Nogales international., 1934-02-17

- know how you're worried an II
| didn't know the danger was over, I'd
start for town now. Now listen here
If we find one fresh dead COW after
tonight, I'll get your vet'inary. I'm
saving this cause / know the sickness
will stop, an I amt goin' a-foegin'
into town for no vet'inary who couldn't
do nothin' after he got here.
Ruth stood thinking. She was not
at that moment SO very afraid OF
Snavely. Still. =. Anyway, she had
his word; one more dead animal. And
in three days Old Charley would be
going into town. ii need be, she could
ask him to send out veterinary.
The following day five more dead
animals were found, but none recently
dead. Ruth tailed the bulls and found
only one, Number Six, missing. She
crossed his number from her list. So
far she had lost eighteen head. about
one thousand dollars. Fox all she
knew, that thousand dollars might
mean the failure to meet her note.
Certainly, if many more cattle died she
could not meet it.
But no more cattle died. For week
every one anxiously watched for bug
yards but the great birds had-grown
more scarce and not a.. single new
death was reported. Ruth's relief was
unbounded and Snavely's eyes glinted
triunphantly.
The day came when Snavely was
setting out for town. Ruth spoke to
him Just as he was leaving. Il wish
you'd take some of that medicine with
you and see ii you can't get it analysed
go to a druggist and if he can tell
what it is, get some more"
Snavely nodded. That's a good
idear-I'll sure do it. We amt got
much left; but | don't think we'll have
any more trouble. Pm just a mite
worried about the stock in the north
pasture-they feed along the foothills
a heap an you know it was foothill
feeders that got took bad. We amt
found no sickness down on the mead
ows. I'll take little of that powder
into town but maybe you'd better put
some in the spring troughs-l amt
done that lately. Better put sorne in
to-night-there's lot of foothill graz
ers watering at them troughs."
That evening Ruth reached up to
the medicine shelf, found the partly
filled cardboard box and poured
small amount in a cup. At the trough hs
she turned the water off so that the
medicine would not be diluted during
the night, poured in the powder and
returned to he barn for her Spanish
lesson. She hoped feryently that
Snavely could obtain more Of the
medicine and, if not, decided that she
would send a sample to Will-surely
some laboratory in Los Angeles would
analyze it.
AS she and David and Alfredo were
leaving the next morning for the days
riding, they chanced to go into the
pasture by way of the spring troughs.
1t was early, and the advance guard
of the herd was just coming over a
distant hill for their first drink of the
day, when the riders reached the
troughs.
Only three COWS, two calves, and a
yearling steer had already watered
The six animals lay within a hundred
feet of the troughs. All but the steer
were dead.
For the next five hours, Ruth, Ann,
and the two Mexicans labored vainly
with the dying steer. 1t is neither easy
nor pleasant to treat animals for pois-
oning; for according to the actions OF
the steer and the Cattle Breeders
Guide it had been poisoned When the
steer was dead, Ruth went to the
medicine shelf. Standing on a sack
OF rolled barley which lifted her eyes
to the level OF the shelf, she discov-
cred that there were two Quaker Oats
boxes, each containing a whitish pow
der. On the outside Of one box was
scrawled in pencil, "for liver fever;
the other box had poison label
Cyanide" Ruth held box in each