ned. My father was breaking with years, yet had a
mental alertness that was remarkable and a commercial instinct that
understood the value of a Texas cow or a section of land scrip. The
younger members of the family gathered from their homes to meet
"Texas" Anthony, and for ten continuous days I did nothing but answer
questions, running from the color of the baby's eyes to why we did not
drive the fifteen thousand cattle in one herd, or how big a section of
country would one thousand certificates of land scrip cover. My visit
was broken by the necessity of conferring with my partners, so,
promising to spend Christmas with my mother, I was excused until that
date.

At the War and Interior departments I made many friends. I understood
cattle so thoroughly that there was no feature of a delivery to the
government that embarrassed me in the least. A list of contracts to be
let from each department was courteously furnished us, but not wishing
to scatter our business too wide, we submitted bids for six Indian
contracts and four for delivery to army posts on the upper Missouri
River. Two of the latter were to be northern wintered cattle, and we
had them on the Medicine River; but we also had a sure market on them,
and it was a matter of indifference whether we secured them or not.
The Indian contracts called for cows, and I was anxious to secure as
many as possible, as it meant a market for the aging she stuff on
my ranch. Heretofore this class had fulfilled their mission in
perpetuating their kind, had lived their day, and the weeds grew
rankly where their remains enriched the soil. The bids would not be
opened until the middle of January, and we should have notice at once
if fortunate in securing any of the awards. The holiday season was
approaching, Major Hunter was expected at home, and the firm separated
for the time being.

CHAPTER XIII

THE CENTENNIAL YEAR

I returned to Texas early in January. Quite a change had come over
the situation since my leaving home the spring before. Except on the
frontier, business was booming in the new towns, while a regular
revolution had taken place within the past month in land values. The
cheapness of wild lands had attracted outside capital, resulting in
a syndicate being formed by Northern capitalists to buy up the
outstanding issue of land scrip. The movement had been handled
cautiously, and had possibly been in active operation for a year or
more, as its methods were