The Project Gutenberg EBook of Cow-Country, by B. M. Bower

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Title: Cow-Country

Author: B. M. Bower

Posting Date: September 26, 2008 [EBook #1723]
Release Date: April, 1999

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK COW-COUNTRY ***

Produced by Mary Starr

COW-COUNTRY

By B. M. Bower

CHAPTERS:

1. AN AMBITIOUS MAN-CHILD WAS BUDDY
2. THE TRAIL HERD
3. SOME INDIAN LORE
4. BUDDY GIVES WARNING
5. BUDDY RUNS TRUE TO TYPE
6. THE YOUNG EAGLE MUST FLY
7. BUD FLIPS A COIN WITH FATE
8. THE MULESHOE
9. LITTLE LOST
10. BUD MEETS THE WOMAN
11. GUILE AGAINST THE WILY
12. SPORT O' KINGS
13. THE SINKS
14. EVEN MUSHROOMS HELP
15. WHY BUD MISSED A DANCE
16. WHILE THE GOING'S GOOD
17. GUARDIAN ANGELS ARE RIDING "POINT"
18. THE CATROCK GANG
19. BUD RIDES THROUGH CATROCK AND LOSES MARIAN
20. "PICK YOUR FOOTING!"
21. TRAILS END

COW-COUNTRY

CHAPTER ONE: AN AMBITIOUS MAN-CHILD WAS BUDDY

In hot mid afternoon when the acrid, gray dust cloud kicked up by the
listless plodding of eight thousand cloven hoofs formed the only blot on
the hard blue above the Staked Plains, an ox stumbled and fell awkwardly
under his yoke, and refused to scramble up when his negro driver shouted
and prodded him with the end of a willow gad.

"Call your master, Ezra," directed a quiet woman voice gone weary and
toneless with the heat and two restless children. "Don't beat the poor
brute. He can't go any farther and carry the yoke, much less pull the
wagon."

Ezra dropped the gad and stepped upon the wagon tongue where he might
squint into the dust cloud and decide which gray, plodding horseman
alongside the herd was Robert Birnie. Far across the sluggish river of
grimy backs, a horse threw up its head with a peculiar sidelong motion,
and Ezra's eyes lightened with recognition. That was the colt, Rattler,
chafing against the slow pace he must keep. Hands cupped around big,
chocolate-colored lips and big, yellow-white teeth, Ezra whoo-ee-ed the
signal that called the nearest riders to the wagon that held