uncil
chamber where the "Fierbund" held an important session.

"I didn't think there was so much interest being taken," began Arab
Ab, "until my attention was called to it yesterday by the president
and secretary of our company in Kansas City. I want to tell you that
the cattle interests in that city are aroused. Why, our secretary
showed me the figures from his books; and in the 'Tin Cup' brand
alone we shipped out three hundred and twelve beeves short, out of
twenty-nine hundred and ninety-six bought two years ago. My employers,
Mr. Seigerman, are practical cowmen, and they know that those steers
never left the range without help. Nothing but lead or Texas fever can
kill a beef. We haven't had a case of fever on our range for years,
nor a winter in five years that would kill an old cow. Why, our
president told me if something wasn't done they would have to abandon
this country and go where they could get protection. His final orders
were to do what I could to get an eligible man as a candidate, which,
I'm glad to hear from my friends here, we have hopes of doing. Then
when the election comes off, we must drop everything and get every man
to claim a residence in this county and vote him here. I'll admit that
I'm no good as a wire-puller, but when it comes to getting out the
voters, there's where you will find me as solid as a bridge abutment.

"Why, Mr. Seigerman, when I was skinning mules for Creech & Lee,
contractors on the Rock Island, one fall, they gave me my orders,
which was to get every man on the works ready to ballot. I lined them
up and voted them like running cattle through a branding-chute to put
on a tally-mark or vent a brand. There were a hundred and seventy-five
of those dagoes from the rock-cut; I handled them like dipping sheep
for the scab. My friends here can tell you how I managed voting the
bonds at a little town east of here. I had my orders from the same
people I'm working for now, to get out the cow-puncher element in the
Strip for the bonds. The bosses simply told me that what they wanted
was a competing line of railroad. And as they didn't expect to pay the
obligations, only authorize them,--the next generation could attend to
the paying of them,--we got out a full vote. Well, we ran in from
four to five hundred men from the Strip, and out of over seven hundred
ballots cast, only one against the bonds. We hunted the town all over
to find the man that voted against us; we wanted to hang him!