ster leaving the family circle.

Miller seemed to enjoy the discomfiture of the rest of us. This
creedless old Christian had fine strata in his make-up. He and Jack
planned continually for the future. In fact they didn't live in the
present like the rest of us. Two days before the opening, we loaded
up a wagon with Jack's effects. Every man but the newly installed cook
went along. It was too early in the spring for work to commence. We
all dubbed Jack a boomer from this time forward. The horse so much
depended on was led behind the wagon.

On the border we found a motley crowd of people. Soldiers had gathered
them into camps along the line to prevent "sooners" from entering
before the appointed time. We stopped in a camp directly north of the
claim our little boomer wanted. One thing was certain, it would take a
better horse than ours to win the claim away from us. No sooner could
take it. That and other things were what all of us were going along
for.

The next day when the word was given that made the land public domain,
Billy was in line on the coyote. He held his place to the front with
the best of them. After the first few miles, the others followed the
valley of Turkey Creek, but he maintained his course like wild fowl,
skirting the timber which covered the first range of hills back from
the creek. Jack followed with the wagon, while the rest of us rode
leisurely, after the first mile or so. When we saw Edwards bear
straight ahead from the others, we argued that a sooner only could
beat us for the claim. If he tried to out-hold us, it would be six
to one, as we noticed the leaders closely when we slacked up. By not
following the valley, Billy would cut off two miles. Any man who could
ride twelve miles to the coyote's ten with Billy Edwards in the saddle
was welcome to the earth. That was the way we felt. We rode together,
expecting to make the claim three quarters of an hour behind our man.
When near enough to sight it, we could see Billy and another horseman
apparently protesting with one another. A loud yell from one of us
attracted our man's attention. He mounted his horse and rode out and
met us. "Well, fellows, it's the expected that's happened this time,"
said he. "Yes, there's a sooner on it, and he puts up a fine bluff of
having ridden from the line; but he's a liar by the watch, for there
isn't a wet hair on his horse, while the sweat was dripping from the
fetlocks of this one."

"If you are satisfi