Fred Fearnot's New Ranch

made his selection. Then he purchased a splendid violin, paying seventy-five dollars for it, which was the most costly violin that was ever sold in Crabtree, for

lin and the flute

election of vocal and instrumental music. Would y

her old music in her trunk, but if she didn't bring any down wi

st of all the music n

ist to her," and he folded i

dies whom Evelyn had told him to bri

notice. He told them that he would drive around for them with a carriag

make any difference so long

familiar with farm life around that locality. He went to the livery sta

sent down the next day, laid in a good stock of magazines, then drove around to the residence of the two young l

hted with everything

ew their arms around each other and imitated them to the best of their ability; but, instead of kissing each other, they smacked their mouths over each other

nd you'll see how we are roughing it out here." So she led th

fully furnished rooms the girls

a prettier furnished house in all Crabtree. I can

here. There is nobody about to criticise us. I hope you brought so

ht some old dr

me in put on your roughest suits and I'll

into the kitchen

all three of them would sleep in there, le

ught into the house and they proceeded at on

that they visited the big stables, where Evelyn pointed with great pride to two big grays which the boys had bought for her, and there she told them the s

hat she couldn't train

o trained that they will follow me wherever I go and I'll teach them how

big spring that we hav

outhward. "To-morrow we will ride down there, for we

ken any stock in her claim that she could milk cows and make butter, and they regarded her as simply a society

ually doing a man's work. Neither of the girls had ever milked a cow in

a game dinner of quail, jack

ey were satisfied that she had not been boasting, and such biscuit they had never tasted i

about housework, but tell me how you manage to keep your hands s

home; but I think it is every woman's duty to learn such things, s

lly ashamed of their ign

Fred produced his

"that is a beautiful violin. What d

"a harsh note grates on me worse than a

in and began playing like an expert. Fred took up the flu

lin and flute they all rushed out and stood at the gate, about forty feet away from t

could play equally as well as Fred. Evelyn soon took

uitar to Fred and too

fectly at home with any musical ins

were not in the habit of starting the day so early, but sh

Jack had started a fire in the range,

or her, and also f

d at Crabtree he took a train for points a hundred miles east, where he hired a team and driver to take him around among the

d; so he was gone about ten days. He paid for the cattle with checks on the bank at Crabtree, but in some instance

s still with Evelyn, and learned from them that they were wil

n tired of the ran

nd instrument, and every evening, when the weather is fine, the cowboys dance in the yard to their playing; and, Mr. Fearnot, I really believe that every horse and cow a

ughed a

at same influenc

Evelyn and laughed

every sort of animal is

n to call Mr. Fe

woman is just as much an a

s wide and Evelyn and Fred and

w that man is an ani

and Terry fell to explaining the matter to them. The younger of the two sister

will kill any brute will also kill a man. Both have flesh and blood, eat and drink; but man is, of course, the highest grade of the animal kingdom. They are divided into different tribes, just as

and on the piazza and on the front steps cow

but Fred and Terry were very familiar with

, during which he had bought another thousan

were unloaded and turned loose into their new home. Many of them were evidently very hungry, and had probab

is almost starved. The ranchmen didn't feed them

ght to be made to

ly I think they ought to be punished for their heartlessness. Jus

rs and run down the gangway that led into the stock

, but her two visitors had not, so they stood and

ds of the cattle turned out, "I think that, on

or cattle on me. Their brand is already registered, just the same as ours. Of course, their calves we will have

sand cattle to the ranch

both rather suspected that they would come up a little short, but to the

. The train was run on a sidetrack, and as fast as the cars were emptied t

those cattle must have been hurt, crowded as

with the ranchmen whom he had bought front that only a given number should be placed in a ca

f the range on the lookout for wolves, and also to let the co

ng the night to start an alarm among them. The majority of t

in at about two o'

own at the lower end of the ranch had cut out a complete panel of th

heir Winchesters, accompanied by two of their most exper

but they were unable to find the trail of any cattle passing through t

y tools to connect it with the wires that had been cut, and when that was done they detailed one-hal

nals, which must be given and an

st one wire to establish his guilt and then call a halt. If he doesn't hold up open fire on him, and keep firing until he comes down. Both Olcott and

ouse with the girls, the boys mounted their ho

foot. They found the cowboys that they had stationed along the line in their respective places. They were

score of cattle going through the grass as

ched down in the gr

y were going, and why. They were very near the corner of the fence, for, as the reader doubtless remembers, they had enclosed only

ed Fred on the shou

d Fred dropped d

ee the figures of two men moving cautiously and closely behind the cattle, and th

n around to head him off. He ran almost over Fred, who sprang up and dealt