Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1917-12-28

Birken.
They had been "prowling around
according to Floyd, trying to see what
they could see. Floyd was one of
those round-faced, round-eyed young
fellows who@do not believe much in
secrecy and therefore talk freely when
ever and wherever they dare. He
said that Seabeck had turned them
loose to keep cases and see If they
couldn't pick up the trail of these rus
tiers who were trying to get rich off a
running iron and a long rope. Of you
are of the West you know what that
means, and if you are not you ought to
guess that it means stealing cattle and
let it go at that.) 1t was not until he
had talked for ten minutes or so that
Billy Louise became more than mildly
interested in the conversation.
"Say, Miss Macdonald" Floyd asked
by way of beginning a new paragraph
show about that fellow over on Mill
creek? He worked for you folks O
year or so ago, didn't he? What does
he do?"
HE has a RANCH" said Billy Louise,
with careful calm. Hes been work
ing on it this summer, 1 believe"
"Uh-huh. We were over there this
morning. Them Y6 cattle up above
his place are his, l reckon?"
"Yes," said Billy Louise. Hes been
putting his wages into cattle for a year
or so. He worked for Junkins last
winter. Why?"
"Oh, nothing, 1 guess, only he's the
only stranger~in the country, and his
prosperity amt accounted for"
"Oh, but it isr' laughed Billy Louise.
ST only wish I had half as clear a tick
ct. When he isn't working out he's
wolfing, and every dollar he gets hold
of he puts into that ranch. We've
known him a long time. He doesn't
blow his money, you see, like most fell
lows do"
Floyd found occasion to have q
slight argument with his horse just
then. He happened to be n of the
most" fellows, and the occasion of
his last blowout was fresh in his
mind.
"Well, of course If you know he's all
straight that settles it. But 1t sure
seems queer"
"That fellow is as straight as a
string. Don't you suppose it's some
gang over on the river, Floyd? I'd
look around over there, l believe, and
try to get a line on the unaccountables.
There's a lot of new settlers come in
just In the last year or two, and there
might be some tough ones scattered
through the bunch. Better see if there
has been any cattle shipped or driven
through that way, don't you think?'
"We can try" Floyd assented with
out eagerness. but as near as we
can figure it's too much of a drib drab
proposition for that. A COW and calf
here and there, and SO Oh. We got
wind of it first when we went out to
bring in a gentle COW that the deacon
wanted on the ranch. We knew where
she was, only she wasn't there when
we went after her. We hunted the
hills for a week and couldn't find a
sign of her or her calf. And she had
stuck down in the creek bottom all the
spring, so it looked kind a funny
He twisted in the saddle and looked
back at the pine clotted ridge.
There's a Y6 calf up there that's a
dead ringer for the one we've been
hunting" he observed, "but it's run
ming with a COW that carries Junkins'
old brand, So He looked apologet-
ically into the calm eyes of Billy
Louise. "Of course I don't mean to
say there's anything wrong up there"
he hastily assured her. But that's
the reason l thought I'd ask you about
that fellow"
"Oh, it's perfectly right to make sure
of everybody" smiled Billy Louise.
I'D do the same thing myself. But
you'll find e~yerything's all straight up
there. We know all about him and
how and where he got his few head of
stock and everything. But of course
you could ask Jurkins il you have any
doubt"
''Oh, we'll take your word for it. 1
just wanted to know. He's a stranger
to our outfit. I've seer him a few
times. What's his name? Us boys
call him Noisy. It's like pulling a wis
dom tooth to get any kind a talk out
of him"
He is awful quiet" assented Billy
Louise careIessly. But he's real
steady to work"
"Them quiet fellows generally are"
put in Mr.. Blrken. You run stock in
here, too, do you, Miss NJ acDonald?"
"The big Ds," answered Billy Louise
and smiled family. I've been range
herding them back here in these foot
hills this summer Do you want to
look through the bunchT'
Mr.. Birken blushed. "Oh, no, not at
all! l was wondering if you had lost
any"
Nobody would rustic cattle from q
lady, 1 hope. At any rate, 1 haven't