X
Friday, May 30, 1941
SOUTHERN OREGON MINER
Paqe^
INSTALLMENT 11
Dusty King and Lew Gordon had built
bp a vast string of ranches in the West.
King was killed by hi* powerful and un
scrupulous competitor. Ben Thorpe Bill
Roper. King's adopted son. was deter
mined to avenge his death in spite of
• <
CHAPTER XV—Continued
When Lew Gordon spoke, his voice
was so quiet that its very stillness
carried threat of imminent destruc
tion. “Bill Roper sent a man to
you?”
"I didn't say that. He's a man
who was with Bill Roper in the
Texas Rustlers' War; he doesn't
seem to be in the Montana raids.”
"Who was it?" Lew Gordon rum
bled. "What's his name?"
“Shoshone Wilce.”
"Wilce! I know that name. I know
it well. I'd rope and drag him in a
second, if I caught him talking to
you!”
"This man has talked with Ben
Thorpe in Dodge.” Jody told her
father. "A lot of strange news is
working down to Thorpe from up
here in Montana. Some bands of
rustlers are slashing up and down
Montana throwing lead and leather
into the Thorpe outfits under Lash-
am; they say he’s badly hurt al
ready—nobody will know how badly
until the winter breaks."
Her father waited, his eyes angry
“The word from Dodge explains
half the trouble that King-Gordon is
up against." Jody said. "Thorpe
can’t believe that one lone cowboy,
deserted by everyone who should
have been his friend, could manage
to smash his Texas holdings, and go
on to cut away his herds in Montana.
He thought that we were backing
Billy Roper in the Texas Rustlers'
War. And he believes that we’re
backing him now.”
“Well?” Lew Gordon said. "You
mean to say you came all this way
to tell me that?”
"Ben Thorpe means to kill you.”
Lew Gordon's face showed no
change of expression. But he did
not reply at once.
"I don’t doubt it,” he said at last;
"what would you expect? You bring
war into a range and anybody is
likely to go down."
Jody's face was white.
"You know what's at the bottom
of all the trouble we’re having,” her
father said. “You know as well as
I do that two years of nothing but
trouble lays square at the door of
BiU Roper.”
Jody sprang up to face him. “I
certainly do not know anything of
the kind!" she answered him.
Lew Gordon stared at her.
"It’s an everlasting shame upon
the cow country that Dusty King's
killers are still in their saddles. I
teU you. BiUy Roper is the only
man I've seen with courage enough
to—”
And now her father angered as she
had seldom seen him anger. "You’U
teH me nothing!” he roared. "Rop
er! I'm sick of hearing his name—a
dirty outlaw whelp that knows noth
ing but kiU and burn and raid!”
Jody's eyes narrowed and filled
with tears. "You may as weU know
this,” she told her father. "The day
that BiUy Roper dies I want to die
too.”
For a moment Lew Gordon
seemed bewildered; he stared at his
daughter as if the devil had come up
through the floor. The girl who faced
him was entirely strange to him.
He heard her say, "If you had
stayed by him, as Dusty King would
have done, Thorpe would have been
whipped and through, long ago.”
“Child,” he said queerly, "what
are you talking about?”
"If you'd only take Billy Roper
back into King-Gordon—”
"That’ll never happen while I
live,” her father said flatly.
A silence feU between them, pres
ently broken by the girl. "He asked
me to ride with him once, when he
first took the outlaw trail. I wish
I had. To the last day I Uve, I'll
wish I’d ridden with him then. And
now I’ll teU you something more. If
ever he asks me again, I'll go."
For several moments he stared at
her, more shaken than he had been
since the death of Dusty King. Then
his face congested, and he rose up
on his boot heels to tower over the
girl.
"By God," he said, his voice un
steady with the repression he put
upon it, "that closes the deal! I’ve
kept my riders of? him because of
Dusty King, and I let him run on
and on, rousing up a range war that
has close to busted King-Gordon.
But when it comes to tampering
with you—it’s the end! I’m through,
you hear me?”
He caught up his battered sombre
ro, and his spurs rang as he turned
toward the door.
"Dad, what are you going to do?”
“Thorpe has a reward on Bill Rop
er’s head. King-Gordon is going to
double that reward.”
He went storming out, his face
black and violent with portent of
war.
For several moments Jody Gor
don stood motionless where he had
left her. Then she turned and went
out of the house to the long shed
like stable.
Shoshone Wilce was loitering there
In the shadow of the rear wall, an
uneasy and restless figure.
“Did you find out where Billy Rop
er can be reached?” Jody demand
ed.
THE STORY SO FAR:
the opposition of his sweetheart. Jody
Gordon, and her father. Daring raids
upon Thorpe's Texas holdings wiped him
out of the state. Roper then prepared
for a great raid upon the vast herds
on Thorpe's Montana ranches Several
•
«
"Yes, mam. I kind of did. I guess;
and I got to be getting on there.
Miss Gordon. If you'll just give me
any message you want me to take.
I'd sure like to be pulling out of
here, before—”
“All right. You be here with two
good horses just after dark."
"If you could just as leave give
me the message now. I’d sure like
to—*’
"There is no message. I'm going
with you to Bill Roper.”
Shoshone Wilce looked like a man
entrapped. "I can't do it! Your fa
ther—I just won’t do it. Miss Gor
don!"
“All right. I'll make the ride by
myself.”
"Hey, look! You can't—”
"Bill Roper isn't going to like this.
Wilce.”
Shoshone studied her scarchingly,
but found nothing to reassure him.
It was in his mind that this girl
would do exactly as she said. “My
"I’d sure like to be pulling out
of here before—"
life ain’t worth a nickel, either
way,” he almost whimpered.
“You be here with the horses,"
Jody said.
She turned and went into the
house,
leaving Shoshone Wilce
standing unhappy and uncertain, an
kle deep in the wet snow.
CHAPTER XVI
The rounding up of the wild bunch
of riders lost Roper a few days; but
within the week Bill Roper and Tex
Long rode into the plains of the Lit
tle Dry.
Here around a spluttering fire the
riders crouched in their sodden blan
kets, like Indians, while Roper gave
out his orders. Thirty-two men and
six outlaw leaders were now in the
field against Walk Lasham's power
ful Montana outfits in the Great
Raid.
Roper’s first move had been to
split his renegade riders into five
bunches under the leaders that he
knew—Tex Long, Lee Hamish, Dave
Shannon, Dry Camp Pierce and him
self. Hat Crick Tommy he sent to
Miles City in search of further word
from Jody Gordon; Hat Crick would
later rejoin Roper as messenger and
scout.
It was Roper's plan that he and
Tex Long, with twelve men between
them, should make the most daring
raid of all; a raid upon the big herds
which Lasham held between the
headwaters of Timber Creek and
the Little Dry. Of all the ranges
in which the wild bunch was inter
ested, this was the nearest Miles
City—the most accessible, the most
closely watched, the best protected.
How many cattle he could transfer
from this range to the starving Ca
nadian Sioux, Roper did not know;
but it was his hope to raise such a
conspicuous and stubborn disturb
ance as would mask the operations
of the rest of the wild bunch, and
permit Pierce to work unimpeded.
“The fourteen of us will split sev
en ways,” Roper told them now. "I
figure Lasham’s look-out camp for
this range is about twelve miles
southeast We’ll comb every way
but that way. I’m not telling you
how to gather stock.
Hunt ’em
like you know how to hunt ’em. Move
out one day’s ride, spotting your
cow bunches. Next day pick ’em
up and work ’em this way. And on
the third day throw your gather
against a coulee or something where
one man can hold ’em, and the oth
er man of each pair ride back and
meet me here. I figure this range
is heavy with cattle. I don’t see any
reason why two good men can’t
thousand Indiana had gathered near the
Canadian border to take every beef that
was driven across. Shoshone Wllee. one
of Roper's men. told Jody that her fa
ther's life was in danger, so she rode to
warn him He was surprised to see her.
» •
easy throw together three hundred
head in a couple of days. That
gives us a nice bunch of anyway
two thousand. The more the better
—but with two thousand we’ll make
our drive.”
They slept that night under the
slowly falling snow. Roper himself
made cotTee and routed out his rid
ers two hours before the first light.
They caught their horses in the dark,
with hands that fumbled the stiff
ened ropes; then split off in pairs
to comb the range.
For two days Roper watched the
enemy camp while the snow held
on, piling a deeper und deeper mat;
then on the third day he returned
to the rendezvous as the roundup
men began straggling in.
Tex Long was the first one back.
"This range is plumb solid with
stock.” Tex declared. "How many
head do you figure me and Kid
Johnson scraped up. just us two?”
"Well." Roper grunted, "upwards
of a dozen—I should hope."
"Better’n six hundred head! Lord
Almighty. BiU!
Figuring they’re
worth twenty dollars apiece, and al
lowing that all the other boys do as
good, we're liable to get out of here
with around eighty thousand dollars
w?rth of cattle! You realize that?"
But Roper was thinking of the let
ter in his pocket; the appeal of a girl
who needed him in some unknown
way. and who did not even know
why he couldn’t come.
All the next day they worked to
throw the little bunches together into
a trail herd. Not all of them had
done as weU as Tex Long and Kid
Johnson, but most of them had done
weU enough. And then, at last, the
first herd privateered in the Great
Raid began to roll.z A long unstead
ily moving river of cattle poured
northward, a dark welter in the thin
ning faU of the snow. White-faces
mostly, blocky and heavy, well win
tered on the prairie hay—Roper
counted two thousand six hundred
odd!
Pressed hard by the heavy force
of cowboys, the cattle bawled but
humped along northward into the
valley of the Prairie Elk.
Rounding up within a day's ride
of Miles City itself. Roper’s men had
taken this herd almost out of the
very corrals of Lasham's outposts; |
and yet, so far as any of them
knew, that swift-moving drive repre
sented a harder blow than had ever i
been struck a cattleman in a single ;
raid. In aD their months of effort
the winter wild bunch had been un- ,
able to achieve an equal reprisal
upon Lasham, and now they could
hardly believe their own success. [
They forced the cattle hard, driv- ■
ing through the clogging snow at a
rate incredible to men accustomed
to handling market herds.
The cattle that broke the way .
through the snow kept dropping |
back, blown and tired; but as fast as
they failed, others were forced for
ward to take their places. Long
horned, stag-legged steers of the old j
Texas strain fought the riders, I
breaking the heavy column repeat
edly in their wild-eyed thrusts for
liberty, and these were allowed to
get away. Gaunt, weak cattle lagged
back, unable to keep up even under
the snapping rope ends of the tail
riders; they also were allowed to
drop out. promptly forgotten. Yet,
in that first day, the side rider»
swept in enough north-roaming cat
tle to more than make up the loss.
Roper went with the herd as fai
as Circle Horse Creek; but when
they had forded the shallows, crash
ing through the rotten ice, he turned i
back. With him he took four men I
who he believed would do what he
said. The cattle were moving more
slowly now,
plodding doggedly
through the heavy going; Tex Long
and the remaining eight men could
hold them to their way. What was
needed now was work of a different
kind, and Roper thought he knew
how that was to be done.
It was his intention to fight a rear
guard action—not only for this first
herd, which would be delivered with
in the week to the Indians who would
spirit it away, but for the protec
tion of all the rest of the wild bunch
raiding to westward.
But now as he neared the head oi
the Little Dry, a rider came drop
ping down a long slope upon a racing
horse. His carbine was held above
his ragged sombrero in sign of
peace; and as he came near they
saw that it was Hat Crick Tommy.
Roper jumped his horse out to
meet Hat Crick. "What is it? Is
there any word? Did she—”
Tommy's face was haggard with
fatigue. "She’s gone!” he jerked
out. “She’s been to Miles City—and
now she's gone!”
"Gone? Gone where?”
"Nobody knows. She’s missing-
disappeared—strayed or lost or rus
tled, I don't know which! Her fa
ther’s wild crazy, and every K-G
outfit in the north is combing the
trails—”
Roper sat staring for a full hall
minute. Then his hands fumbled
for his reata, shook out the loop.
“Turn that roan pony! I’ve got to
have a fresh horse ...”
(TO BE CONTINUED)
Easy to Make the Fin-On Way.
’A PICNICKING WE WILL GO . .
(See Recipes Below)
IT’S PICNIC TIME!
THIS WEEK'S MENU
The soft, sunny days of late May
and early June tempt even Uie most
conscientious to turn their barks on
work, and, since "the only way to
get rid of a temptation Is to yield to
it,” a picnic is the answer!
One reason for the nation-wide
popularity of picnics is that they're
easy on the lady
of the house . . .
sliced
tomatoes
and green onions
for salad . . .
corn - on - the -
cob, if a vegeta
ble
is
wanted
("roasting ears"
may be cooked in
hot coals, allowing 20 minutes to a
half hour for the best flavor) . . .
taste-tempting cheeseburgers . . .
lemonade, milk or coffee, or all
three . . . and dessert—it’s as
simple as that!
No dishes to wash afterward . . .
no table linen for the laundry bag
... in fact, it's almost a case of
“no work and all play!"
For that "something hot” which is
a picnic "must." I suggest plump,
juicy cheeseburgers. If you're pic
nicking in the woods, your array of
'burgers probably won't look like
the above picture, but they’ll no
doubt taste the same. If you are
Mitcrtaining the family or guests at
a "back yard" supper, you can serve
a large tray of cheeseburgers with
assorted relishes, shoe-string pota
toes, and tall glasses of milk or iced
tea—they’ll love the combination!
•Cheeseburgers With Piquant Sauce.
2 pounds ground beef
*6 cup milk
1 teaspoon salt
Dash pepper
Ys pound American cheese
Ye pound butter
8 buttered buns
Mix ground beef with milk, salt
and pepper. Form 8 patties of meat
about 3 inches in diameter. Cut 8
slices of cheese slightly smaller than
size of meat patties. Melt butter in
skillet and fry patties slowly for
about 10 to 15 minutes, turning sev
eral times during the cooking pe
riod. Place on buttered toasted
buns, spread with piquant sauce and
top with a slice of cheese. (If pre
pared indoors, place under broiler
flame until cheese begins to melt).
Serves 8.
Piquant Sauce.
H cup chili sauce
Ys cup pickle relish
1 tablespoon prepared mustard, or
1 tablespoon horseradish
Mix all ingredients together well.
If a more highly seasoned sauce is
preferred, a teaspoon of Worcester
shire sauce may be added.
Or you may want to try fried eggs
and hamburger, sandwich style.
Cook hamburgers, set aside to keep
hot. Fry eggs in same skillet, and
serve eggs atop the hamburgers.
LYNN SAYS:
When hamburgers are included
in the picnic menu, form the pat
ties of ground meat, mixed with
minced onion and seasoning, be
fore you leave home. Place be
tween waxed paper, and they’re
ready to cook when the fire is
ready.
Hash goes upstage when it Is
used as a bun filler. Scoop out
rolls, (leftover or fresh) butter
insides and pile full of savory
cooked hash.
Brush top with
melted butter or gravy and bake
15 minutes in moderate oven.
Ideal for out-of-door suppers.
To "dress-up” your picnic bill-
of-fare, there are colorful oilcloth
and/or paper tablecloths and nap
kins. You can find them designed
to carry out nearly any theme
you so desire. And, as an added
tip, In case you’re planning to
spread an oilcloth covering on
the ground, attach it to a pair of
old curtain rollers. They’ll pre
vent even the strongest wind from
blowing it away!
Good news for picnic lovers
are the new “lunch” kits. In them
you’ll find two one-quart vacuum
bottles, plus a metal lunch box.
The bottles carry their own cups,
nested within their screw tops.
The nicest thing, however, is the
leg which converts the inside lid
into a table.
Bonfire Banquet
•Cheeseburgers With Piquant
Sauce
Sliced Tomatoes and Green
Onions
Raw Carrots
Potatoes or Green Corn, Roasted
over Hot Coals
Cup Cakes, Pie (not juicy,
please) or Fruit
Coffee or Milk in a Thermos, or
Lemonado
•Recipe given.
lovely that •'Impossible"
H OW
old sofa becomes when you
put n bright new slip cover on ill
And you cun easily mukc, your
self, the smartest of slip covers,
see
Exact details of cutting and sewing thia
slip cover arc described and diagrammed
In our 32 page booklet. Also tells how to
cover and trim different types of chairs.
Tips on fabrics, colors. Send tor your
copy to:
header home service
11? Minna »L
San Fraaelsco, CalU
Enclose 10 cents In coin tor your copy
of HOW TO MAKE S1JP COVERS.
Here are more let’s-have-a-plcnlc
suggestions:
Cale Slaw.
(To Make "On Location”)
3 cups finely shredded cabbage
H cup mayonnaise
3 tablespoons french dressing
2 tablespoons thick cream
Mix the mayonnaise, french dress
ing and cream together and mix Into
the cabbage just before serving.
Add more salt if necessary.
Old-Fashioned Potato Salad.
4 cups diced, boiled potatoes
3 hard-cooked eggs, chopped
t« cup finely minced sweet pickle
2 to 4 tablespoons minced onion
Y* cup pimiento, chopped
Salt, pepper and celery salt
1 cup cooked salad dressing
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
Mix all ingredients together light-
ly. Let stand, chilling, for at least
1 hour. If desired,
the onion and po
tato may be mar
inated over night
In french dress
ing before being
mixed with other
Ingredients.
Variations: Meats, such as diced
tongue, ham or frankfurters may be
added to the standard recipe, and
seasonings of chives and green pep
per may be included.
Marshmallow-Graham Cracker
Dessert Sandwich.
For each person, allow
milk
chocolate candy bar. 2 graham
crackers and 2 marshmallows. Toast
marshmallows, then place them on
the chocolate candy that is on one
graham cracker.
Put the second
graham cracker on top and it Is
ready to eat. The marshmallows
should be hot and soft.
While your picnic group may be
addicted to frankfurters In their own
sweet, natural style, you might like
to try a new trick. Split the large
frankfurters down their middles,
spread with rich, brown prepared
mustard, fill with chopped sweet
pickle and turn them over to the
“cooking department” to broil.
They'll prove over so popular!
Here's a good one to cook In a
kettle: put in one potato for each
person, and cover with water. When
potatoes are almost tender, add
frankfurters (enough for everybody)
and heat thoroughly. With buttered
buns, ketchup, and perhaps some
fresh fruit for dessert, you have a
simple and extremely tasty picnic
meal.
• • •
If it’s ice cream you’re planning
for dessert. I'd suggest you use an
ice cream freez
er (little son can
do the grinding
before “starting”
time), or pack re
frigerator - made
ice cream in dry
Ice. Here's a rec
ipe for a favorite
that should please everyone.
Chocolate Ice Cream.
1 square unsweetened chocolate
Y> cup sweetened condensed milk
% cup water
>/2 teaspoon powdered mace
Mt cup whipping cream
Melt chocolate in top of double
boiler. Add sweetened condensed
milk and stir over boiling water for
five minutes until mixture thickens.
Add water and mix well. Chill thor
oughly. Add mace. Whip cream to
custard-like consistency and fold
into chilled mixture.
Pour Into
freezing pan. Place in freezing unit
of refrigerator.
After mixture is
about half frozen, remove from re
frigerator.
Scrape mixture from
sides and bottom of pan. Beat until
smooth, but not until melted
Smooth out and replace in freezing
unit until
frozen for
serving
Serves 6.
(Released by Western Newspaper Union.)
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22 41
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