The Carbon County news. [volume] (Red Lodge, Mont.) 1924-1931, 1927-02-10
DRIfTWOOD
Continued from page ons)
THE SPOTTED HEIFER
(Chapter ID

ley, and the distant mountains were
beginning to lose their snowy mantles.
In the morning cloud ahame with the
glory Of the sunrise was again to be
seen the outstretched wings of Deity;
at night could be heard the swish Of
the mallard's wing and the honk of
the wild goose on their tireless jour
ney northward.
Spring opened early that year. The
ice went out of the Clarks Fork river
in March. By the first of April the
whole valley was carpeted with ane-
mones and violets; the spirit of Love
that should have rested there like
benediction found expression only in
hatred and revenge for the feud be-
tween the Armstrong; and the Lees
showed no signs of abatement.
The calf which was the cause of all
the trouble was not allowed OF go out
on the range with the balance of the
herd that year. 1t was kept securely
locked in Cyrus Lees barnyard for
some weeks and was later turned out
in the Lee pasture where it gamholled
amid the clover blossoms all unmind-
full of the trouble of which it was the
innocent cause, but it was not a calf
now; by this time it had blossomed
into buxom, spotted heifer that gave
promise Of becoming a valuable mich
cow.
Seemingly by mutual consent Arm
strong did his trading in Bridger while
Lee patronized the merchants at Bel
fry. Thus they never met in the high
way Ai.11 s.llcSas..Sss1 -. temporarily
averted. It is sad that LILLIAN Lee
and Phinius, Jr., though childish play
mates of other days, used to pass in
the road without speaking and that
Mrs. Lee and Mrs. Armstrong lived in
mortal dread lest some terrible trag-
edy would happen as each knew that
her man never left the place unless he
was heavily armed.
Phinius, Jr.,. kept company with
blonde, who was teaching school at
Washoe and rumor had it that they
were to be married after Easter un-
less she got raise. While passing
through Bearcreek one morning after
spending an evening with her, he met
a young man westward bound and
recognized him as Lillian Lees alleg-
ed fance, returning to his home near
Luther after a weekly visit over in
the valley.
They were not enemies, these two,
and in the dawn of a beautiful spring
morning they refined their ponies and
engaged in conversation. The air was
fresh, the eastern sky was tinted with
a sheen of glory and the birds were
carolling the coming of another per-
feet April day. Soon the sun would
peep over Pryor Mountain far to the
eastward and the sleeping town would
awaken to life and hustle and again
plunge into the tension and turmoil of
trade and commerce
1t is doubtful if there is another
place in the known world where the
sunrises are as beautiful or where the
birds sing so sweetly as they do at
Bearcreek in April. With such set
ting it is no wonder that only love
and friendliness and good will filled
the hearts of the two young horsemen.
Their conversation had to do with
commonplace things; with social aft
airs; with prospects for crops and the
condition of their livestock now that
winters chilling blasts were over, but
no mention was made of the spotted
heifer. - ''s m =
The rumble 70 a train was heard to
the westward and the two ponies
pricked up their ears in fright. 1t
was the meadow Lark" the crack
through passenger train of the M. W.
& S. railroad. Then as now it made no
stop at Bearcreek; it had left Washoe
twenty minutes late with orders to
reach Bridger on schedule time and
therefore was running at a high irate
of speed It's whistle while passing
through the town was a succession of
weird shrieks"and as it came opposite
them, Phinius's pony became unman-
ageable, lunged, and striking the other
pony amid sides caused it's rider to
be violently thrown to the ground and
seriously injured.
# Phinius was stunned and shocked
at the accident that happened to his
friend but gathering his strength he
bore him the two blocks to the Lam
port Hotel and summoned medical as
distance. Returning he found his ward
showing signs Of .regaining conscious
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