man to help
him get it. He had been all over the country when it was part of the
range, and had picked out a spot on Big Turkey Creek, ten miles south
of the Strip line. It gradually passed from one to another of us what
Jack wanted. At first we felt blue about it, but Miller, who could
see farther than the rest of us, dispelled the gloom by announcing at
dinner, "Jack is going to take a claim if this outfit has a horse in
it and a man to ride him. It is only a question of a year or two at
the farthest until the rest of us will be guiding a white mule between
two corn rows, and glad of the chance. If Jack goes now, he will have
just that many years the start of the rest of us."

We nerved ourselves and tried to appear jolly after this talk of the
foreman. We entered into quite a discussion as to which horse would be
the best to make the ride with. The ranch had several specially good
saddle animals. In chasing gray wolves in the winter those qualities
of endurance which long races developed in hunting these enemies of
cattle, pointed out a certain coyote-colored horse, whose color marks
and "Dead Tree" brand indicated that he was of Spanish extraction.
Intelligently ridden with a light rider he was First Choice on which
to make this run. That was finally agreed to by all. There was no
trouble selecting the rider for this horse with the zebra marks. The
lightest weight was Billy Edwards. This qualification gave him the
preference over us all.

Jack described the spot he desired to claim by an old branding-pen
which had been built there when it had been part of the range. Billy
had ironed up many a calf in those same pens himself. "Well, Jack,"
said Billy, "if this outfit don't put you on the best quarter section
around that old corral, you'll know that they have throwed off on
you."

It was two weeks before the opening day. The coyote horse was given
special care from this time forward. He feasted on corn, while others
had to be content with grass. In spite of all the bravado that was
being thrown into these preparations, there was noticeable a deep
undercurrent of regret. Jack was going from us. Every one wanted him
to go, still these dissolving ties moved the simple men to acts of
boyish kindness. Each tried to outdo the others, in the matter of a
parting present to Jack. He could have robbed us then. It was as bad
as a funeral. Once before we felt similarly when one of the boys died
at camp. It was like an only si