The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1917-02-13
The
Ranchrnan
True Loves Course Did Not
Run Smooth With Him.
By +. A. Mitchell

~-~@~@t3
ed means to go west and start ranch.
Arnold Tucker, after being graduated
at one of the principal eastern univer-
stiles, finding himself In possession Of
a fortune, concluded to follow ranch
ing as an occupation and proceeded
westward to carry out his purpose. He
found a ranch for sale without any
trouble. The business was not prov
ing profitable, and those who had put
money into it were anxious to get it
out. However, they did not commune
cate this to Tucker, and he bought one
OF the best ranches, well stocked, for
what he considered a low price.
Young men have good deal to learn,
and Tucker was no exception. He was
an energetic man, fun Of pluck and de-
termination, attended faithfully to all
his stock required and had it not been
for one stumbling block In his way
might have succeeded. That stumbling
block was woman
One day while he was riding over
his broad acres he suddenly felt his
horse sinking down under him. Real
izing at once that he had struck a
quicksand, he made an effort to ex-
tricate himself, but his horse struggled
so that he did not succeed. Then be
saw woman. mounted, galloping to-
ward him. A lasso whirled, and a
moose fell on his shoulders. This he
fixed under his arms, and the woman.
tying the other end Of the rope to the
pommel of her saddle, spurred her
horse away from the quicksand and
pulled him out.
Madge Hardesty was the woman
who kept Tucker from being swallow
ed up with his horse, the natural con-
sequence Of which was that he should
be swallowed up by the woman, espe-
cially as she was young and In her
wild western, way fascinating. She
was certainly beloved by the men Of
the region In which she lived and
would have been by the women had
there been enough women of her class
for her to associate with instead OF
men. She had gained the respect Of
all by running a ranch her father had
left her, and running 1t successfully.
There was not man within fifty miles
to whom she was not known and NOT
one Of them, from the most unfortu-
nate ranchman to the toughest COW
puncher, who would not have risked
his life to serve her.
Tucker was far above them all In re-
anement and education. There was
an affair of the heart between him and
his preserver, and 1t would doubtless
have ended in the usual way between
lovers had not Tucker left a sweet
heart in the east Several months
passed after his being dragged from
the quicksand, and it was recognized
by all that Madge was In love with the
swell ranchman," as he was called,
when he suddenly departed for the
east.
Why he left, when he was to return,
whether or not he had Tilted Madge,
no one knew unless it was Madge, and
she would not tell But what her
tongue refused to speak was evident
from her appearance and her bearing.
At first she gave vent to fits of assumed
gayety that were followed by spells Of
real depression. This was followed by
an uninterrupted ianguor. Everybody
knew by this time that all had not
gone well with her In the matter Of
fuckers attentions, and the feeling
against him was hostile.
The truth Is that Tucker had been
caught in an ENHANCEMENT with
Madge Hardesty as he had been
caught In the quicksand He had been
engulfed In each before he realized
that he was In danger. As soon as be
came to such realization concerning
Madge he took himself on. He was
bound In honor to the girl In the east,
and, being an honorable man, he re-
turned to her.
Let a man drink lemonade, then
wine and then return to lemonade and
the taste OF the weaker beverage is In
sipid. Tucker had gone west feeling
that he had left a dream" When he
returned the dream had faded, and he
found a girl like other girls, no more
no less attractive. There was no fla.
vor In her. The result was that be
was different man to her from what
he had been. She was not greatly dis
pleased at this. for she saw in him q
western manner that she considered
by no means an improvement on his
former self. The result was that they
agreed to disagree.
One day herder who had drifted
into little town not hundred miles
from Madge Hardesty's ranch report.
ed that he had seen Tucker there
Herders are not models Of diplomacy
or common sense. A dozen or so OF
them banded themselves together for
a purpose. They rode to the town
where Tucker had been seen and fore.
ed him to go with them to Madge
Hardesty's ranch. The first Madge
knew of what they were doing was
being called out on the veranda Of hel
ranch house, where she saw Tucker q
prisoner among her hackers. The herder
spokesman. pointing to Tucker, said:
Here's the galoot that ran away.
If you want anything of him just let
us know what It is.'
Madge. Mortified, ignoring the herd
ers, declared to Tucker that she had
been ignorant of this outrage and had
nothing to do with it. He assured
her that her disclaimer was entirely
unnecessary since he would not for q
moment suspect her Of SO unfeminine
a proceeding. The moment the herders
saw the blunder they had committed
they skunk away, leaving Madge stand
ing on the veranda, Tucker sitting on
his horse below.
"Those fellows have spoiled every
thing" he said.
"Their motives were good" was the
reply.
Nevertheless they have put a bar
rier between you and me that cannot
be removed"
mo barrier was required"
81 left you because had beer
pledged to another before met you
have returned free from that pledge
and all might have been well had these
men not interfered."
With this he turned his horses head
and rode away without looking back
Going to his ranch, he bethought him
self what to do. Should he sell oui
and go homer No; he had beer
placed in an unenviable position, and
he must live it down among those who
had condemned him.
He turned his attention to his ranch
devoting himself to 1t exclusively
Neighboring ranehmen, hearing OF thu
outrage that had been put upon him
went to his ranch house and welcomed