampered. beloved. unridden, cherish
ed record holder Of long distance rides,
The horseman stumbled into the
house. Two arms fell around his neck,
and some one cried out in the voice OF
woman and queen alike, "Webb-Oh.
Webbw
81 was a SKUNK said Webb Yeager.
"Hushr said Santa. Did you see it?'
Il saw it." said Webb.
What they meant God knows, and
you shall know if you rightly read the
primer of events.
BE the cattle queen" said Webb
land overlook 1t If you can. was a
NANCY, sheep stealth coyote"
Hush" said Santa again, laying her
fingers upon his mouth. There's no
queen here. Do you know who | am?
| am Santa Yeager. first lady Of the
bedchamber. Come here"
She dragged him from the gallery
into the room to the right. There stood
a cradle with an infant In tia red.
ribald. unintelligible, babbling, beauti-
full infant. suffering at life in an I'M
seemly manner.
There's no queen on this ranch,
said Santa again. Look at the king.
He's got your eyes, Webb. Down on
your knees and look at his highness."
But jingling rowels sounded on the
gallery, and Bud Turner stumbled
there again with the same query that