Bob Chester's Grit; Or, From Ranch to Riches

ssessed the magic power of procuring for him transportation to the land of hi

, people kept getting aboard, and soon the car in

and he was amusing himself in trying to assign them to their proper vocations, whe

ulders. His hair, of a curious rusty gray, seemed to stick out from under the fa

hold attention. So thin was it that it seemed as though the cheek bones would any minute

ntary glance, until his eyes rested upon Bob, and upon him they lingered, glancing h

en examining the man more closely, and had discove

asked the stranger. "I didn't have time to get any before I started. In fact, I came mighty near

e lunch. But I won't sell it to you. You are

he boy been as keen an observer as the stranger, he would have noticed that the paper on one end of the

e never to accept anything from any one without giving something in return. So I tell you what I'll do. If you're sure yo

I should be just as willing to give yo

, broken the string, unwrapped the paper and opened i

your

on his knee. Though it contained cake and pie, hard-boiled eggs, and several sandwiches, the stranger

h perhaps even a piece of cake or a piece of pie. But as he saw one piece of food disappearing after another, a

cover on the box, folded the paper, wrapped up the box and set it on

to the right spot!

he had expected to have at least a portion of the food, p

the insinuation in Bob's tone,

far?" h

to Chi

some one to talk to. It makes the time p

ways lived i

Chicago on

o call on some friends, a

a roused the stranger

say! To w

t know

don't know to what part?"

as thinking I'd get a map when I got

on't beat anythi

was such that Bob felt that he must give some

nch owner, and I didn't want to decide where to go unti

d me to get into this car of all on the train

been to Oklahom

bout ten years, when the government first opened up the land, an

ting rapidly, and the thought that he could gather much useful information from

live Indian?" asked Bob, hi

of the critters

forehead with one

aid Bob

gave me that; Flying

ting adventure, the man lapsed into silence, as

yet he hesitated to ask point-blank. His interest was so keen, however, that

n from his memories, and gazing at the lad's ea

d like to know

d I sh

; a man so mean you could pull the pith out of a horse

actly, and in them days it wasn't what you'd call healthy to ask questions. Indeed, I've seen many a perfectly healthy man took off sudden, just because he got i

But in them days it was the same with working for a man as it was about asking questions. If he told you to do anything, it was up to you to do it, or stand the consequences. So I saddled a flea-bitten pinto and set out, though I must say I wasn

led with fine grazing grass, and there was a 'drink' near-by, so's I got to feeling a little better, for I'd been afraid I was going to ha

er them cattle; they stayed so close, and I was taking t

and I had built a little fire, befor

I do know that I was suddenly wakened by feel

ce, hideous in white and yel

me, and being pretty handy with them, it di

w. But I'd no sooner got to my feet than I found out, for

as I could, and the only thing that saved me was because th

e, they rounded up the critters, g

g I lit out in the opposite direc