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ur　own　sunny　South！　It　was　hard　to　face；　but　I　remembered　that　the　fall　before　it　had　been　my　lot　to　drive　a　thousand　saddle　horses　home　to　the　ranch；　and　that　I　had　swaggered　as　a　trail　foreman　afterward　as　the　result。　It　had　always　been　my　luck　to　have　to　earn　every　little　advance　or　promotion；　while　others　seemed　to　fall　into　them　without　any　effort。　Bob　Quirk　never　saw　the　day　that　he　was　half　the　all…round　cowman　that　I　was；　yet　he　was　above　me　and　could　advise；　and　I　had　to　obey。

On　the　morning　of　the　25th　of　September；　1884；　the　two　outfits　started　for　the　railroad；　leaving　the　remainder　of　us　in　a　country；　save　for　the　cattle；　so　desolate　that　there　was　no　chance　even　to　spend　our　wages。　I　commited　to　memory　a　curtain　lecture　for　my　brother；　though　somehow　or　other　it　escaped　me　and　was　never　delivered。　We　rode　lines　between　the　upper　and　lower　wagons；　holding　the　cattle　loosely　on　a　large　range。　A　delightful　fall　favored　us；　and　before　the　first　squall　of　winter　came　on；　the　beeves　had　contented　themselves　as　though　they　had　been　born　on　the　Little　Missouri。　Meanwhile　Bob's　wagon　and　remuda　arrived；　the　car　of　corn　was　hauled　to　our　headquarters；　extra　stabling　was　built；　and　we　settled　down　like　banished　exiles。　Communication　had　been　opened　with　Fort　Buford；　and　in　the　latter　part　of　October　the　four　promised　men　arrived；　when　Bob　Quirk　took　part　of　my　outfit　and　went　home；　leaving　me　ten　men。　Parent　remained　as　cook；　the　new　men　assimilated　easily；　a　fiddle　was　secured；　and　in　fulfillment　of　the　assertion　of　Sanders；　we　picked　up　courage。　Two　grain…fed　horses；　carefully　stabled；　were　allowed　to　each　man；　the　remainder　of　our　large　number　of　saddle　stock　running　free　on　the　range。

To　that　long　winter　on　the　Little　Missouri　a　relentless　memory　turns　in　retrospect。　We　dressed　and　lived　like　Eskimos。　The　first　blizzard　struck　us　early　in　December；　the　thermometer　dropped　sixty　degrees　in　twelve　hours；　but　in　the　absence　of　wind　and　snow　the　cattle　did　not　leave　the　breaks　along　the　river。　Three　weeks　later　a　second　one　came；　and　we　could　not　catch　the　lead　animals　until　near　the　railroad；　but　the　storm　drove　them　up　the　Little　Missouri；　and　its　sheltering　banks　helped　us　to　check　our　worst　winter　drift。　After　the　first　month　of　wintry　weather；　the　dread　of　the　cold　passed；　and　men　and　horses　faced　the　work　as　though　it　was　springtime　in　our　own　loved　southland。　The　months　rolled　by　scarcely　noticed。　During　fine　weather　Sanders　and　some　of　his　boys　twice　dropped　down　for　a　few　days；　but　we　never　left　camp　except　to　send　letters　home。

An　early　spring　favored　us。　I　was　able　to　report　less　than　one　per　cent　loss　on　the　home　range；　with　the　possibility　of　but　few　cattle　having　escaped　us　during　the　winter。　The　latter　part　of　May　we　sold　four　hundred　saddle　horses　to　some　men　from　the　upper　Yellowstone。　Early　in　June　a　wagon　was　rigged　out；　extra　men　employed；　and　an　outfit　sent　two　hundred　miles　up　the　Little　Missouri　to　attend　the　round…ups。　They　were　gone　a　month　and　caine　in　with　less　than　five　hundred　beeves；　which　represented　our　winter　drift。　Don　Lovell　reached　the　ranch　during　the　first　week　in　July。　One　day's　ride　through　the　splendid　cattle；　and　old　man　Don　lost　his　voice；　but　the　smile　refused　to　come　off。　Everything　was　coming　his　way。　Field；　Radcliff　&　Co。　had　sued　him；　and　the　jury　awarded　him　one　hundred　thousand　dollars。　His　bankers　had　unlimited　confidence　in　his　business　ability；　he　had　four　Indian　herds　on　the　trail　and　three　others　of　younger　steers；　intended　for　the　Little　Missouri　ranch。　Cattle　prices　in　Texas　had　depreciated　nearly　one　half　since　the　spring　before〃a　good　time　for　every　cowman　to　strain　his　credit　and　enlarge　his　holdings；〃　my　employer　assured　me。

Orders　were　left　that　I　was　to　begin　shipping　out　the　beeves　early　in　August。　It　was　the　intention　to　ship　them　in　two　and　three　train…load　lots；　and　I　was　expecting　to　run　a　double　outfit　when　a　landslide　came　our　way。　The　first　train…load　netted　sixty　dollars　a　head　at　Omahahut　they　were　beeves；　cods　like　an　ox's　heart　and　waddled　as　they　walked。　We　had　just　returned　from　the　railroad　with　the　intention　of　shipping　two　train…loads　more；　when　the　quartermaster　and　Sanders　from　Fort　Buford　rode　into　the　ranch　under　an　escort。　The　government　had　lost　forty　per　cent　of　the　Field…Radcliff　cattle　during　the　winter　just　passed；　and　were　in　the　market　to　buy　the　deficiency。　The　quartermaster　wanted　a　thousand　beeves　on　the　first　day　of　September　and　October　each；　and　wire。　This　made　sixteen　thousand　steer　cattle　en　route　from　the　latter　point　for　Lovell's　new　ranch　in　Dakota。

〃Tom；〃　said　old　man　Don；　enthusiastically；　〃this　is　the　making　of　a　fine　cattle　ranch；　and　we　want　to　get　in　on　the　flood…tide。　There　is　always　a　natural　wealth　in　a　new　country；　and　the　goldmines　of　this　one　are　in　its　grass。　The　instinct　that　taught　the　buffalo　to　choose　this　as　their　summer　and　winter　range　was　unerring；　and　they　found　a　grass　at　hand　that　would　sustain　them　in　any　and　all　kinds　of　weather。　This　country　to…day　is　just　what　Texas　was　thirty　years　ago。　All　the　early　settlers　at　home　grew　rich　without　any　effort；　but　once　the　cream　of　the　virgin　land　is　gone；　look　out　for　a　change。　The　early　cowmen　of　Texas　flatter　themselves　on　being　shrewd　and　far…seeingjust　about　as　much　as　I　was　last　fall；　when　I　would　gladly　have　lost　twenty…five　thousand　dollars　rather　than　winter　these　cattle。　Now　look　where　I　will　come　out；　all　due　to　the　primitive　wealth　of　the　land。　》From　sixty　to　sixty…five　dollars　a　head　beats　thirtyseven　and　a　half　for　our　time　and　trouble。〃

The　first　of　the　through　cattle　arrived　early　in　September。　They　avoided　our　range　for　fear　of　fever；　and　dropped　in　about　fifteen　miles　below　our　headquarters　on　the　Little　Missouri。　Dorg　Seay　was　one　of　the　three　foremen；　Forrest　and　Sponsilier　being　the　other　two；　having　followed　the　same　route　as　our　herds　of　the　year　before。　But　having　spent　a　winter　in　the　North；　we　showed　the　through　outfits　a　chilling　contempt。　I　had　ribbed　up　Parent　not　even　to　give　them　a　pleasant　word　about　our　wagon　or　headquarters；　and　particularly　if　Bob　Quirk　came　through　with　one　of　the　purchased　herds；　he　was　to　be　given　the　marble　heart。　One　outfit　loose…herded　the　new　cattle；　the　other　two　going　home；　and　about　the　middle　of　the　month；　my　brother　and　The　Rebel　came　trailing　in　with　the　last　two　herds。　I　was　delighted　to　meet　my　old　bunkie；　and　had　him　remain　over　until　the　last　outfit　went　home；　when　we　reluctantly　parted　company。　Not　so；　however；　with　Bob　Quirk；　who　haughtily　informed　me　that　he　came　near　slapping　my　cook　for　his　effrontery。　〃So　you　are　another　one　of　these　lousy　through　outfits　that　think　we　ought　to　make　a　fuss　over　you；　are　you？〃　I　retorted。　〃Just　you　wait　until　we　do。　Every　one　of　you　except　old　Paul　had　the　idea　that　we　ought　to　give　you　a　reception　and　ask　you　to　sleep　in　our　beds。　I'm　glad　that　Parent　had　the　gumption　to　give　you　a　mean　look；　he'll　ride　for　me　next　year。〃

The　month　of　October　finished　the　shipping。　There　was　a　magic　in　that　Northern　climate　that　wrought　wonders　in　an　animal　from　the　South。　Little　wonder　that　the　buffalo　could　face　the　blizzard；　in　a　country　of　his　own　choosing；　and　in　a　climate　where　the　frost　king　held　high　revel　five　months　out　of　the　twelve。　There　was　a　tonic　like　the　iron　of　wine　in　the　atmosphere；　absorbed　alike　by　man　and　beast；　and　its　possessor　laughed　at　the　fury　of　the　storm。　Our　loss　of　cattle　during　the　first　winter；　traceable　to　season；　was　insignificant；　while　we　sold　out　over　two　hundred　head　more　than　the　accounts　called　for；　due　to　the　presence　of　strays；　which　went　to　Buford。　And　when　the　last　beef　was　shipped；　the　final　delivery　concluded　to　the　army；　Don　Lovell　was　a　quarter…million　dollars　to　the　good；　over　and　above　the　contract　price　at　which　he　failed　to　deliver　the　same　cattle　to　the　government　the　fall　before。

As　foreman　of　Lovell's　beef　ranch　on　the　Little　Missouri　I　spent　five　banner　years　of　my　life。　In　'89　the　stock；　good…will；　and　range　were　sold　to　a　cattle　syndicate；　who　installed　a　superintendent　and　posted　rules　for　the　observance　of　its　employees。　I　do　not　care　to　say　why；　but　in　a　stranger's　hands　it　never　seemed　quite　the　same　home　to　a　few　of　us　who　were　present　when　it　was　transformed　into　a　cattle　range。　Late　that　fall；　some　half…dozen　of　us　who　were　from　Texas　asked　to　be　relieved　and　returned　to　the　South。　A　traveler　passing　through　that　country　to…day　will　hear　the　section　about　the　mouth　of　the　Beaver　called　only　by　the　syndicate　name；　but　old…timers　will　always　lovingly　refer　to　it　as　the　Don　Lovell　Ranch。





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