The Oakley herald. [volume] (Oakley, Idaho) 1908-1961, 1918-03-01

fence and stood in his stirrups while
he studied the bunch.
"Hellp' he said when the inspection
was over and dropped back into the
saddle while he gazed unseeingly at
the canyon wall. 1t was = very real
hell that his mind saw--a hell made
BY men wherein other men must dwell
In torment because OF their sins or the
sins Of their fellows.
Seabeck's brand was . big v, 4 bad
brand to own, since 1t favors revision
at the hands Of tho INSCRIPTIONS
These cattle were Seabeck cattle, and
their brand had been altered. For the
right slant Of the v had been extended
little and curled into . 6, so that In
time the brand would stand casual tn
spection as \ Y8 monogram-Wards
own brand. The work was crude, pur-
posefully crude. The v had not been
returned enough to make it look fresh
and the newly scared 8 had been add
ed with Z malevolent pressure that
would make 1t stand out . fresh brand
for long time in case Of 4 delay In
the proceedings, a. Ward knew per-
fectly well.
So he sat there and looked over the
fence and saw himself Z convicted
''rustler." There was the evidence all
ready to damn him utterly before 4
jury. They would be turned loose on
the range near his claim, and they
would be found before the scabs had
haired over 1t was 4 good time for
rustling. Roundups were over for the
winter, and the weather would confne
range riding to absolute necessity.
OF course the work was coarse-so
coarse as to reflect against his intelli-
gence-but when brands are worked
over and the culprit has been caught
the law IL not too careful to give the
prisoner credit for brains.
Ward stared at tho altered brands
and wondered what he had best do
He bethought him that perhaps 1t
between himself and that particular
locality, and he started back up the
hill. Once he pulled up A. II he would
go back, but he thought better of It
1t was out Of the question to turn
those cattle loose. He could not kill
them and dispose of the bodies, not
when there were seven OF them. He
might go down and blotch the brands
SO that they would not read anything
at all. He had thought of that before
and decided against it. That would
put those three on their guard and
would probably not benefit him in the
long run. They would work the brands
| on other cattle.
He hunched forward In the saddle
| and let Rather choose his own trail
up the hill Though he did not know
it, trouble had caught Billy Louise in
that same place and had sent her for
ward with dropping shoulders and 4
mind so absorbed that she gave no At
tention to her horse. But that is mere
ly trifling coincidence. The thing he
had to decide was far more compli-
Gated than Dilly Louises problem.
SHOULD he 60 straight to Seabeck and
tell him what he had found out? He
did not know Seabeck, except as he
and exchanged trivial greetings and a
few words about the weather. Besides,
Seabeck would very soon find out
| There it stood at his shoulder. grin
ming at him malevolently-his past. 1t
tied his hands. Buck Olney he could
deal with single handed, for Olney had
the fear OF him that is born of a
guilty conscience. He could send Buck
lover the road whenever he chose to
tell some things he knew. He could dc
1t without any compunctions too. Buck
Olney, the stock inspector, deserved nc
mercy at Wards hands and would gel
none if ever they met where Ward
would have q chance at him.
Olney he could deal with alone, buI
with the evidence Of those rebranded
cattle and the testimony Of two men
of his past Ward lifted his head ant
stared heavily at the pine slope befor,
him. He could not go to Seabeck ant
tell him anything. In the black hou
of that ride he could not think Of any
thing that he could do that would
save him.
And then quite suddenly in his des
peration he decided upon something
lie laughed hardly, turned Rather bacl
from the homeward trail and returne,
to the corral In the canyon. The,
started this game, and they've put
up to me- he told himself grimly
land they needn't squeal If they bur
their own fingers"
He hurried, for he had some worl
ahead Of him. and the sun was sliding
past the noon mark already. He re>c-s
ed the corral and went about what q
had to do as IL he were working ~
wages and wanted to give good meas
= ure.
First he rebuilt the little fire jus
outside the corral where the cattl
could not trample 1t, but where on
: might thrust branding iron into 1t
0 midst from between the rails. Whe
! 1t was going properly he searched Gel
: tain likely hiding places and found a
= iron still warm from previous service
: He thrust II into heat, led Rather int
= .h, ,orraI and clocod thu onto sacura1