White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (White Bluffs, Wash.) 1907-1938, 1929-01-18
CHAPTER Iv-Continued

Harris and the girl worked the last
draw themselves and when they drove
their cows out of the mouth of 1t they
found herd already milled, two hun
dred yards above the wagon. Harris
left her and circled the bunch, esti-
mating It.
When the last rider appeared with
his bulch and threw 1t into the herd
Harris signaled all hands to change
mounts. Half the men repaired to
the rope corral and caught up COW
horses while the balance of the crew
held the herd, each one relieving some
other as soon as he had saddled a
fresh horse.
A sagebrush fire was burning fifty
yards above the wagon and each man
rode past 1t, leaned from his saddle
and dropped his running iron in the
flame.
The men worked round the edge of
the bunch and slipped a moose on
every calf that was thrown to the
edge of the constantly shifting mass.
Morrow roped the first calf and
dragged 1t to the fire.
AS much as she loved the roundup,
many times as she had seen 1t, Billie
Warren had never become calloused to
the brutalities perpetrated on the
calves. She withdrew and sat in the
shade of the wagon. She was down.
wind and the dust raised by the
trampling hoofs foated down to her.
mingled with the odor of steaming
cows, the acrid smoke of the sage fire
and the faint of scorched hair and
flesh.
In a short space of time the herd
had been worked, the last calf brand
ed, and Harris led the men up the
bottoms. Five miles up the valley,
at the spot where he had crossed it a
few hours before, they found the
wagon waiting at the new stand, the
corral refashioned and the remuda in
side it. 1t was but ten o'clock but
the first circle had commenced al
four. The noon meal on the roundup
was served whenever the first circle
was completed. The men fell raven.
ously on the hot meal, changed to
fresh circle horses and started again
1t was falling dusk when the herd
gathered in the third circle had been
worked and the last calf branded fol-
the day.
At the end of the first week GU,
from the ranch Harris pulled up his
horse beside the girls and showed hel
his tally book.
"We've run SHADES mark on more
calves than we have our own," be
said. "That's one way he works.
"But that's not his fault and II
doesn't mean anything" she said
His cows are sure to drift. This
first strip we've worked is the south
ernmost edge of our range and his
north wagon works the strip right
south of US. We're sure to find 9
number of his cows. AS we double
back on our next lap we'll not fine
the same proportion "
mot quite-but plenty" he pre-
dicted. "We've marked more calves
for Slade in one week than all his
three wagon crews will mark for the
Three Bar in a year. The first three
weeks of each season your men do q
little more work for Slade than they
do for you. It's safe bet that the
Halfmoon D does the same, and so or
through every brand that Joins his
range. That puts him way off ahead.
But that is pure accident she
said.
"It's pure design" he stated. ellis
boys are busy showing his cows from
the middle all ways so that when fall
comes he has a good inside block
that's only been lightly fed over. They
fall back on that for winter feed
Last winter. when cows were dying
like rats his men were out drifting
Shades stuff back toward his middle
range"
"That's true enough" she admitted
But"
But you thought he was doing 1,
as a favor to yOu-getting his sur
plus off your territory so your owr
COWS would have better chance
That's the same kind of talk he font
ed all round the line; playing the
benevolent neighbor when In reality