The Washington herald., 1911-07-23

HFhE mad nOt Deen 30 uluCu eASisS
T ment in the little telegraph station
since il was established as resulted
from the report that herd OF wild
- ponies had drifted southward from
the plains Of Wyoming and over into
western Kansas, and were feeding not twenty
at will be fortune for the man who can
capture them," said the agent of the railroad
to Godfrey Payne, the young operator. who
sat at the desk, nervously, lingering the key
"Where are there any hunters" Godfrey
stopped te'egrapbins long enough to ask.
Fright around here. Over at the. store a
half-dozen fellows are preparing to go out to-
morrow. They say there's prize among the
herd"
"a prize! Why, what do you mean?"
"The leader. He's the handsomest animal
that ever raced over the plains, according to
the story the ranchers tell. Joe Harris saw
white. and has white name and tail that
sweeps the ground, and is handsome as a pic
t,re, Joe allowed that he'd bring thou
sand dollars, hack East"
A thousand dollars! Godfrey pondered over
it for many minutes, after the good-natured
agent had left the station to superintend the
loading Ct car Of cattle.
What start il would give him, if he could
get it'll The more he thought, the more he
result was that he engaged the agent to take
George Parsons, the store clerk, prepared for
ride in search Of the wild mustangs
It's good thing we got started this
steadily and swiftly northward, "for the
ranchers are going out bright and early to-
morrow, and, i we didn't 60 now. we'd be
left They'll either capture, kill or drive off
On and en- tho ponies flew through the long
grass, until the low bushes along the creek
showed that they were near the little valley
where the wild horses were reported.
Steady, nowi said George.
Aad the ponies walked cautiously down
the bluffs into the valley.
There was nothing to be seen, and, sepa-
rating. they rode slowly, up the course of the
. beud ahead.
turn himself. The banks were high and % pre-:
pV%ni % asrs e. and h the
60 his surprise, hn was not in sight.
He pushed ahead, and had gone perhaps
eighty rods, when suddenly the ravine wild.
enei, and there appeared q circular spot Of
As he stood at the gateway of the enclosure,
2 sight met his eyes that fairly made them
dance with excitement. Grazing quietly on
the green, grassy carpet, was a little squad
Of Wild horses, and among them the white
Godfrey had practiced assiduously with the
hriat during his Kansas residence and he felt
sure that he could, if given fair chance,
Preparatory TO the coming struggle, he gath
cred in his right hand the loops of the raw
aide thong that hung at the side of his saddle,
while with both his eyes he was admiring the
beautiful picture Of equine perfection before
him.
The wild. white mustang was not large but
ne was In every sense an ideal horse. Old set
slers still relate to, their children the spec
sacle presented by the snow-white horse, with
Tong, flowing name and tail, and foretop that
waved prettily below the small, pointed ears
The herd had seen the intruder, and every
head was IN the air, while twenty angry fore
feet We're anxio'isly, stamping the soft sod.
tle glen sitting as he did between the pre-
npitous bluff and the stream that here spread
put some two or three rods in width and
dowed around large rocks that lay in the bed
After anxiously and vainly looking around
for his companion, the young mustang hunter
shpped to the ground, convinced that he could
do better work there than on the back of the
pony. He saw that he must larat the white
beauty as he went by. if he got him at all.
Tying one end of the rope to a sapling. and
taking his stand beside it, with the coils and
I,e noose ready, he began to plan how to get the
eighteen feet from bluff to water. Would they
come so close?
The horses were already racing anxiouslv
about the iIclosure, and he looked at every
circle to see them dash for the opening. But
they did not.
II know what I'll do" he ejaculated-"send
scare them" w
No quicker thought than done. Stripping of
his coat, he tied the arms to the saddle, and
hs the garment tapped in the wind it made a
turlous-iooklng object, He did not think the
pony would follow the others off. If il did
he was sure it could be recovered.
Giving the gentle animal light slap. he
sent it .trotting toward the wild horses. The
lions, Of the little herd. The white mustang
and his band were fairly panicstricken. and
He'd from the intruder as from deadly enemy.
Once, twice, three times, they raced around
after, and the gray coat bobbing and fappins