Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1929-06-06

toaOC VI SuC ~. 0uu tue 1dlImOO0 ~
there's not another site they can get
water for, except maybe a couple Of
spring gulches where food reservoirs
will hold back enough to water q
forty. So Wen still control our home
range"
"But there's dozen sites down in
my range" he said.
"And dozen small outfits wouldn't
run any more cows than you do now,"
she said. "Why don't you have men
file on all those sites?"
You can't make q contract that
will hold a man to turn over his
homestead after it's proved up" he
said. Half of them would keep their
land"
"Of course" she agreed. "But then
you'd have half instead of nothing at
all. Do you want the world?"N
II want you'll" he said, throw In
with me, girl. I'm going to fight these
nesters off-the Three Bar among the
rest If you don't quit. I'll smash the
Three Bar into mincemeat unless you
run this id Harris off and quit this
game"
1t was the first time Slade had
ever threatened. Her spirits had
scared over the prospects of the Three
Bar and she was suddenly afraid for
her brand if Slade, who had whitfield
down dozen outfits at once, should
suddenly turn his whole attention to
the Three Bar.
T''ve got it to do" Slade stated.
"Since you've started this deal there's
been nesters filed papers on every
good site in my range, waiting to rush
in as soon as lose my grip. Do you
think I'll let them crowd me out? Not
in thousand years! I'm telling you
I'll break the Three Bar if you keep
1t up"
"All right" she said. "And what
about the homestead laws?"
"I'm the law out here" he asserted
1t came to her that Slade was fight
ing on the defensive, that he feared
to let the Three Bar succeed and set
up precedent in defiance of the
signs that dotted the range.
Then it's war!" she said. "And
you'll go under yourself, from your
own size, if you haven't the judgment
to hedge yourself now like the rest
The Three Bar is going ahead-and
we're going to win"
She turned her horse but Slade
caught her arm and whirled her
around. He jerked thumb at the
two men down the ridge
"What can Deane, half-baked boy
give your he demanded. you want
an outfit of your own. I'll give you
that-the biggest in the state"
She shook her head without an
swering.
Then III break you," he predicted
a second time. He drew folded slip
of paper from his pocket and held it
out to her. That's the exchange Slip"
he said. ut calls for three hundred
odd head of mixed stuff. You can
send yours over any time" He turned
his horse and followed after the
ranger while the girl joined Harris
and Deane.
Harris had slipped the strap of his
glasses and handed them to Deane
who had dismounted and was peering
off at the spot Harris had pointed ont.
few scattered shacks, showing as
toy houses from the distance, stood
in the center of broad open basin,
sheltered on all sides by the chOppy
mass of the Breaks. A solid corral,
almost stockade. stood near the
buildings.
That's Arnolds stockade," Harris
explained to Deane. arnold was an
Old-time rustler that finished at the
end of rope fifteen years ago. Now
all the drifters in the country stop
over here if they want place to hole
up"
Cant the sheriff clean them out of
there?" Deane asked.
''He could" Harris said. But no
man will make complaint. They
can rustic every steer in the country
and the losers are afraid to make q
report. Every outfit Is supposed to
protect it's own. If Alden should ride
up to almost any ranch within hun.
dred miles and ask them if they'd
missed any stock in the last three
years they'd shake their heads and
swear that they hadn't lost hOOf
But the Three Bar has clean page
we're not afraid he'll get line on us
while we're having him round IN
some one else. The first time we gel
scrap of real evidence on any man
We'll call Alden in
Continued Next Week.
OEn Want Mill hrinor hicr roth ring.