Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1918-01-01

turning toward n0r WIN an honest QlS-
tress and self-fiaying humility in his
eyes that wiped from Billy Louise's
mind any incipient tendency toward
contempt. "But you see I'm green at
this ranch game. And never dreamed
those calves weren't perfectly safe in
there. The fence was new and strong,
and the bars are absolutely bars to any
stock larger than a rabbit.
Il hate to bother you with this, and
don't want you to think have come
whining for sympathy" he said after
a minute Of moody silence But, see-
ing they were not branded yet-with
our brandt thought perhaps you had
run across them and paid no attention,
thinking they belonged to Seabeck."
Billy Louise smiled little to herself.
If he had not been quite so green at
the ranch game" he would have men,
portant point instead of lacking on the
information casually after ten minutes
Of other less vital details.
Were they vented?" she asked, sup
pressing the smile so that it was mere
ly a twitch of the lips which might
mean anything.
'1-yes, I think they were. That's
what you call 1t when the former own
er puts his brand in a different place
to show that his ownership has ceased,
isn't 1t? Seabeck puts his brand I'D.
side DOWN.
"t know 600 hock,s wont 1,Ily r o,,iso
cut in. There was no need of letting
such fine fellow display more ig-
norance on the subject "And / should
have noticed 1t If 1 had seen four
calves vented fresh and not rebranded.
Why in the world didn't you stick your
brand on at the same timer" Billy
Louise was losing patience with his
greenness.
II didn't have my branding iron with
me-" Charlie answered humbly. IL
have done that before, when bought
those other cows and calves. /"
You'd better pack your iron next
time," she retorted. eff you can't get
out losing them"
But you must understand / did.
took them home and turned them into
the Cove. / know-I'm an awful chump
at this"
"The calves may not be absolutely
lost, you know. Why, 1 lost a big
steer last spring and never found him
till l was going to sell a few head.
Then he turned up, the biggest and fat
test one In the bunch. You can't tell.
They get themselves in queer places
sometimes. I'll come over tomorrow
if can and take look at that pasture
and all around. And I'll keep a good
lookout for the calves"
Many men would have objected to
the unconscious patronage of her tone
That Charlie Fox did not, but accept
ed the spirit of helpfulness in her
words, lifted him out of the small ma
tured class.
"It's awfully good of you," he said.
''You know lot more about the bovine
nature than 1 do. for all put in every
spare minute studying the subject I'm
taking four different stock journals
now, Miss Louise I'll bet know q lot
more about the different strains of va
rious breeds than you do, Miss Cattle
Queen. But I'm beginning to see that
we only know what we learn by ex-
perience. i've a new book on the sub
| ject Of heredity of the cattle. I'm GO
| ing home and see If Seabeck hasn't
stumbled upon a strain that can be
traced back to your native mountain
sheep"
Billy Louise laughed and said good
by and stood leaning over the gate
watching him as he zigzagged up the
| hill, stopping his horse often to breathe.
She began to wonder, then, about those
calves. Vented and not rebranded,
they would be easy game for any man
who first got his own brand on them.
She meant to get description of them
when she saw Charlie again-it was
like his innocence to forget the most
essential details-and she meant to
keep her eyes open. If Charlie were
right about the calves not being any,
where in the cove, then they had been
driven out of 1t, stolen. Billy Louise
turned dejectedly away from the fence
and went down to a shady nook by the
creek, where she had always liked to
do her worrying and hard thinking.
The next day she rode early to the
Cove and learned some things from
Marthy which she had not CLEANED
from Charlie. She learned that two of
the calves were deep red except for a
wide, white strip on the nose of one
and white hind feet on the other; that
another was spotted on the hindQuar-
tiers and that the fourth was white,
with large, red blotches. She had
known cattle all her life. She would
| know these if she saw them anywhere.
She also discovered for herself that
| they could not have broken out of that
pasture and that the river bank was
| impossible because of high, thick bush
es and miry mud in the open spaces.
| She had fight with Blue over these
latter places and demonstrated beyond
doubt that they were miry by getting
him In to the knees in spite Of his vio-
/ lent objections. They left deep tracks
behind them when they cot out. The
calves had not gone investigating the
bank, for there was not trace any
where, and the bluff was absolutely
unscalable. Billy Louise herself would
have felt doubtful of climbing out that
way. The gray rim rock stood straight
and high at the top, with never a crew
Ice. so far as she could see, and the
gorge was barred so that 1t was Inn
possible to go that way without lifting
heavy poles out of deep sockets and
sliding them to one side.
I've got an idea about gate here"
| Charlie confided suddenly. There