Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1924-11-20
Judith Of Blue Lake Ranch
By JACKSON GREGORY

/ ton holly. "Those are orders from
headquarters and it's up to you to
obey them. Get me?'
eff ever do get you, sonny" grunt-
ed Carson, "there won't be enough of
you left for the dawgs to quarrel over.
Orders or no orders, amt going to do
no such fool thing"
Hampton reined his horse in closer.
staring frowningly at the old cattle
man. The purplish color of rage
mounted in Carson's tanned cheeks.
you'll do what you're told or go
get your time," he announced telsely.
We've got an order for five hundred
beef cows and we're selling imme-
diately,"
Carson's jaw dropped
"What?" he demanded, not quite
believing his ears. Say that again,
will your
II said it once retorted Hampton.
Nov get busy
.Who are we selling to? l amt
heard about it."
"An oversight, my dear Mr.. Carson :
laughed Hampton, his own anger risen.
"Quite an oversight that you were not
consulted. We are selling to Doan,
Rockwell & Haight. Ever heard OF
| them?"
''Who says we're sellingY'
ST say so. And, if you've got to
have all the news, Miss Sanford says
ESQ.,
"She does, do@ she? Hmm. First
l knew of It. What figger?"
Really, does that concern you? II
the price suits me and Miss Sanford
who own the stock. does it in any way
affect you? / don't want to quarrel
with you, Carson, and I do appreciate
that you are good man in your way
But just because you have worked
here long time, don't make the mis-
take of thinking that you own the
ranch"
With that he whirled his horse, and
was gone. Carson, with puckered
brows, stared after him.
But orders were orders, and Carson
| though the heart was sore, barked out
his commands to his herders to turn
/ the cattle back toward the lower
fields. He had been converted to the
new way, he had grown to dream OF
the fat prices his COW brutes would
fetch In the winter market, he knew
! that prices now were rock-bottom low
that Doan, Rockwell & Haight were
close buyers who before now had cut
the throat of the Blue Lake ranch In
sacrifice sales when Bayne Trevors
ran the outfit.
j Were standing to lose thousan's
an thousan's of dollars" he told him
self in disgust. All we've spent or
] irrigation an fences an silos an
bitches, all gone to heck in a ham
/ basket. Not counting THOUSANDS OF
more dollars lost in selling at what
we can get this time of year. i
makes. me sick, d-n THROWN up sick
Riding down a long, winding trail
out through a patch of chaparral into
a rocky gorge, Hampton turned easi
again toward the high plateau. TAX
ing the roundabout way which lee
from the far side of the lake am
along the flank of the mountain to the
table-land, he came to scattering
band of horses and Tommy Burkitt.
where's Lee?' called Hampton.
Burkitt grinned at him by way OF
greeting, and then pointed across the
plateau to a ravine leading to still
higher, smaller, shut-in valley. Hamp-
ton galloped on and quarter of ar
hour later came up with Lee. The
horse foreman was sitting still in his
saddle, his eyes taking stock of fresh
/ bit of pasture into which he planned
turning his horses a little later. II
was one of dozen small meadows or
the mountain creeks where the canyon
walls widened out into an oval
shaped valley, less than half-mile
long, where there was much rich
| grass.
| "Hello, Hampton" called Lee pleas
antly. whats the word?"
The Precipitation streaming down
Hampton's face had in no way damp
ened his ardor.
big doings," he cried warmly
"We're cutting loose, Bud, at last and
piling up the shining ducats You're
to gather UP hundred of the most
likely cayuses you've got and shove
them down to the Lower End We're
selling pretty heavily to Doan, Rock
well & Haight."
A new flicker came into Lees eyes
Then they went hard as polished
agate.
81 didn't quite get you, Hampton,
he said softly. ''You say we're selling
a hundred horses? Now?"
Hampton nodded, understanding
nothing of what lay in Lees heart.
ION the jump, just as fast as we
/ can get them on the rum he said tri
umphantly. Judith wanted me tt
tell you.'
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