The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Cow Puncher, by Robert J. C. Stead

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Title: The Cow Puncher

Author: Robert J. C. Stead

Release Date: September 4, 2006 [EBook #19173]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE COW PUNCHER ***

Produced by Al Haines

[Frontispiece: The Cow Puncher]

The Cow Puncher

By

ROBERT J. C. STEAD

Author of "The Homesteaders," "Kitchener and Other Poems," "The Bail
Jumper," "Songs of the Prairie," "Prairie Born," "The Empire Builders,"
etc.

TORONTO

THE MUSSON BOOK COMPANY

LIMITED

Copyright Canada, 1918

THE MUSSON BOOK CO., LIMITED

Publishers -------- TORONTO

CONTENTS

CHAPTER I
CHAPTER II
CHAPTER III
CHAPTER IV
CHAPTER V
CHAPTER VI
CHAPTER VII
CHAPTER VIII
CHAPTER IX
CHAPTER X
CHAPTER XI
CHAPTER XII
CHAPTER XIII
CHAPTER XIV
CHAPTER XV
CHAPTER XVI
CHAPTER XVII
CHAPTER XVIII
CHAPTER XIX
CHAPTER XX
CHAPTER XXI
CHAPTER XXII

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

The Cow Puncher . . . . . . _Frontispiece_

These long rides afforded her many side-lights on the remarkable nature
of her escort.

"You aren't talking to-day . . . what's wrong?"

"There is only one answer, Dave. Because I love you."

THE COW PUNCHER

CHAPTER ONE

The shadows of the spruce trees fell north-eastward, pointing long,
cool fingers across belts of undulating prairie, or leaning lazily
against the brown foothills. Like an incandescent globe the afternoon
sun hung in the bowl of a cloudless heaven, filmy with heat, but the
hot rays were met by the high altitude of the ranch country and lost
their force like a blow half struck. And among the spruce trees it was
cool and green, and clear blue water rippled over beds of shining
gravel.

The ranch buildings lay a little to the rear, as though the trees stood
sentinel between them and the prairies. The house was of round
straight logs; the shingles of the squat roof were cupped and blistered
with the suns of many summers. Refuse loitered about the open door;
many empty tins; a leaky barrel, with missing hoop