Evening star., 1936-07-26

In five years time now Clint hadn't been
astride the palomino. But the way Silver
pivoted in his tracks at the touch of Teeds
rein, the clicking running walk with which he
struck out, making Clnt's roam and old Jskes
horse jog to stay beside him. the way his silver
head was up, right up on the bit - reflected
Clint's training.
Heart" said Clint
What say?" Teed asked.
"Oh, nothin' much" Clint mumbled. az
just asked how much longer you figured to keep
on using Silver1"
It'll he gives out on me-" said Teed. II
sent two boys over through the gap to start
working. But we'll have to take time to find
that break in the fence"
1t was five miles down cafion to the Barlow
place where two of Teed's big white-face bulls
cropped the cienaga outside the fence, and Ed
Barlow had been afraid to turn his milk COW
into the field so long as they were there. They
turned into the yard where Ed was unloading
cart of wood, and Mrs. Barlow's ample form
appeared in the kitchen door at the sound of
voices.
''Id planned to drive up and have a chat
with Mary this afternoon" she called to Clint
But now Pas using the horse"
Teed told old Jake to head the two bulls
back into the range where the critters we're
needed, while he and Clint searched for the
break in the west line fence. Down the next
wide slope and into the head of a gully, they
found where the two bulls had fought and
broken the fence.
"Ain't this just the way mans day will 20
if he's in hurrya" Teed grumbled, patching
wire. Il wanted to get off to town early this
afternoon, to see oow-buyer."
Clint looked at Silvers sweat streaked tanks.
Little salty rivulets had run and dried on the
animals nostrils.
Il was wondering, Teed. if you'd drive Mary
Clint said.
Expecting the new arrival so soonl"
well, Doc Shaw thinks so. It's planned for
Mary to stay with nursing woman who has
place in town. till the baby comes and is a
couple of weeks old. You'd save me riding in
to hire somebody with car"
''Oh, sure" said Teed. "Sure, I'd be glad
to-"
But it was almost noon by the time they
brought three fat steers off the ridge from the
Sand Springs direction and joined old Jake and
the two riders Teed had sent ahead into Salt
Fork. The riders had gathered twenty two head,
but the count still fell short of Teed's estimate
of three-y year old beeves running the Fork He
circled up to the east, leaving Clint to scor
the side gullies High above on the hills crest,
Silver looked like tiny chip of the noon sun
transplanted to the ridges
Two hours must have passed before Clint
spotted little stringer of dust coming off the
point of another slope. dark dots beneath it.
and Teed rode down with the missing steers.
The two men drove on with the four steers
Teed had gathered to catch up with the band
ahead. But it was nearly sundown before the
herd flowed through the gap above Circle Bar
and went down toward Teed's holding pasture.
Old Jake showed up along the point to open
the gate and head the beeves in. Clint rode in
the drag dust.
He heard Teed mutter half-spoken word
and swung around in the saddle. Through the
strings of dust Teed had jumped Silver off to
the left, where big rangy steer had broken
from the herd and gone tearing down the fence
line Clint halted the roam just to watch
Silvers legs were under him the way a cow
horse runs. ready the next jump to stop in his
own length. double and come back. In dozen