Guardians of the Sage

Guardians of the Sage by Harry Sinclair Drago Read Free Book Online Page A

Book: Guardians of the Sage by Harry Sinclair Drago Read Free Book Online
Authors: Harry Sinclair Drago
range in the reservation,” Dan explained. “Without the North Fork water I can’t keep ’em up here no longer. Course I’m better off than some folks. I had some water rights of my own that the Bar S couldn’t grab. But you know how range cattle are, Jim. They get used to waterin’ in one place and they’ll go back to it in spite of hell. That’s where the rub is goin’ to come. I suggested to Reb that we put up a line fence and each pay half of the cost.”
    â€œI don’t suppose that interested him,” Montana volunteered. “That’s not the Bar S game.”
    â€œNo, he wouldn’t lissen at all. Said he’d keep his stuff on his own range and we’d have to do the same.”
    â€œDarin’ us, that’s all!” Gene Crockett muttered bitterly. He was the younger of the two boys. “It’s a fine law that lets an outfit rob you like that! That water was our’n. Mebbe old man Stall saw it ’fore Pap did. That didn’t make it his if he didn’t use it. We ain’t no better off than we was ’fore they opened up the reservation. Now we got water in one place and range in another, and nothin’ short o’ God a’mighty can make a steer eat one place and drink another.”
    â€œNo use los in’ your haid about it,” his father protested. “We got to go easy and figure this thing out.”
    â€œIt’s all right to talk about takin’ things easy, Pap,” the other boy declared soberly, “but Gene’s right; you can’t swallow every thin’ they hand you and pretend to like it. I hazed a cow and her calf out of the North Fork bottoms for over an hour this morning. Like as not she’s back there right now. That’s what the Bar S wants. They’ll catch our stuff trespassing and using their water. Lawsuits will be slapped on us till we’re busted. Then we can git out.”
    â€œYou said it!” Gene agreed. “Clay Quantrell’s got the right idea. If we’re goin’ to git licked anyhow, let’s git licked fightin’! Why wait ’til we’re helpless?”
    Montana had known the boys for years. Their bitterness was no surprise, but he had expected them to be long-suffering rather than rash under the first prod of the Bar S. Their talk sounded reckless. Since Quantrell’s name had come into the conversation, Montana thought he had the explanation.
    â€œThat’s brave talk, Gene,” he said, “but I’m afraid it won’t get us anywhere. We can’t shoot this thing out and win. If we want to beat that bunch we’ve got to outsmart them.”
    The boys were not impressed with his logic, but their father agreed with him.
    â€œThere can’t be any doubt of it,” he said with great deliberation. “Spillin’ a lot of blood won’t settle this at all. The first thing we got to do is get organized. We’re goin’ to have a meetin’ here towards evenin’. I reckon most of the folks will come.” He glanced at the westering sun. “Gene will take you over to the house and show you where to drop your war-bag, We’ll have supper before the crowd comes.”

C HAPTER VI TRAGEDY RIDES THE RANGE
    I N ADDITION to his sons, Dan had two men on the ranch,—Romero, the Mexican, and Ben Vining, an old-time buckaroo from Nevada. They ate together in the ranch kitchen, Mrs. Crockett doing the cooking.
    Eating was a solemn rite that seemed to dry up the wells of conversation.
    Before they had finished, people began to arrive. With one or two exceptions they were all related in some way to the Crocketts.
    â€œOne or two others to come yet,” Dan told them. “We’ll wait a few minutes.”
    Quantrell was the last to arrive. He gave Jim a curt nod. His displeasure was evident on learning that Montana had injected himself into the fight and was now riding for the Box C.

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