The Flying U's Last Stand by B. M. Bower (ebook reader with highlighter TXT) 📕

“Say, it'd be just as easy to swear as to say 'you' in that tone uh voice,” Andy pointed out placidly.

“You managed to gobble up just exactly four thousand acres of this tract—and you were careful to get all the water and all the best land. That means you have knocked us out of fifty settlements—”

“Fifty wads of coin to hand back to fifty come-ons, and fifty return tickets for fifty fellows glad to get back—tough luck, ain't it?” Andy smiled sympathetically. “You oughta be glad I saved your conscience that much of a load, anyway.”

Florence Grace Hallman bit her lip to control her rage. “Smart talk isn't going to help you, Mr. Green. You've simply placed yourself in a position you can't' hold. You've put it up to us to fight—and we're going to do it. I'm playing fair with you. I'll tell you this much: I've investigated you and your friends pretty thoroughly, and it's easy to guess what your object is. We rather expected the Flying U to fight this colonization scheme, so we are neither surprised nor unprepared. Mr. Green, for your own interest and that of your employer, let me advise you to abandon your claims now, before we begin action in the matter. It will be simpler, and far, far cheaper. We have our clients to look after, and we have the law all on our side. These are bona fide settlers we are bringing in; men and women whose sole object is to make homes for themselves. The land laws are pretty strict, Mr. Green. If we set the wheels in motion they will break the Flying U.”

Andy grinned while he inspected his cigarette. “Funny—I heard a man brag once about how he'd break the Flying U, with sheep,” he drawled. “He didn't connect, though; the Flying U broke him.” He smoked until he saw an angry retort parting the red lips of the lady, and then continued calmly:

“The Flying U has got nothing to do with this case. As a matter of fact, old man Whitmore is pretty sore at us fellows right now, because we quit him and turned nesters right under his nose. Miss Hallman, you'll have one sweet time proving that we ain't bona fide settlers. We're just crazy to make homes for ourselves. We think it's time we settled down—and we're settling here because we're used to this country. We're real sorry you didn't find it necessary to pay your folks for the fun of pointing out the land to us and steering us to the land office—but we can't help that. We needed the money to buy plows.” He looked at her full with his honest, gray eyes that could so deceive his fellow men—to say nothing of women. “And that reminds me, I've got to go and borrow a garden rake. I'm planting a patch of onions,” he explained engagingly. “Say, this farming is a great game, isn't it? Well, good day, Miss Hallman. Glad I happened to meet you.”

“You won't be when I get through with you!” predicted the lady with her firm chin thrust a little forward. “You think you've got everything your own way, don't you? Well, you've just simply put yourself in a position where we can get at you. You deceived me from the very start—and now you shall pay the penalty. I've got our clients to protect—and besides that I shall dearly love to get even. Oh, you'll squeal for mercy, believe me!” She touched up the horses with her whip and went bumping away over the tough sod.

“Wow!” ejaculated Andy, looking after her with laughter in his eyes. “She's sure one mad lady, all right. But shucks!” He turned and galloped off toward the farthest claim, which was Happy Jack's and the last one to be furnished with a lawful habitation.

He was lucky. The Happy Family were foregathered there, wrangling with Happy Jack over some trifling thing. He joined zealously in the argument and helped them thrash Happy Jack in the word-war, before he came at his errand.

“Say, boys, we'll have to get busy now,” he told them seriously at last. “Florence Grace is onto us bigger'n a wolf—and if I'm any judge, that lady's going to be some fighter. We've either got to plow up a bunch of ground and plant some darn thing, or else get stock on and pasture it. They ain't going to over look any bets from now on. I met her back here on the bench. She was so mad she talked too much and I got next to their scheme—seems like we've knocked the Syndicate outa quite a bunch of money, all right. They want this land, and they think they're going to get it.

“Now my idea is this: We've got to have stock, or we can't graze the land. And if we take Flying U cattle and throw 'em on here, they'll contest us for taking fake claims, for the outfit. So what's the matter with us buying a bunch from the Old Man?”

“I'm broke,” began Pink promptly, but Andy stopped him.

“Listen here. We buy a bunch of stock and give him mortgages for the money, with the cattle for security. We graze 'em till the mortgage runs out—till we prove up, that means—and then we don't spot up, and the Old Man takes the stock back, see? We're grazing our own stock, according to law—but the outfit—”

“Where do we git off at?” demanded Happy Jack suspiciously. “We got to live—and it takes money to buy grub, these days.”

“Well, we'll make out all right. We can have so many head of cattle named for the mortgage; there'll be increase, and we should get that. By the time we all prove up we'll have a little bunch of stock of our own' d' uh see? And we'll have the range—what there is left. These squatters ain't going to last over winter, if you ask me. And it'll be a long, cold day when another bunch of greenhorns bites on any colony scheme.”

“How do you know the Old Man'll do that, though?” Weary wanted to know. “He's pretty mad. I rode over to the ranch last week to see Chip, and the Old Man wouldn't have anything to say to me.”

“Well, what's the matter with all of us going? He can't pass up the whole bunch. We can put it up to him just the way it is, and he'll see where it's going to be to his interest to let us have the cattle. Why, darn it, he can't help seeing now why we quit!” Pink looked ready to start then, while his enthusiasm was fresh.

“Neither can Florence Grace help seeing why we did it,” Andy supplemented dryly. “She can think what she darn pleases—all we got to do is deliver the goods right up to the handle, on these claims and not let her prove anything on us.”

“It'll take a lot uh fencing,” Happy Jack croaked pessimistically. “We ain't got the money to buy wire and posts, ner the time to build the fence.”

“What's the matter with rang-herding 'em?” Andy seemed to have thought it all out, and to have an answer for every objection. “We can take turns at that—and we must all be careful and don't let 'em graze on our neighbors!”

Whereat the Happy Family grinned understandingly.

“Maybe the Old Man'll let us have three or four hundred head uh cows on shares,” Cal hazarded optimistically.

“Can't take 'em that way,” said the Native Son languidly. “It