Adventure Magazine, March 1916 — page 145: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

Paradise Bend continued Chuck Morgan. “‘He’s got the cleanest set 0’ legs I ever seen.”’ “This mornin’,” said Loudon slowly. “Where’d ye see Blakely’ s sorrel this morn- in’ fib “In the little corral. the Old Man’s string.” Loudon pulled his hat forward and start- ed methodically to roll a cigarette. So Blakely had spent the night at the ranch. This was the first time he had ever weue overnight. What did it mean? Calling on Kate was one thing, but spending the night was quite another. With the fatuous reasoning of a man deeply in love, Loudon refused to believe that Blakely could be sailing closer to the wind of Kate’s affections than he him- self. Yet there remained the fact of Blake- ly’s stay. “We've been losin’ right smart o’ cows lately,” remarked Chuck Morgan. ““What’s the use o’ talkin’?” exclaimed . Loudon bitterly. ‘The Old Man says we ain’t, an’ he’s the boss.” “He won’t say so after the round-up. He’ll sweat blood then. If I could only catch one of ’ematit. Justone. But them thievin’ 88 boys are plumb wise. An’ the Old Man thinks they’ re little he-angels. with four wings apiece.’ “Ve can’t tell kim nothin’. He knows.” “‘An’ Blakely comes an’ sets ’round, an’ the Old Man laps up all he says like a cat, an’ Blakely grins behind his teeth. I’d sure like to know his opinion o’ the Old Man.” cé An’ us.’ “An’ us. Sure. The Old Man can’t be expected to know as much as us. You can gamble an’ go the limit Blakely has us sized up for sheep-woolly baa-lambs.”’ Morgan made a gesture of exaspera- tion. “We will be sheep!’ exclaimed Loudon, “Tf we don’t pick up somethin’ agin’ the 88 before the round-up. We’re full-sized two- legged men, ain’t we? Got eyes, ain’t we? There ain’t nothin’ the matter with our hands, is there? Yet them 88 boys put it all over our shirt. Blakely’s right. We're related plumb close to sheep, an’ blind sheep at that.” ‘Them 88 boys have all the luck,” grunt- ed Chuck Morgan. “But their luck will sure break if I see any of ’em a foolin’ with our cows. So-long.”’ He’s in there with 143 CHUCK MORGAN rode off east-— ward. cattle near Cow Creek, which stream His business was with the . was one of the two dividing the Bar-S range - from that of the Cross-in-a-box. Loudon, his eyes continually sliding from side to side, loped onward. An hour later he forded the Lazy River, and rode along the bank to the mouth of Pack-saddle Creek. The course he was following was not the shortest route to the two mud-holes between Box Hill and Fishtail Coulee. But south of the Lazy the western line of the Bar-S was marked by Pack-saddle Creek, and Loudon’s intention was to ride along the creek from mouth to source. There had been no rain for a month. If any cows had been driven across the stream he would know it. Twice before he had ridden the line of the creek, but his labors had not been rewarded. Yet Loudon did not despair. His was a hopeful soul. Occasionally, as he rode, he saw cows. Here and there on the bank were cloven hoof-prints, showing where cattle had come down to drink. But none of them had crossed since the rain. And there were no marks of ponies’ feet. At the mud-hole near Box Hill a lone cow stood belly-deep, stolidly awaiting death. “Ve poor idjit,”” commented Loudon, and loosed his rope from the saddle-horn. The loop settled ’round the cow’s horns. The yellow pony, cunningly holding his body sidewise that the saddle might not be pulled over his tail, strained with all four legs. “C’mon, Lemons!’ encouraged Loudon. “C’mon, boy! Ye old yellow lump o’ bones! - Head or cow, she’s got to Heave! come!”’ Thus adjured the pony strove mightily. The cow also exerted itself. -Slowly the tenacious grip of the mud was broken. With a suck and a plop the cow surged free. It stood, shaking its head. Swiftly Loudon disengaged his rope, slapped the cow with the end of it, and urged the brute inland. Having chased the cow a full half mile he returned to the mud-hole and dismounted. For he had observed that upon a rock ledge above the mud-hole which he wished to in- spect more closely. What he had noted was a long scratch across the face of the broad flat ledge of rock. But for his having been drawn in close to the ledge by the presence RT ee “GCOMIGCDOOKS —— (Eo)