Six Little Bunkers at Uncle Freds | Page 9

time."
"And he s'prised us all up in the attic," added Laddie, who had also
come into the hall. "Russ and I rode down on the scooter, and we
bumped, and had a mix-up, and Uncle Fred came up, and----"
"And we thought he was a burglar!" finished Violet.
"You must have had quite a time," laughed Daddy Bunker. "Well, now,
after I get my wet things off, I'll go in and see Uncle Fred and hear all
about it," and soon Daddy Bunker and his wife's brother were shaking
hands and talking, while the children sat about them, eager and
listening.
"We'll have an early supper," said Mother Bunker, when she had given
Uncle Fred a cup of tea, "and then we can hear all about Three Star
Ranch."
Norah O'Grady soon had a nice supper on the table, and after Rose had
helped with it, as she often did, for her mother was teaching her little
daughter to be a housekeeper, the children took their places and began
to eat. And, at the same time, they listened to the talk that went on
among the grown folk. Mother and Father Bunker had many questions
to ask Uncle Fred, and he also asked them a great many, for he wanted
to know all about Grandma Bell, and Aunt Jo and Grandpa Ford and all
the rest of the Bunkers' relatives.
"And now will you tell us about Three Star Ranch?" asked Russ
eagerly, as the chairs were pushed back.
"Yes, I will," promised Uncle Fred.
"And don't leave out the Indians," begged Laddie.
"Nor the cowboys," added Russ.
"Can you tell about some ponies?" asked Rose. "I love ponies!"

"Yes, I'll tell about them, too," said her uncle. "And if you come out
West with me you shall have some rides on ponies."
"Really, truly?" gasped Rose.
"Oh, won't that be fun!" cried Vi. "What color are ponies? And what
makes them be called ponies? I should think they would be called
pawnies, 'cause they paw the ground. And how many have you, Uncle
Fred?"
"Oh, Vi! Not so many questions, my dear! Please!" exclaimed her
mother, laughing. "Uncle Fred won't get a chance to tell any story if
you talk so much. You are a regular chatterbox to-night."
"Wait until you get out West. It's so big there you can talk all day and
night and bother no one," said Uncle Fred. "But now I'll tell you about
my ranch.
"As I mentioned, it is near Moon City, in Montana. That is a good
many miles from here, and around my house are big fields, where the
cattle roam about and eat the grass.
"A ranch, you must know, little Bunkers, is just a big farm. But instead
of raising apples and peaches and pears, hay, grain or chickens on my
ranch, I raise cattle. Cows you might call them, though we speak of
them as cattle. Some men raise horses on their ranches, but though I
have some horses and ponies, I have more cattle than anything else.
"I have to keep a number of men to look after the cattle. These men are
called cowboys, and they ride about the ranch on horses, or cow ponies,
and see that the cattle are all right, that they get enough to eat and drink,
and that no one takes them away."
"What do the Indians do?" asked Russ. "Tell us about them."
"Well, some of the Indians farm," said Uncle Fred. "Some of them
make baskets and other things to sell to travelers who come through on
the trains, but many of them just live a lazy life. They are on what is

called a Reservation--that is land which the government has set aside
for them."
"Do Indians come to your ranch?" asked Laddie. "And could I lasso
any of 'em with a rope lasso like I saw in some pictures?"
"Well, sometimes Indians do come to Three Star," answered Uncle
Fred. "But I don't believe any of them would like to be lassoed."
"What's this I hear about your having trouble?" asked Daddy Bunker.
"Well, yes, I have been having trouble," answered Uncle Fred. "And, as
usual, my trouble is like that a lot of ranchers have. Some one has been
taking my cattle."
"Didn't you want them to?" asked Russ.
"No, indeed," answered his uncle. "I raise my cattle to sell, so I can
make money to pay my cowboys and live on some of it myself. If bad
men take my cattle away in the night, as they do, without paying me, I
lose money. And that's why I came on East here."
"Surely you didn't come all the way from Moon City to find out who
was taking your cattle at Three Star Ranch!" exclaimed Mother