Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1922-11-17

! left ScnOOl some years uSO~l III
twenty-five now-I went to work for
my father. He's-he has business in
terests there l tried all kinds Of in
side jobs. 1 couldn't please my fa-
ther. TO tell you frankly, Mr.. Bel
ding suppose l didn't much care"
"What do you want to do?"
81 want mans job. l want to do
things with my hands. want action.
1 want to be outdoors"
Belding nodded his head as II he
understood that, and he began to
speak again, cut something short, then
went on, hesitatingly:
"Gale-you could go home again-
to the old man-it'd be all rightT
"NIr. Belding, there's nothing shady
in my past The governor would be
glad to have me home. That's the
only consolation I've got. But I'm
not going. I'm broke. / won't be a
tramp. And it's up to me to do
something"
How'd you like to be border
ranger?" asked Bedding, laying hand
on Dicks knee. part Of my job
here is United States Inspector of i'm
| migration. I've got that boundary
line to patriotic keep out Chlnks
and Japs. You'll not be hired by, the
U. S. You'll simply be my ranger,
same as Laddy and Jim, who have
promised to work for me. I'll pay
you well, give you room here, fur
nish everything down to guns, and the
finest horse you ever saw in your life.
Your Job won't be safe and healthy,
sometimes, but it'll be mans job
don't mistake me! You can gamble
on having things to do outdoors. Now,
what do you say?"
81 accept, and I thank you-I can't
say how much" replied Gale, ear
nestly.
Good! That's settled. Let's go
out and tell Laddy and jim"
Both boys expressed satisfaction
at the turn of affairs, and then with
Belding they set out to take Gale
around the ranch. The wide grounds
were covered with luxuriant grass
and flowers and different kinds OF
trees.
Belding explained that the luxuri-
ance Of this desert place was owing
to a few springs and the dammed-up
waters Of the Rio ForlOrn.
"I've got one never-failing spring
on my place." said Bedding. "Flne,
sweet waterl You know what that
means in the desert. like this oasis.
The longer l live here the better
like it. It's beautiful and healthy.
Forlorn and lonely, yes, especially for
women like my wife and Nc'l; but
I like it. And between you
and me, boys, I've got something up
my sleeve. There's gold dust in the
arroyos, and there's mineral up in the
mountains. If we only had water!
There are possibilities, and 1 want
you boys to stay with me and set In
on the ground floor. l wish this rebel
war was over Well, here are
the corralS and the fields. Gale, take
q look at that bunch Of horses!"
Beldng's last remark was made as
he led his companions out Of shady
gardens into the open. Gale saw an
adobe shed and a huge pen formed
by strangely twisted and cOntOrted
branches or trunks Of mesquite, and,
beyond these, wide, fiat fields, green
dark, rich greenland dotted with
beautiful horses. There were whites
and blacks, and bays and grays. In
his admiration Gale searched his
memory to see if he could remember
the like of these magnificent animals,
and had TO admit that the only ones
he could compare With them were the
Arabian steCds.
"Shore l reckon l savvy why you
don't sleep nights" drawled Laddy.
81 see GrcaScr out there-nO; it's
an Indian"
That's my Papago herdsman. I
keep watch over the horses now day
and night. Lord, how I'd hate to
have ROiaS or Salazar-any of those
bandit rebelS-find my horses. &.
Gale, can you ride?'
Dick modpStly replied that he could,
according to the eastern idea OF
hOrSemanShip.
The ringing Of bell, which Bel
ding said was 4 call to supper, turned
the men back toward the house. 1t
was not until they reached it and
were about to go in that Bedding
CHANGED to discover Gales crippled
hand
"What an awful hand" he ex-
claimed. where the devil did you
get that?'
81 stove in my knuckles on Rojas,"
replied Dick.
You did that in one punch? Say,
I'm glad it wasn't me you hit. Why
didn't YOU tell me? That's a bad
hand. Those cuts are full of dirt
and sand. InfammatiOns setting in.
It's got to be dressed. Nell!" he
called.
Dick saw a glimpse of golden hair
and white dress in the door. But
they were not visible longer than a