can see how us big cattlemen will profit by it."
"Yes, that's easy."
"Wal, the little cattlemen will have to stop stealin'."
"If there's no more to it, you're absolutely right. But won't you close the range or fence off part of it from them?"
"In some sense, yes. But only those draws an' canyons I told you about.
There's shore water an' grass enough in them for ten times the stock they own. Any one of them will admit that. These honest ranchers will just stop appropriatin' calves they're not shore they own."
"The really honest fellows do that now?" queried Jim, in surprise.
"Shore they do, an' don't hardly think they're stealin'."
"An' the other kind?"
"Wal, we'll put them up a stump. Some of them will see the handwritin' on the wall an' quit. An' others will cut our fence an' go right ahead stealin'. That's where our trouble will come in. Mebbe we can stop it in a few years, mebbe not. Some of the ranchers here think it'll start a long, hard fight. An' that's why they're leavin' it to me."
"Wal, Uncle, what do you think it will lead to?"
"Nothin' much compared to what I've been through. But I reckon some fence-cuttin' an' hard ridin' an' shootin' will seem a whole lot to you.
Ha! Ha!"
"It's not very funny," said Jim, soberly.
"Wal, son, your face was. Don't let my Diamond outfit see you look like that."
"I'm to hide my feelings from them?" queried Jim.
"Nope. You're not to have any, except gettin' mad, an' when you do that you want to let them see it damn pronto."
"Oh!... Uncle, I can see this is going to be a lovely easy job."
"Wal, it'd shore pleases me if you'd find it that... Jim, I'm puttin' a lot on you. An' I reckon in a way it's selfish."
"No. Nothing of the kind," replied Jim, hastily. "I believe implicitly in you, Uncle Jim. I'll make your ideals and motives mine... Otherwise, I'm scared stiff, but I believe I like the tough job you've given me--if I can only make a go of it!"
"Wal, the best encouragement I can give you is that I like the way you face it," returned Traft. "Shore it's more than I expected, first off."
"Thanks, Uncle. That'll help a lot," declared Jim, feelingly. "I'd like some advice, too."
"Wal, I never was much on givin' advice. Nobody ever follows it."
"I'd try. But at least you can tell me what you'd do, if you had all your knowledge of the range, yet were only my age."
"Haw! Haw! That's a stumper. Jim, I reckon I'm goin' to like you, outside of blood relationship. What'd I do? Wal, let's see... First off I'd go to town an' buy the best cowboy outfit I could get, an' that means saddle, bridle, spurs, chaps, sombrero, gun, boots, an' so on. That would be for special occasions. Then I'd wear most the time just plain overalls. I'd pack the gun an' begin to learn to shoot it. I'd have a little straight talk with the boys who was to work under me an' I'd let them know I was to be boss. I'd always do my share of any an' all kinds of work. I'd show a disposition not to give any boy a job I wouldn't try to tackle myself.
I wouldn't be too nice to take a drink, on occasions where it might be wise, but I'd leave drink alone. Also--an' I hardly need to tell you this--I'd leave the town slatterns alone. I'd lend my money free, but never my hors or saddle or spurs. I'd always stand the brunt of any trouble directed against my outfit. That'll be hard, for you'll find each an' every one of your cowboys keen to do that same thing. Last, an' I reckon most particular an' hard, I'd stand up under the hell the Westerners will make for a tenderfoot. I'd run the gauntlet. I'd make all the decent fellows like me--an' most of them are decent--an' I'd make the others respect me."
Jim had the good humour and the nerve to laugh in his uncle's face.
"Ha! Ha! Ha! Is that all, Uncle? I thought you were going to give me something hard."
"Wal," declared Traft, gruffly, with a dubious look at his nephew, "I was a-goin' to add somethin' that I never could do myself."
"And what is that?" asked Jim,
"Yes, that's easy."
"Wal, the little cattlemen will have to stop stealin'."
"If there's no more to it, you're absolutely right. But won't you close the range or fence off part of it from them?"
"In some sense, yes. But only those draws an' canyons I told you about.
There's shore water an' grass enough in them for ten times the stock they own. Any one of them will admit that. These honest ranchers will just stop appropriatin' calves they're not shore they own."
"The really honest fellows do that now?" queried Jim, in surprise.
"Shore they do, an' don't hardly think they're stealin'."
"An' the other kind?"
"Wal, we'll put them up a stump. Some of them will see the handwritin' on the wall an' quit. An' others will cut our fence an' go right ahead stealin'. That's where our trouble will come in. Mebbe we can stop it in a few years, mebbe not. Some of the ranchers here think it'll start a long, hard fight. An' that's why they're leavin' it to me."
"Wal, Uncle, what do you think it will lead to?"
"Nothin' much compared to what I've been through. But I reckon some fence-cuttin' an' hard ridin' an' shootin' will seem a whole lot to you.
Ha! Ha!"
"It's not very funny," said Jim, soberly.
"Wal, son, your face was. Don't let my Diamond outfit see you look like that."
"I'm to hide my feelings from them?" queried Jim.
"Nope. You're not to have any, except gettin' mad, an' when you do that you want to let them see it damn pronto."
"Oh!... Uncle, I can see this is going to be a lovely easy job."
"Wal, it'd shore pleases me if you'd find it that... Jim, I'm puttin' a lot on you. An' I reckon in a way it's selfish."
"No. Nothing of the kind," replied Jim, hastily. "I believe implicitly in you, Uncle Jim. I'll make your ideals and motives mine... Otherwise, I'm scared stiff, but I believe I like the tough job you've given me--if I can only make a go of it!"
"Wal, the best encouragement I can give you is that I like the way you face it," returned Traft. "Shore it's more than I expected, first off."
"Thanks, Uncle. That'll help a lot," declared Jim, feelingly. "I'd like some advice, too."
"Wal, I never was much on givin' advice. Nobody ever follows it."
"I'd try. But at least you can tell me what you'd do, if you had all your knowledge of the range, yet were only my age."
"Haw! Haw! That's a stumper. Jim, I reckon I'm goin' to like you, outside of blood relationship. What'd I do? Wal, let's see... First off I'd go to town an' buy the best cowboy outfit I could get, an' that means saddle, bridle, spurs, chaps, sombrero, gun, boots, an' so on. That would be for special occasions. Then I'd wear most the time just plain overalls. I'd pack the gun an' begin to learn to shoot it. I'd have a little straight talk with the boys who was to work under me an' I'd let them know I was to be boss. I'd always do my share of any an' all kinds of work. I'd show a disposition not to give any boy a job I wouldn't try to tackle myself.
I wouldn't be too nice to take a drink, on occasions where it might be wise, but I'd leave drink alone. Also--an' I hardly need to tell you this--I'd leave the town slatterns alone. I'd lend my money free, but never my hors or saddle or spurs. I'd always stand the brunt of any trouble directed against my outfit. That'll be hard, for you'll find each an' every one of your cowboys keen to do that same thing. Last, an' I reckon most particular an' hard, I'd stand up under the hell the Westerners will make for a tenderfoot. I'd run the gauntlet. I'd make all the decent fellows like me--an' most of them are decent--an' I'd make the others respect me."
Jim had the good humour and the nerve to laugh in his uncle's face.
"Ha! Ha! Ha! Is that all, Uncle? I thought you were going to give me something hard."
"Wal," declared Traft, gruffly, with a dubious look at his nephew, "I was a-goin' to add somethin' that I never could do myself."
"And what is that?" asked Jim,
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