Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1929-07-04

THAT night when Jud and FeSs rode
home they trailed three horses with
empty saddles. And when JUG
stripped his saddle and blanket from
Dawn he was muttering again. mo
sir, damned If they'll get me to go and
leave you, old girl
That was in Jure. But IN December
Jud was in the trenches. eating canned
Willie and lodging w~hiz-bangs with
the rest OF them.
The break had come early in June.
Jud had been down toward the Little
Muddy Badlands. riding alone. as usual
And Dawn had shed at a tumble
weed, side Jumped like a flash. Jud
was half asleep, and. CAUGHT unawares,
reused suddenly TO find himself sitting
on the sod forty miles from the home
ranch. Dawn was grazing fifty yards
away. Jud laughed at himself. thrown
so easily. and walked over to the filly.
But just as he was reaching for her
bride a fly stung her and she SHE'D
away.
Jud flew into a rage. He swore Ike
a demon. He alternately cursed her
and cursed the flies. Then he ran
after her, and she fled, quite naturally.
He walked the better part Of q mile
after her, and his anger cooled as his
feet began TO burn. Then he begged
and caloled, pleaded. and finally whist
led for her. And half an hour before
sunset, when Jud had blisters like dol
lars or his heels, Dawn turned and
trotted straight to him.
The following day when she SHE'D at
another tumbleweed Jud cut her Vi
ciously with his rope, and for several
minutes they had a royal setto. Next
morning Dawn refused to come at Jud's
call and he finally had to rope her
after driving her into the corral.
For i week they played a cats game,
always on the lookout for a chance
TO do up the other. Jud was fight
ing her every time he hit the saddle,
and he was riding with every nerve
taut every minute Of the day. Then
she stumbled in a badger hole one
afternoon ten miles from the ranch.
Jud cut at her with his rope. and she
let 60 the works. She bucked and
pitched and raised general deviltry;
but Jud stuck to her like a cockleburr
until she dashed under a runty Jack
pine and scraped him off.
But as he went Jud took along the
end Of a twenty-foot lead 0 0 he'd
tied around her neck just for such
an emergency: and he nearly broke her
back when he set his heels and jerked
her head around under her tail. Then
he got right back on and they had a
battle worth riding far and waiting
long to see. 1t lasted twenty minutes
or so, Dawn believing like a bull and
Jud raking her from withers to tail
with his roWels. Then she got near
the jack pine again, and before Jud
could say yes or no he was sitting on
the ground, a cash across his head
where the tree struck him. and Dawn
was ~streaking it for the Frying Pan.
When Jud walked in at the ranch
it was just getting dark. The boys
were out at the corral cutting horses.
but Jud didn't notice that nothing but
scrubs went into the little corral. What
he did see was a squat, dark-skinned
man checking off the mounts as they
were crowded into the pen. Jtsd went
directly to him.
"Buyer?' Jud demanded.
The dark-skinned man nodded.
II got n for YOU"
The other continued to check the
incoming horses.
War stuff" There was an eager
f%ierceness in Jud's voice.
Again the other nodded.
Five minutes later Jud led his Dawn
mare over to the stranger. She was
docile, now, as a kitten. But Jud fairly
trembled as he announced, Here she
is"
In there" the little man grunted.
glancing quickly at her. Then, as Jud
lOosened the lead rope and ~viciously cut
her across the rump, driving her into
the pen, the buyer Whistled softly to
himself. Jud returned to the BUYERS
side, and the dark-skinned one halted
pencil long enough to announce,
TWENTY-FIVE dollars
Jud grunted and walked away like
one IN a trance. while the buyer wills
tied again, shook his head, muttered,
Crazy mad
1t was after supper that Red Ike
edged alongside Jud, whose eyes still
held that hard, fierce glare, almost
a madman's look.
"Jud boy" Ike rumbled, did you
know that vas a Mexican buyer? Not
a u. S. man. He wants horses for them
to shoot There was almost a
pleading note in his voice.
But his only ansWe was a frown and
a snarl: 80 much the bctter!"
He's mad" Ike told Bill Fess later
in the kitchen. Mad as a wet hen.
And he's about gone off his nut with
it,
Just like Greg was" Bill ruminated,
blinking his one eye and lighting his
pipe. Just like Greg the night he up
and left Marie"
But he'll be sorry as hell tomorrow
Maybe. Grey wasn't sorry for near
ly two years"
Hell be sorry" Ike continued as if
Bill had not spoken, and he'll be will
ing to pay ten times what he sold her
for to get her back
But Ike was wrong. Jud enlisted in
Fur BEARING ANIMALS
WANTED-COyote wo,f, badger, cubs or adults.
Winiired Fee, Fairburn, S. ID.