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"Of course," continued the Old Cattleman, turning for comfort to his inevitable tobacco pipe, "of course, at sech epocks as some degraded sharp takes to dealin' double in a poker game, or the kyards begins to come two at a clatter at faro-bank, the proceedin's frequent takes on what you-all might call a hue of romance; an' I admits they was likely to get some hectic, myse'f.
"Before I go, we'd better settle the matter of the range. Send for your father, and I'll make him a proposition that looks fair to me." When Sanderson arrived, he found the cattleman with a map of the county spread before him upon the table. With a pencil he divided the range in a zigzag, twisting line. "How about that? I'll take all on the valley side.
He had had it from McAlpin himself, so the guard said, that de Spain's father had long ago been shot down from ambush by a cattleman and that Henry de Spain had sworn to find that man and kill him. And it was hinted pretty strongly that de Spain had information when he consented to come to Sleepy Cat that the assassin still lived, and lived somewhere around the head of the Sinks.
And they're your cattle that were stolen! You saw it oh, you're you're " "Hmm-mm a human being, I hope, Miss MacDonald, as well as a mere cattleman. How is the old lady?" "Crying," said Billy Louise, with brief directness. "Crying over the picture of that swine. Think of his running off and leaving her here all alone and not even doing the chores first!"
I've stood your fences up there on my land as long as I'm goin' to!" "I've never had a chance to tell you before, Mr. Chadron" Macdonald spoke as respectfully as his deep detestation of the cattleman would allow "but if you've got any other charge to bring against me except that of homesteading, bring it in a court. I'm ready to face you on it, any day."
Oscar Jensen, a short, thick-set man, with an unwholesome, heavy face, stepped out of the little tent as the rancher rode up. "Mornin'." "Good-morning!" The cattleman affected a cheerfulness which he did not feel. "Are these your sheep, Mr. Jensen?" He waved in the direction of the grazing band, a dirty white patch on the green of the valley. "Yes."
The cattleman drew in his chair and was introduced to the two strangers. The quick, searching look he gave each confirmed his first impression. These men were professional gamblers. It occurred to him that they had made a singularly poor choice of victims in Dan Meldrum and Hal Rutherford. Either of them would reach for his gun at the first evidence of crooked play.
To-night we're rich as that fellow Crocus; anyhow I am, an' you're haided that way. And both of us have cleared our names to boot. Ain't you got any red blood in that big body of yore's?" "I'll drop in to the Delmonico and get a bite, then ride out to the Jackpot." "You will not!" protested the cattleman. "Looky here, Dave. It's a showdown. Have you got anything against me?"
That was the beginning of bargaining, and the end was that the Kentuckian got two native saddle horses and two hundred and fifty dollars cash. Cattleman Kyle got the beautiful Red Rover and Jim Hartigan experienced just a twinge of jealousy as he saw the new champion and heard his praises sung.
Everybody knew that she had paid Dick Socknersh thirty shillings for the two weeks that he was out of work after leaving her before he went as cattleman to an inland farm and she had found the money for Martha Tilden's wedding, and for her lying-in a month afterwards, and some time later she had helped Peter Relf with ready cash to settle his debts and move himself and his wife and baby to West Wittering, where he had the offer of a place with three shillings a week more than they gave at Honeychild.
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