The Flying U Ranch

Home > Other > The Flying U Ranch > Page 13
The Flying U Ranch Page 13

by Bower, B M


  "Say, I got a letter for you, Weary," he yawned, stretching both arms above his head. "I opened it and read it; it was from Chip, so—"

  "What did he have to say?"

  "Old Man any better?"

  "How they comm', back here?"

  Several voices, speaking at once, necessitated a delayed reply.

  "They'll be here, to-day or to-morrow," Pink replied without any circumlocution whatever, while he fumbled in his coat pocket for the letter. "He says the Old Man wants to come, and the doctors think he might as well tackle it as stay there fussing over it. They're coming in a special car, and we've got to rig up an outfit to meet him. The Little Doctor tells just how she wants things fixed. I thought maybe it was important—it come special delivery," Pink added naively, "so I just played it was mine and read it."

  "That's all right, Cadwalloper," Weary assured him while he read hastily the letter. "Well, we'll fix up the spring wagon and take it in right away; somebody's got to go back anyway, with MacPherson. Hello, Cal; how's Happy?"

  "All right," answered Cal, who had watched over him during the night and came in at that moment after someone to take his place in the sickroom. "Waked up on the fight because I just happened to be setting with my eyes shut. I wasn't asleep, but he said I was; claimed I snored so loud I kept him awake all night. Gee whiz! I'd ruther nurse a she bear with the mumps!"

  "Old Man's coming home, Cal." Pink announced with more joy in his tone and in his face than had appeared in either for many a weary day. Whereupon Cal gave an exultant whoop. "Go tell that to Happy," he shouted. "Maybe he'll forget a grouch or two. Say, luck seems to be kinda casting loving glances our way again—what?"

  "By golly, seems to me Pink oughta told us when he come in, las' night," grumbled Slim, when he could make himself heard.

  "You were all dead to the world," Pink defended, "and I wanted to be. Two o'clock in the morning is a mighty poor time for elegant conversation, if you want my opinion."

  "And the main point is, you knew all about it, and you didn't give a darn whether we did or not," Irish said bluntly. "And Weary sneaked in, too, and never let a yip outa him about things over in Denson coulee."

  "Oh, what was the use?" asked Weary blandly. "I got an option out of Oleson for the ranch and outfit, and all his sheep, at a mighty good figure—for the Flying U. The Old Man can do what he likes about it; but ten to one he'll buy him out. That is, Oleson's share, which was two-thirds. I kinda counted on Dunk letting go easy. And," he added, reaching for his hat, "once I got the papers for it, there wasn't anything to hang around for, was there? Especially," he said with his old, sunny smile, "when we weren't urged a whole lot to stay."

  Remained therefore little, save the actual arrival of the Old Man—a pitifully weak Old Man, bandaged and odorous with antiseptics, and quite pathetically glad to be back home—and his recovery, which was rather slow, and the recovery of Happy Jack, which was rapid.

  For a brief space the Flying U outfit owned the Dots; very brief it was; not a day longer than it took Chip to find a buyer—at a figure considerably above that named in the option, by the way.

  So, after a season of worry and trouble and impending tragedy such as no man may face unflinchingly, life dropped back to its usual level, and the trail of the Flying U outfit once more led through pleasant places.

  End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Flying U Ranch, by B. M. Bower

  *** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK FLYING U RANCH ***

  ***** This file should be named 1206-h.htm or 1206-h.zip *****

  This and all associated files of various formats will be found in:

  http://www.gutenberg.org/1/2/0/1206/

  Produced by Anthony Matonak, and David Widger

  Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions

  will be renamed.

  Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no

  one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation

  (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without

  permission and without paying copyright royalties. Special rules,

  set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to

  copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to

  protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark. Project

  Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you

  charge for the eBooks, unless you receive specific permission. If you

  do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the

  rules is very easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose

  such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and

  research. They may be modified and printed and given away--you may do

  practically ANYTHING with public domain eBooks. Redistribution is

  subject to the trademark license, especially commercial

  redistribution.

  *** START: FULL LICENSE ***

  THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE

  PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK

  To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free

  distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work

  (or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project

  Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project

  Gutenberg-tm License (available with this file or online at

  http://gutenberg.org/license).

  Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg-tm

  electronic works

  1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm

  electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to

  and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property

  (trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all

  the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy

  all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your possession.

  If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project

  Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the

  terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or

  entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8.

  1.B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be

  used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who

  agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few

  things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works

  even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See

  paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project

  Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement

  and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm electronic

  works. See paragraph 1.E below.

  1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the Foundation"

  or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project

  Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual works in the

  collection are in the public domain in the United States. If an

  individual work is in the public domain in the United States and you are

  located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from

  copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative

  works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg

  are removed. Of course, we hope that you will support the Project

  Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting free access to electronic works by

  freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm works in
compliance with the terms of

  this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with

  the work. You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by

  keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project

  Gutenberg-tm License when you share it without charge with others.

  1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern

  what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are in

  a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, check

  the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement

  before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or

  creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project

  Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no representations concerning

  the copyright status of any work in any country outside the United

  States.

  1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg:

  1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate

  access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear prominently

  whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work on which the

  phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the phrase "Project

  Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed,

  copied or distributed:

  This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with

  almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or

  re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included

  with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org

  1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is derived

  from the public domain (does not contain a notice indicating that it is

  posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied

  and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees

  or charges. If you are redistributing or providing access to a work

  with the phrase "Project Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the

  work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1

  through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the

  Project Gutenberg-tm trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or

  1.E.9.

  1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted

  with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution

  must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional

  terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms will be linked

  to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works posted with the

  permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work.

  1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm

  License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this

  work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm.

  1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this

  electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without

  prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with

  active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project

  Gutenberg-tm License.

  1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary,

  compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any

  word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access to or

  distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format other than

  "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official version

  posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site (www.gutenberg.org),

  you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a

  copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon

  request, of the work in its original "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other

  form. Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg-tm

  License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1.

  1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying,

  performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works

  unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.

  1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing

  access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works provided

  that

  - You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from

  the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method

  you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is

  owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he

  has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the

  Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments

  must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you

  prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax

  returns. Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and

  sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the

  address specified in Section 4, "Information about donations to

  the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation."

  - You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies

  you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he

  does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm

  License. You must require such a user to return or

  destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium

  and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of

  Project Gutenberg-tm works.

  - You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any

  money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the

  electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days

  of receipt of the work.

  - You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free

  distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works.

  1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg-tm

  electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set

  forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from

  both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and Michael

  Hart, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark. Contact the

  Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below.

  1.F.

  1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable

  effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread

  public domain works in creating the Project Gutenberg-tm

  collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm electronic

  works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain

  "Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or

  corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual

  property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a

  computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by

  your equipment.

  1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right

  of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project

  Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project

  Gutenberg-tm trade
mark, and any other party distributing a Project

  Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all

  liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal

  fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT

  LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE

  PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH F3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE

  TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE

  LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR

  INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH

  DAMAGE.

  1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a

  defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can

  receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a

  written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you

  received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with

  your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you with

  the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a

  refund. If you received the work electronically, the person or entity

  providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to

  receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If the second copy

  is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further

  opportunities to fix the problem.

  1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth

  in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS' WITH NO OTHER

  WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO

  WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTIBILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE.

 

‹ Prev