Semi-weekly herald. [volume] (Durango, Colo.) 1907-1917, 1911-02-20
"How did it all end7 The soldiers

"How did It all end? The soldiers
came. didn't theyT
Yes; the long arm Of Uncle Sam
necks Of both parties. l guess your
father and his band would have died
right there had not the regular army
interfered. II only required sergeant
wearing Uncle Sans uniform to come
among those armed and furious cow
boys and remove their prisoners"
II saw that. 1t was very strange
that sergeant was SO young and so
brave"
He turned and smiled at her. DO
you know who that WASP
Her eyes flashed. She drew her
breath with gasp WAS It Mr.. Cav
anaghT
Yes. 1t was Ross He was serving
in the regular army at the time. He
has told me since that he felt no fear
whatever. Uncle Sans blue coat was
like Siegfried's magic armor, he said.
1t was the kind of thing the mounted
police of Canada had been called upon
to do many time, and went In and
got my men, That ended the war,
SO far as violent measures went, and
1t really ended the sovereignty of the
cattleman. The power of the hester
has steadily increased from that mo
ment"
But my father-what became of
him? They took him away to the east,
and that is all l ever knew. What do
you think became of himI''
Il could never make up my mind
All sorts of rumors come to us con
corning him. AS Il matter of fact, the
state authorities sympathized with the
cattle barons, and my own opinion is
that your father was permitted to es-
cape. He was afterward seen In Tex
as, and later 1t was reported that he
had been killed there"
The girl sat still. listening to the tire
less whir of the machine and looking
out at the purpling range with tear
mist eyes AT last she said. 81 shall
never think of my father as bad man
he was always so gentle to me-"
You need not condemn him, my
dear young lady. The people of the
Forks-some of them. at least-con-
slider him traitor and regard you as
the daughter of renegade, but what
does IL matter? Each year sees the
old west diminish, and already, In the
work of the forest service. law and or
der advance. Notwithstanding all the
shouting of herders and the beating
to death of sheep. no hostile shot has
ever been fired within the bounds OF
national forest. In the work of the
forest rangers lies the hope of ultimate
peace and order over all the public
lands.
The girl fell silent again, her mind
filled with larger conceptions of life
than her judgment had hitherto been
called upon to meet She knew that
Redfield was right. and yet that world
81 the past-the world of the swift
herdsman and his trampling. long
horned, half wild kine-still appealed
to her Imagination. The west of her
gtrlhood seemed heroic In memory.
Even the quiet account Of 1t to which
she had just listened could not conceal
its epic largeness of movement. The
part which troubled her most was her
fathers treachery to his neighbors.
That he should fight, that he should
kill men In honorable warfare. she
could understand, but not his recrean-
cy. his desertion of her mother and
herself.
She came back to dwell at last on
the action of that slim young soldier
who had calmly ridden through the
infuriated mob. She remembered that
she had thrilled even then at the
vague and impersonal power which he
represented. To her childish mind he
seemed to bear a charm, like the he
roes of her story books-something
which made him invulnerabe
After long pause Redheld spoke
again. THE memory Of your father
will make life for time bit hard
for you in Roaring Fork. Perhaps
your mothers advice is sound. Why
not come to Sulphur City which is
almost entirely of the new spiritY'
III / can get my mother to come.
TOO, will be glad to do so. for ! hate
the Fork. But | will not leave her
there. sick and alone"
Much depends upon the doctors
examination tomorrow"
They had topped the divide now be-
tween the Fork and Sulphur creek
basin, and the green fields, the alfalfa
meadows and the painted farlnhouses
thickened beneath them. Strange how
significant all these signs were now
A few days ago they had appeared
doubtful improvements; now they rep
resented the oncoming dominion Of the
east They meant cleanliness and de-
cent speech. good bread and sweet
butter
Redheld swept through the town.
then turned up the stream directly to-
ward the high wall Of the range. which
was ragged and abrupt at this point.
They passed several charming farm
houses, and the western sky grew ever
more glorious with Its plum color and
saffron, and the range reasserted Its
mastery over the girl. At last they
came to the very jaws of the canyon,
and there. In a deep natural grove of
lofty cottonwood trees, Redfleld passed
before a high rustic gate which mark
ed the beginning of his estate The
driveway was Of gravel and the inter
mingling Of transplapted shrubs and