Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1929-07-11
Moore asked. -And what swallowed

"Billie and were the first to make
the front, he said.
'Not any," Moore stated positively.
II saw 'em five minutes before you
two swung round the point. I was on
guard nd halfway up the far side.
Split ear took q header with me and
delayed me some"
He pointed to the mud crusted on
his clothes. Billie knew that he was
the lone rider she had seen on the
TANKS Of the herd as she rode away
from the wagon. The fall accounted
for their rounding the point abe OF
him. Moore was looking of across the
country,
do you mean to tell me you didn't
see those two slickers Tapping out In
frOnt?" he demanded.
II confess I didn't observe any,"
Harris said. YOU'RE getting spOoky,
Moore. A couple Of white cows, like
", out ahead Of the rest"
Moore regarded him curiously.
"Maybe that's So" he said. Waving
their tails in the air, sort Of" He
grinned and turned his horse to head
back a bunch that had drifted out of
the herd.
"The boys made nice ride, Har-
ris said to Horne "You float round
from one to the next and tell 'em
we'll soon have a feed. I'll ride back
and send the wagon up"
Billie rode with him as he skirted
the herd and started on the return
trip. Her mild was occupied with the
two riders who had slowed the run
and disappeared. There had been
something familiar about them. AS
she had viewed them in the lightnings
flash they had closely resembled
Bentley and Carp. But she decided
that this resemblance had been but
fancied one, suggested by the fact
that the two men had been much on
her mind of late.
"Were not hurt bad" Harris said.
''The boys held them punched In good
shape"
A hatred of Slade was growing with
in her. Here too, was case where
no other would benefit by the sense
less stampede. If the beef herd could
be broken up it would cause delay
to round it up in strange range, with
the certainty of many COWS being
missed-a case of weakening the
Three Bar.
She had been so absorbed in learn
ing the details Of the new work, SO
elated at it's progress, that she had
come to believe in its ultimate sue
cess. And they had been unmolested
for so long a time. Then had come
the wantOn slaughter of Three Bar
bulls and now the stampede of the
trail herd. 1t was conclusive proof
that Slade had abandoned his former
wearing-down process as too slow
and was out to crush the Three Bar In
the speediest possible way through
any available means.
Harris, too, was bordering over
SHADES change Of tactics. He felt as
sured that SHADES own men had not
participated in starting the run. Slade
would not let any considerable number
of his boys know that much about him.
Some of Lang's men had undoubtedly
been hired to sta, pede the Three Bar
herd.
''The very fact that Slade Is so bald
with it is proof that he sees the ne
cessity of crowdng us fast" Harris
said. "If we get too big a start he's
blown up-and he hasn't had anything
to work o. but plowed ground. He's
out now to worry us at odd ends. We
can expect a steady run Of mishaps
now, for he'll work fast-but We'll win
out In the end"
She nodded little YEARLY for she
knew that with Slade throwing all his
forces against her the Three Bar
would be hard pressed. In addition
| to this worry her mind was concerned
with the rid,rless horse she had seen
as she rods away from the wagon, the
huddled figure sprawled in the fiat.
Every Three Bar rider was a friend
| and she hesitated to hear which one
| Of her men had gone down in the
raid.
"Who was it," she asked at last,
| and Harris OWNED that she was mark
ing back to the fallen night guard who
had tried to head the raiders alone.
'I've been trying not to think about
| that" he said. "Lanky was good
pal of mine. I saw him 60 down, but
| I couldn't stop right then"
Evans occupied place in her re-
gard that was perhaps notch higher
| thai that of any other Of the crew.
"Can't we prove anything on Slade
do anything to stop him?' she de-
manded. IF they've killed Lanky, I'll
perjure myself if it's the only way. I'll
have Alden pick him up and I'll swear
I saw him do the thing himself. He's
as guilty as if he actually had"
"I've bait or two for Slade," Har-
| ris said. But that way may prove
too slow. If Lanky's gone under, /
expect I'll have to pick quarrel with
Slade and hurry things along"
"Don't you!" she objected. For all
of her confidence in Harris efficiency