Her Prairie Knight

  CHAPTER 9. What It Meant to Keith.

  "Dick, I wish you'd tell me about this leasing business. There arepoints which I don't understand." Beatrice leaned over and smoothedRex's sleek shoulder with her hand.

  "What do you want to understand it for? The thing is done now. We've gotthe fence-posts strung, and a crew hired to set them."

  "You needn't snap your words like that, Dick. It doesn't matter--only Iwas wondering why Mr. Cameron acted so queer yesterday when I told himabout it."

  "You told Keith? What did he say?"

  "He didn't say anything. He just looked things."

  "Where did you see him?" Dick wanted to know.

  "Well, dear me! I don't see that it matters where I saw him. You'regetting as inquisitive as mama. If you think it concerns you, why, I methim accidentally when I was fishing with Dorman. He was coming to seeyou, but you were gone, so he stopped and talked for a few minutes. Wasthere anything so strange about that? And I told him you were leasingthe Pine Ridge country, and he looked--well, peculiar. But he wouldn'tsay anything."

  "Well, he had good reason for looking peculiar. But you needn't havetold him I did it, Trix. Lay that at milord's door, where it belongs. Idon't want Keith to blame me."

  "But why should he blame anybody? It isn't his land, is it?"

  "No, it isn't. But--you see, Trix, it's this way: A man goes somewhereand buys a ranch--or locates on a claim--and starts into the cattlebusiness. He may not own more than a few hundred acres of land, but ifhe has much stock he needs miles of prairie country, with water, forthem to range on. It's an absolute necessity, you see. He takes care tolocate where there is plenty of public land that is free to anybody'scattle.

  "Take the Pool outfit, for instance. We don't own land enough to feedone-third of our cattle. We depend on government land for range forthem. The Cross outfit is the same, only Keith's is on a smaller scale.He's got to have range outside his own land, which is mostly hay land.This part of the State is getting pretty well settled up with smallranchers, and then the sheep men keep crowding in wherever they can geta show--and sheep will starve cattle to death; they leave a range asbare as a prairie-dog town. So there's only one good bit of range leftaround here, and that's the Pine Ridge country, as it's called. That'sour main dependence for winter range; and now when this drought hasstruck us, and everything is drying up, we've had to turn all our cattledown there on account of water.

  "Ever since I took charge of the Pool, Keith and I threw in together andused the same range, worked our crews together, and fought the sheepmentogether. There was a time when they tried to gobble the Pine Ridgerange, but it didn't go. Keith and I made up our minds that we needed itworse than they did--and we got it. Our punchers had every sheep herderbluffed out till there wasn't a mutton-chewer could keep a bunch ofsheep on that range over-night.

  "Now, this lease law was made by stockmen, for stockmen. They can leaseland from the government, fence it--and they've got a cinch on it aslong as the lease lasts. A cow outfit can corral a heap of range thatway. There's the trick of leasing every other section or so, and thenrunning a fence around the whole chunk; and that's what the Pool hasdone to the Pine Ridge. But you mustn't repeat that, Trix.

  "Milord wasn't long getting on to the leasing graft; in fact, it turnsout the company got wind of it over in England, and sent him over hereto see what could be done in that line. He's done it, all right enough!

  "And there's the Cross outfit, frozen out completely. The Lord onlyknows what Keith will do with his cattle now, for we'll have every dropof water under fence inside of a month. He's in a hole, for sure. Iexpect he feels pretty sore with me, too, but I couldn't help it. Iexplained how it was to milord, but--you can't persuade an Englishman,any more than you can a--"

  "I think," put in Beatrice firmly, "Sir Redmond did quite right. Itisn't his fault that Mr. Cameron owns more cattle than he can feed.If he was sent over here to lease the land, it was his duty to do so.Still, I really am sorry for Mr. Cameron."

  "Keith won't sit down and take his medicine if he can help it," Dicksaid moodily. "He could sell out, but I don't believe he will. He's moreapt to fight."

  "I can't see how fighting will help him," Beatrice returned spiritedly.

  "Well, there's one thing," retorted Dick. "If milord wants that fence tostand he'd better stay and watch it. I'll bet money he won't more thanstrike Liverpool till about forty miles, more or less, of Pool fencewill need repairs mighty bad--which it won't get, so far as I'mconcerned."

  "Do you mean that Keith Cameron would destroy our fencing?"

  Dick grinned. "He'll be a fool if he don't, Trix. You can tell milordhe'd better send for all his traps, and camp right here till that leaseruns out. My punchers will have something to do beside ride fence."

  "I shall certainly tell Sir Redmond," Beatrice threatened. "You andMr. Cameron hate him just because he's English. You won't see what asplendid fellow he is. It's your duty to stand by him in this business,instead of taking sides with Keith Cameron. Why didn't he lease thatland himself, if he wanted to?"

  "Because he plays fair."

  "Meaning, I suppose, that Sir Redmond doesn't. I didn't think you wouldbe so unjust. Sir Redmond is a perfect gentleman."

  "Well, you've got a chance to marry your 'perfect gentleman," Dickretorted, savagely. "It's a wonder you don't take him if you think sohighly of him."

  "I probably shall. At any rate, he isn't a male flirt."

  "You don't seem to fancy a fellow that can give you as good as yousend," Dick rejoined. "I thought you wouldn't find Keith such easy game,even if he does live on a cattle ranch. You can't rope him into making afool of himself for your amusement, and I'm glad of it."

  "Don't do your shouting too soon. If you could overhear some of thethings he says you wouldn't be so sure--"

  "I suppose you take them all for their face value," grinned Dickironically.

  "No, I don't! I'm not a simple country girl, let me remind you. Sinceyou are so sure of him, I'll have the pleasure of saying, 'No, thankyou, sir,' to your Keith Cameron--just to convince you I can."

  "Oh, you will! Well, you just tell me when you do, Trix, and I'll giveyou your pick of all the saddle horses on the ranch."

  "I'll take Rex, and you may as well consider him mine. Oh, you men!A few smiles, judiciously dispensed, and--" Beatrice smiled mostexasperatingly at her brother, and Dick went moody and was very poorcompany the rest of the way home.