Show I 1 THE BOSS HERDERS REVENGE V when it comes to exacting ample revenue for real or fancied injury give m me e t the I 1 I 1 e 0 old 1 d t allme I 1 I 1 n e e cow 0 w man a n a and n d ril 1 i iv show you yo a fellow m who b 0 0 u t f forgive 0 r g I 1 e or forget said LI el howard who nho lor for the last fifteen leara ears has been lore fore man of the L I 1 U D brand in the crow reservation in montana 1 I 1 know one man that paid bald about 1200 for a buttie bottie of whisky simply because be tailed to pay DRY a little bet mabe it want its his fault that bo be make good but just the same he be was held at fault and nd had to foot the bill his name Is paul mccormick and be lives out in billings lie he Is a rich man now said bald to be a a and lie be missed the 1200 in fact up tip to lo the present time lie he know how much lie ho paid for a quart of red eye i this little incident happened about a 9 dozen years ago cattle were cheap the price had dropped with great f pad id denness and mccormick had contracted to purchase head bead of the dick bar brand on eight months delivery by the time tor for the fulfillment of the contract had arrived be lound found himself facing loss on account of 0 the drop in values he ha want the cattle so I 1 have always understood but the owner of the duck dar bar was obdurate and mccormick had to take the steers the were cut out ot of the main herd and swum across the big horn to the cast side tile the river la is very swift at this point as it Is just where it emerges from the mountains under the tumbledown tumble down abode walls of old fort C F smith it was july and the melting snow from the mountains caused the river to run bank bark tul ful mccormick accept the cattle with particular good humor and he take the jokes ot of the duck bar foreman with the gracious spirit that the west demands from the man who gets the worst of a bargain the foreman was a big muscular chap named billy carter now a good citizen but at great falls one day billy was looking across at t micks steers on the other side aide ot of the big horn the cattle swam the river in pret ty good shape paul lie said yes snapped mccormick a good aard deal better than some men I 1 know now could turn the trick are you hinting liln ting around that I 1 could nt swim it asked billy ill cover your pile that ou cant do it replied McCorm mccormick lck theres just forty in my belt that says I 1 can do it both ways said the cowboy well they put up lip the money and billy stripped the water was icy cold for it more than a dozen hours from melting snow and it had a chance e to rise sri in tempel ture to such an extent that it send a chill ahr through ough your system every time you took ai u drink of it moreover the current was like a millrace and was powerful enough to turn tile the ft wheels heels of all new england billy took the plunge amid the cheers ot of the cow punchers from both outfits the instant he hit the water lie he was mas whirled around like a chip and was carried under the surface by the frothing eddies but he be came to the top and struck out again we saw his head bobbing up lip and judging by his pom powerful erful stroke he was good tor for a swim across the atlantic in the W I 1 i W I 1 it I 1 I 1 fa 11 1 III I 1 lk I 1 I 1 40 I 1 11 x I 1 if f I 1 I 1 I 1 I 1 y I 1 are you hinten around r und that tha t I 1 swim it ask asked billy illy winter reason ile he las carried about a mile don doann stream but made the landing where the big horn makes a bend about halt half a mile below the fort ile ho rested tor for about an hour and the heat beat of the july sun aun soon took the chill out ot of his body lie he borrowed some borne clothes from some of 0 calcos men on the other side got a horse and rode about two miles up stream then ho be took to the water again and landed about where he be had bad started tired but buoyed up by the thought that ho be had won his bet mccormick McCormic lc look particularly colfo ratable ove the loss lor for I 1 believe he thought billy would back out of 0 the return swim lie he made a little proposition as ai to the disposal of 0 the money that aliat put it up to billy 00 0 o that he ha get the coin and preserve constand tand his standing in that coni community dally D II 11 Y h he e sa said 1 1 0 ot f course u this aco rabou baay laay m money 0 n C Y I 1 la S yo yours u rs b but u t ahat h d do 0 you say to taking the whole eighty and getting a little stuff tor for the boys T they hey look pretty dry and I 1 dont be believe 1 love this will get any more than they can carry in good shape all right salil said billy count me in 1 ril do it I 1 t J it f you will furnish a lard buckboard bucka 0 an ami t 1 a m man an to go down to the post traders at fort I 1 ort custer caster mccormick agreed to this fort dieter Is down at the mouth ol of the little dig horn about forty miles from rom whore where we acre ere the man lit out with the bucl buckboard board that very evening and ami did not get gel back till the next afternoon he had stopped at micks clicks camp about four our miles below that of 0 the duck bar outfit and when be arrived at the latter place there was waa one bottle ot of ginger ale and a quart bottle ot of whisky lie ha give any explanations as to what had become ot of the rest and he wasat asked tor for any just the same billy carter expressed a little surprise that uia his 80 90 purchased more e 11 I 1 0 adz 5 R Q 21 A V G 0 i r 0 II I 1 11 11 if I 1 14 I 1 I 1 1 I 1 I 1 I 1 I 1 I 1 I 1 I 1 11 IV he came to the top and struck out again whisky for ills his own outfit ho he voiced his astonishment mildly for a cowboy but the borders could tell from the snap ot of his eyes that he be was doing a little thinking too in fact act ho he was as so mild about it that the rest ot of us thought he was going to let the matter drop but he be the slightest intention of 0 passing up the matter lie ile went over the crow reservation the very next day and n bought ht the best swimming horse borse lie he could find there was nothing unusual in such an ac tion and no comment was passed except upon tho the sm brimming imming qualities of 0 the horse that night he brought th the e duck bar cattle down to the wes west t bank of the big horn and bedded them down ln in sight ot of the steers sold to mccormick and then on the other side af pf p the river micks main outfit was as I 1 have said about four our miles below I 1 have said about four our miles below on the east side of the big horn but the cattle bought from the duck ducic bar mere aero in charge of halt a dozen men who split up the watches lor for night holding herding duty mccormick was it a rigid disciplinarian and insisted that close watch be kept over its his cattle for ath although there h nt so much danger of 0 a stampede there was always fear ear of cattle thieves but I 1 dont think any of the men on night her herd d had any fears from the other side of the big horn but that is 13 just where they were mistaken for two nights billy carter made two trips a night across the river he stealthily cut out live or six head at a time and swam them to the other side it m vas as a risky piece of business lie ile knew MO micks men were wera MO men were wera watchful and it if lie he was discovered it meant a whole lot of 0 trouble for or him but by the time be had bad made four trips twenty three bead ut of steers were back with their old comrades in the duck bar and mccormick mccormack McCorm lck was more than a thousand dollars out the count ali bad been con made and of course it m made over the vent brands been put on the cattle and no one could prove that there had been any rustling mccormack McCorm lck moved alie herd on la in a few days aud and so far as I 1 know he never discovered that his bunch was short abort things were done on such an extensive scale scala in those days daya that a few head in or out make so go much difference the duck dor bar outfit bent a lot ot of cattle to kansas city that tall fall and I 1 Lapp happened ened to be there when they arrived I 1 noticed tome some three cearold steers among them ill 1 I thought you had bold all your three to mccormick McCorm lck I 1 bald so we old did said billy with a smile but there Is one carload ot of them in this bunch and that Is just what mccormick McCorm lck had bad to pay for that bottle of whisky lie sent us its I 1 latt last julai july I 1 think this outfit can afford another drink on oil him come unit and join us now new yolk press |