Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1916-04-20
CHAPTER l.
SHEEP.

IL nae begun when BlaSS CardrOSS
had added some thousands of head Of
sheep to he possessions of the Rae
coon river range. OF course he might
have added thousands of devils to his
stock so far as his right to do so was
concerned; but your cattleman hates
sheep almost as much as he does devils
and it was no time before those sheep
began to overrun the boundary lines of
the two big ranges. Worthing had Ko-
tested IN some disdain, and Cardross
had grown sore. What We're a few
sheep that they should threaten a long
friendship.
What did any fuLblooded cattleman
want with the damned wool sacks, any
way Worthins had retorted.
Then it was the sheep dogs. There
being no alien flocks of sheep in the
neighborhood for the occasional sheep
killer to modest, they developed a pred
Election of the Loop calves. After
NorthinS had lost several mavericks in
this way, and again protested, he shot
one Of Blass Cardross' splendid collies.
The depreciation continued, for the
dog has taugh his vicious tendency to
others, and the hard feeling between
the two ranches grew. TO make mat
tiers worse, Earle Worthing was in love
with Cardross' sister, Nance, and the
girl took sides with he brother.
But all this was nothing to what had
more recently happened.
When Worthing had heard that his
old time chum and friend was dam
ming up the Raccoon river so that the
perennial pools of tina portion of it
which ran through the Loop would
probably go dry in the season Of
drought when the river bed as a whole
was as bare of water as the plains of
trees, he realized thai Cardross was no
longer his friend.
The realization hurt even more than
1t a~ngered-at first. There had ALWAYS
been a vindictive streak to Blass Card
ross. u it had taken the sheep TO
make him do so mean IL thing.
That is what they We're saying about
him on the Loop.
It's them religious animals what's
made Blass Cardross so contrary"
declared Buck Brannon to the forenoon
of the Loop, as a lumber of the cuttit
hung about the barn lot at the dinner
hour. Its like 'tendin' a p~rotracted
camp meetin an have dealin's with
them solemn critters, an there amt
nothln like a oamn meetin' tor stilrln'
up the devil in a man"
:! reckon this last things stirred the
devil Up in Worthing. all right" re-
sponded Kilrain. Il amt seen him 20
white over anything for a long tlnle,
an when the boss gifts white IN the
race an don't say nothin'-he aieaas
that much more, Too bad, too, fo1 BASS
Cardross amt a bad fellow"
Its them silly bleaters, | tel YOU.
kilrain." reiterated Buck BrarnUn.
long steer can be mighty pesky, an
a crazy COW can be worse. DAT rae,p
amt nothin like a sheep for ,1readin a
cussed influence, less'n it be a wom-
AM"
That SO. Buck Brannon!"
IL was Jess kilrain who came up at
the and stood bes!ae iler ia
Their.
Tn glad to know what YOU think OF
~sheep--an' women!'' she added.
The young fellow coiored under The
smiles Of II ose about him.
Il was just t%allin', Jess" ne said.
though it's plumb true bout sheep"
That's all you're ever DOM re-
torted the girl. V eatin' don't stop
you talkin'. Only you eat good grun
ar. talk mighty poor sense; but that's
'cause Your grub's fixed for you by a
an your tongues a mans"
Jess demonstrated the girls ia
ther. when you've roped an throwed
your steer. jest hold tight. Don't yanls
him.
Jess Kilrain tossed her handsome
head.
Some steers don't know when they
Is roped. father"
"Thatll do now said Kilrain, speak
ing a little sternly, for the young cow
puncher was a favorite with him, and
he knew that his daughter was not al
ways merciful. There's enough dom
Without navin' ructions in our own
camp. What's 1t, my girl?"
"Nothin'," answered Jess, somewhat
GROSSLY. Il seen you talkin', an 1 come
over. Any harm in that? What's dom,
father?"
For some reaso the girls presence
broke up the lingering group of men.
Perhaps 1T was the serious nature Of
this latest act Of their neighbor on the
Raccoon River ranch that made them
feel rather averse to talking about it
just then.
Perhaps they had heard enough
about 1t for h time being. Perhaps
1t was their general knowledge that
Jess kilrain was on very friendly
terms with the Cardross household.
Singly and in pairs they moved to-
ward the stables, and kilrain himself,
remembering something, left his
daughter abruptly and followed them.
Buck Brannon sprang down fxom
the high fence upon which he had
been perched.
belt this time,' he said to the girl, who
turned to him, something of a question
in her fine eyes.
You mean hes gittin' the best of
Earle Worthing?"
Anyway he's tryin' to do him the
worst. He's dammin' up his water
supply. With the summer drought only
a few months off, that'll mean hell"
You seem to know q whole lot
bout sheep a women an helI Buck. .
Jess said. scOrn In her eyes and voice.
Amt q man the right to do what he
pleases on his own land?"
The words swept Buck into a We
hemence that was kindled not alone
by his loyalty to Earle Worthing.
mo" he cried, "he amt with a free
river what means all the difference
tween another mans havin' water an
havin' none: an, I reckon he'll find that
out. The bossln fight now. sure an
plenty"
Il guess two can fight" said the girl.
and smiled at his evident amazement
you amt meanin'. Jess" he man
aged to q with some check upon his
astonishment. that you sides with
Cardross against the Loop?s
The answer carried evasion. II all
ways like TO make q turkey gobble
Buck Brannon. You gobble finel"
She saw the anger that whttened his