Evening star., 1925-07-26
Calemen Guard Thousands of Animals on Snow-Blanke
Joys Have "Tall Hard Work" with Rustlers, "N

for somebody else at $40 a month
and bacon. He felt it wasn't any too
interesting to him; he kinda hankered
for little range and few head of
stock of his own, and come to figger-
ing that some outfits he'd rode for
had no objections to their riders pick
ing up a Slick" whenever it was
safe.
There was no reason much why
| them Sticks couldn't just as well bear
his own Iron" and that certain
| "ranny," being overambitious that
way and sorta carefree, buys few
head of cows, calves and yearlings,
wherever he can get 'em and takes
a "squatter" in the foothills, his
weaving corrals being well hid higher
up in some heavy timbered box can
yon, and proceeds to drag a loop that
makes him ashamed, at first.
There's the start of your cattle
| rustler-it's up to how wise he is,
or how lucky, wether he keeps it
up till he's really one or not. If he
can get by till his herd is the size he
wants 1t without getting caught, most
likely he'll stop there and no one will
know the difference, but if some in
quisitive rider gets wind of his doings,
and that wind scatters till 1t begins
to look like a tornado, why it's liable
him somewhat more reckless.
Any stranger was welcome to Bob's
camp to feed and rest up; a fresh
horse, or anything else he had, was
offered to them what needed it, and
it wouldn't matter if your pack horse
was loaded with gold nuggets they
was just as safe in his bunk house,
or maybe safer, than in the safety
vault. His specially was cattle and
he got to love to use his skill in
changing irons.
He was just like a big average of
the Western outlaw and cattle rustler;
his squareness in some things made
up for his crookedness in others. There
was no petty work done; saddle, spurs,
and chaps was safe hanging over the
corral, but there was one thing YOU
had TO keep away from in the rustlers
dolngs; II you saw at a distance smoke
going up, one man with a critter
down and a horse standing ropes
length away. it's always a good idea
to ride way around and keep out of
sight, unless you want your Stetson
perforated. If you was interested and
had company, why that's another
story.
nNE year it struck me that riding
winter months wasn't cheerful no
more, and I thought that for once I'd
be able to hole in comfortable for that
snowy cold period; but my pockets
sprung a leak, and being that 1
couldn't get no comfort of what was
past and spent, I began to look into
the future and wonders what cow
outfit would hire a cowboy that time
of year.
I'm running the irons of the outfits
7 of
ing into the future real deep; when l
raises up straight in my bed and looks
out of the hotel window to see snow
coming down and adding up on the
fourteen inches already on the level.
Yep! l figgers the range will be need
ing riders.
My ham and eggs is down to half
when old Tom Meyers, superintendent
of the "hip-O," steps up and asks how
I'm setting. Pretty fair" I says and
don't tell him none of my plans, think
ing that he's full handed anyway. I
don't show where I'm at all interested
when he says he's needing of a man
at Stone Pile camp. It's mean
weather out right now" I says, "and
I'm afraid I'm getting kinda soft, but
how much are you paying?"
With months wages handed to me
in advance I pays my bills at the
IOlSly DdT ana stable (tney hadn't
been running long) and it feels kinda
good to be riding out again even if
the snow was deep and more of it was
coming. My horse was a-sniffing of 1t
and lining out full of life. After the
long spell in the stall he was glad
to be out and going somewhere, and
somehow wasn't bit sorry either
There's two ranch hands at the
camp when l get there shoveling hay
to near thousand head of hospital
cattle" weak stock, besides a cook
and another rider named Dan, and the
next morning when 1 shifts and
smells the bacon from my bunk l
know that I've settled down to some
tall hard work.
There was days when we'd be drift
ing with the herds and the blizzard
a-howling full force, when you could
hardly see your hand in front of you
and the only way you knowed the
direction you was headed was by the
wind. If that wind switched to
another direction without you know
ing of it (you wasn't apt to know in