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Senor Johnson at this stage of his career found himself dropping into a routine. In March began the spring branding, then the corralling and breaking of the wild horses, the summer range-riding, the great fall round-up, the shipping of cattle, and the riding of the winter range. This happened over and over again. You and I would not have suffered from ennui.
Not a steer had been driven off the range that summer and fall; and except for the menace always hanging in the blue smoke over Seeping Springs the range-riding had passed without unusual incident. So for Hare the months had gone by swiftly; though when he looked back afterward they seemed years.
August Naab listened to the details of the range-riding since his absence, with silent surprise. Holderness and Snap had kept away from Silver Cup after the supposed killing of Hare. Occasionally a group of horsemen rode across the valley or up a trail within sight of Dave and his followers, but there was never a meeting.
They would be turned loose on the range near his claim, and they would be found before the scabs had haired over. It was a good time for rustling; round-ups were over for the winter, and the weather would confine range-riding to absolute necessity.
Randolph Carson, owner of the Bar U ranch. Matters had not been going well with him, of late. With final yells, and an increase in the quantity of dust tossed up as the cowboys pulled their horses back on their haunches, the range-riding outfit of the ranch came to rest, not far away from the stable.
We ought to go in more for stock-raising; it's safer." "Costs quite a pile to start with, and the ranchers farther west certainly have their troubles. We had a good many calves missing, and now and then prime steers driven off, when I was range-riding." "I haven't heard of any cattle-stealing about here." "No," said the teamster.
"Crowell is writing them off," was the reply. "He'll have them in half an hour or so." The senator drew out his watch, a huge thick-crystalled time-piece dating back to the range-riding period. "As matters have turned out, I shall be going to the city before long," he said.
"He might be at Guadalajara, or he might be up at Osterman's, or he might be a hundred miles away from either place. I know where he ought to be, Mr. Presley, but that ain't saying where the crazy gesabe is. He OUGHT to be range-riding over east of Four, at the head waters of Mission Creek." "I'll try for him there, at all events," answered Presley.
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