Laramie Holds the Range | Page 9

soon got used to.
Barb broke abruptly in on the conversation: "What did Stone find out?"
he asked.
Van Horn answered a question of Kate's and turned then, and not until
then, to her father: "That's what I came over to tell you. Dutch Henry
and another fellow--described like Stormy Gorman--sold ten head of
steers to the railroad camp last week--that's where our cattle are going
right along now. And Abe Hawk," he exclaimed, pointing his finger at
Doubleday and poking it forward to emphasize each point, "sold ten
head of your long yearlings to a contracting outfit north of the Falling
Wall and never changed the brands!"
Doubleday stared at the speaker. Van Horn, speaking to Kate, went
right on: "There's a bunch of rustlers over in the Falling Wall, snitching
steers on us right and left," he explained in a lower and very deferential
tone, but a warm one.
While Van Horn talked and Doubleday muttered husky and bitter
questions, Bradley and Belle paid continuous attention to their coffee
and griddle cakes.
Doubleday by this time had forgotten all about Kate. Completely
absorbed by the reports brought in he rose from the table and followed
Van Horn to the open door where Van Horn turned and paused as he
kept on talking so that with his eyes he could still take in Kate at the
table. The two men were now joined at the door by a third. This man

looked in to see who was at the table. Bradley glanced up at him only
long enough to recognize Tom Stone, the new foreman; no greeting
passed. Kate looked longer, though when she saw the eyes of the
new-comer were on her she gave her attention to Belle.
Belle had told her that a woman at the ranch would be a great curiosity
and Kate every day resigned herself to inspection. When she got better
acquainted with the men, and while there were good and bad among
them, she liked them all, except Stone. His face did not seem kindly. At
times agreeable enough, he was only tolerable at best and when even
slightly in liquor he was irritable. His low forehead, over which he
plastered his hair, and his straight yellow eyebrows and hard blue eyes
were not confidence inspiring; even his big mustache was harsh and
lacked a generous curve--his normal outlook seemed one of reticence
and suspicion. Kate refused to like him; his smile was not good.
On this morning he showed the signs of a hard journey. He had brought
the news from the Falling Wall and was just in after a troublesome ride.
Bradley and Belle left the table together and Kate followed to the door.
Bradley tried to edge past the three men without speaking, but Stone
not only stopped him with a cold grin but followed the driver toward
the stage: "Wouldn't that kill you"--Kate heard him say to Bradley, and
she saw his attempt at an ingratiating grin: "Abe Hawk rustling?"
Bradley gave him scant sympathy: "What did Doubleday discharge him
for?" he demanded. "What did the cattlemen blacklist him for? He's the
best foreman this ranch ever had--or ever will have," added Bradley,
summoning his scant courage to rub it in. "He fired him because he
took up a little piece of land agin the Falling Wall and got together a
few cows of his own. That's a crime, ain't it? Like ----. These cattlemen
will learn a thing or two when they get old."
Stone flared back at him: "What are you over here eating their bacon
for?"
"Not f'r any likin' I've got f'r 'em," retorted Bradley, "n'r f'r any o' their
pets."

The old driver got away without a fight, but he had little to spare. Van
Horn rode off presently with Stone, and Doubleday returned to the
house, where Kate was sitting with Belle. He told Belle he would send
her over to the Junction in the afternoon, and after dinner told Kate she
had better go over and stay at the Junction with Belle till they could get
a room "fixed up" at the ranch.
There were really no accommodations at the ranchhouse for Kate until
some could be prepared. A room had to be made ready and there was
no bed or furniture. And Belle told her that her father spent most of his
time at the Junction, anyway, where he had a cottage. She explained
about the railroad branching off the main line at the Junction. Her
father had built this to coal mines on the Falling Wall river. He was
supposed to own this branch line and the mines, but she hinted strongly
that his creditors had got everything there was of the railroad but the
rust, and would sometime get that.
Kate