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ZEN of
the Y. D.
q A Novel of the Foothills
V
By ROBERT STEAD
Author of
"The Cow Puncher “ The
Homesteaders"— “Neighbors.” etc.
Copyright by ROBERT, STEAD t
DRAZK'S great idea •
SYNOPSIS. Transley's hay
cutting outfit, after stacking
2 000 tons, is on Its way to .the
big Y.D. ranch headquarters.
Transley is a master of men and
circumstances. Linder, foreman,
!s substantial, but not self-asser
tive. George Drazk, one of the
men. is an irresponsible chap who
proposes to every woman he
meets. Transley and Linder dine
with Y.D. and his wife and
daughter Zen. Tran'sley resolves
to marry Zen. Y.*D. instructs
Transley to cut the South Y.D..
"spite o’ h —l an’ high water"
and a fellow named Landson.
Drazk proposes to Zen ahd Is
neatly rebuffed. Transley pitches
camp on the South Y.D. and finds
Landson’s outfit cutting hay. Den
nison Grant, Landson’s manager,
notifies Transley that he is work
ing under a lease'froth this legal -
owners and warns Transley off.
All of which means war. Y.D.
and Zen ride to the Soufh Y.D.
Zen is a natural vamp, not yet
halter-broke and ripe for mating
Y.D. has taken a liking to Trans
ley. Zen holds Transley off and
.ncourages Linder. Zeh enjoys*
the prospect of a race between
Transley and Linder for her fa
vor, but secretly laughs at both.
She has another and more serious
encounter with Drazk. Y.D. mow
ing machines are ruined by Iron
nukes set in the grass.
CHAPTER IV—Continued.
— s—
that’s the way of it,” he said.
“That’s the kind of war Mr. Land
son makes. Well, we con fight back
with the same weapons, but that won’t
cut the hay, will it?”
By this time Y.D. and Transley,
with four other teamsters, were ob
served coming in. Each driver had
had the some experience. An iron
stake, carefully hidden in a clump of
glass, had been driven down into the
ground until it was Just high enough
to intercept the cutting-bar. The fine,
sharp knives were crumpled against
it; in some cases the heavy cutting
har, in which the knives operate, was
damaged.
JD.’s face was black with fury.
"Hint’s the lowest, mangyest, cow
ardliest trick I ever had pulled on
me, he was saying. “I’m plumb equal
to r;din’ dowh to Landson’s an’ driv
in one of them stakes through under
his short riba.”
can you prove that Landson
'kd it.'" said Zen, who had an element
of caution in her when her father was
concerned. She had a vision of a fight,
' ith Landson pleading entire ignor
ance of the whole cause of offense,
•md her father probably summoned by
tlie police for unprovoked assault.
X°, •1 1 can’t • prove -thtit Landson
lf an ’ I can’t prove that the grass
m.v steers eat turns to hair on their
acks,” lie retor-ted,.. “but I reacji my
cun conclusions, is there any shoot
irons in the place?"
Now, Dad, that’s enough," said the
girl, firmly. “There’ll be no shooting
between you and Landson. If there is
, he nn ything of that kind I’ll ride
wn ahead and warn him of what’s
coming.-"
barter,” said Y.D.—it was only on
•omentous occasions that he ad-
i her as daughter—“l brought
i. 1 ,/ V r llere as a guest, not as man
- my affairs. I’ve taken care pf
v ” i!pairs f °r some eonSld'erable
an .’ 1 reckon 1 still have the
..." 1 1 " ions - you’re a-goin’ to act
to i , i rep rOUS - YU get Transley
'' nie a man to escort’you home.”
Drn i yoi,r servl ce, Y.D.," said George
j. who was in the crowd which
e. ierGf l fl hout the rancher, his
k. r‘, '. er ’. and Tr nsley. “That Pete
me would Jus’ see .her over
ne , lulls a-whoopin’.’’
tnk!. . 1 {h!nk *t would be wise to
r r y extreme measures, at least,
r,.'; yet " said Transley. "It’s
I ,e Question to suppose that
, has picketed the whole rnl
those stakes. It is now quite
we were left In peace yes
onl ■ . ' van l e, l us to get started,
? -a few swaths cut, so that he
? 0 ~ where to drive the stakes
of -if io S fke nex * morning. Some
o- ‘l nyichlnes can be repaired nt
? ''! e °thers within a day or
and c-..',' " ll * ■* ust moTe over a little
t- on nevv holds. Tliere’s pret
*r\ mo °nllght these nights and
u>4 r< , r . ' e 0 few men out on guard,
r If)* Tve can catch the enemy
nt liis little gutne. Let us get one or
Landson’s nien with the goods on him.”
Y.D. was somewhat pacified by this
suggestion. “You’re a practical devil,
Transley,” he said, with considerable
admiration. “Now, in a case of this
kind I jus’ get plumb Hghtin’ mad. 1
want to bore somebody. I guess it’s
the only kind o’ procedure that comes
easy to my hand. I guess you’re right,
but I hate to let anybody have the
laugh on me.” Y.D. looked down the
valley, shading his eyes with his hand.
“That son-of-a-gun has got a dozen or
more stacks down there. I don’t wish
nobody any hard luck, but if some
tenderfoot was to drop a cigar—”
“In that case I suppose you’d pray
for a west wind, Dad,” Zen suggested,
“but the winds in these .yalleys, even
with your prayers to direct them, are
none too reliable.” •
“Everybody to work on fixing up
These machines,” Transley ordered.
“Linder, make a list of what repairs
iire needed and Drazk will ride to
town with it at once. Some of them
may have to come out from the city
by express. Drazk can get the orders
in and a team will fellow to bring
out the repairs.”
In a moment Transley’s men wert
busy with wrenches and hammers, re
placing knives and appraising dam
ages. Even in his anger Y.D. took
approving note of the promptness of
Transley’s decisions and the zest with
which his men carried them into ef
fect.
“A he-man, that fellow, Zen,” he
confided to his daughter. “If he’d
blowod into this country thirty years
ago, .like. I did, he’d own it by tills time
plumb to the sky-line.”
When the list of repairs was com
pleted Linder handed it to Drazk.
, “Beat it to town on that Pete-liorso
of '•'yours, (3feorge v ” he' said. “Bum
' the grass ’on the road.”
“I bet I’ll be ten miles on the road
bade when I meet toy' shadow goin’,”
said Dra~k, making a spectacular leap
into liis saddle. “’By, Y.D.!; ’by,
Zen !” he shouted while he whirled his
horse's head eastward and waved his
hand to where they stbod. In spite of
her annoyance at him she had to smile
and return his salute.
“Mr. Drazk is irrepressible,” she re
marked tc Transley.
“And Irresponsible," the contractor
returned. “I sometimes ■ wonder why
I keep him. In fact, l don’t really
keep him; lie just stays. Every spring
he hunts me up and fastens on. .Still,
I get a lot of good service out of him.
Praise ’that Pete-horse,’ and George
would ride his head off for you. He
lias a weakness for wanting to marry
every woman he sees, hut his Infatua
tions seem harmless enough.”
“I know something of his weakness,”
Zen replied. “I iiave already been
honored with a proposal.”
Transley looked in her face. It was
slightly flushed, whether with the
summer sun or with her confession,
but it was a wonderfully good face
to look In.
"Zen,” he said, in a low voice that
Y.D. and the others might not hear,
“how would you take a serious pro
posal, made seriously by one who loves
you, and who knows that you are, and
always will be, a queen among
women ?”
“If you had been a cow puncher in
stead of a contractor,” she told him,
“I’m sure you would long ago have
endbd your life" In some dash* over a
cutbank.”
Meanwhile Drazk pursued his wny
to town. The trail, after crossing the
ford, turned abruptly to the right from
that which led across country to the
North Y.D. For a mile or more it sklrtet)
the stream In a park-like drive through
groves of spruce and cottonwood. Sun
shine and the babble of water every
where, filled..the. air. Sunshine, too,
'Gfeorgb Drazk’s heart. The Im
portance of his mission was pleasantly
heavy upon him. He pictured the Jm
presfs6ii 'he. Woufs make In town, gal
loping in with his horse wet over the
back, and rushing to the implement
agency with all the importance of a
courier from Y.D. He would let two
of the boys take Pete to the stable,
and then, seated on a mower seat In
the shade, he would’ tell the story. It
would lose nothing In the telling. He
would even add how Zen had thrown
• a kfss at hito In parting. Perhaps he
would have Zen k'ss him on the cheek
before the whole camp. He turned
that possibility over in ills mind,
weighing nicely the credulity of his,
imaginary audience. ... At any
rate, whether lie decided to put that
In the story or not, It was very pleas
ant to think about.
Presently the trail turned abruptly
up a gully leading Into the hill?. A
huge cutbunk, Jutting Into the river,
barred the way in front, and its pre
cipitous side, a hundred feet or more
in height, kept continually crumbling
and falling into the stream. These
cutbanks are a terror to Inexperi
enced riders. The valleys nre swal
lowed up In tiie tawny sameness of
the ranges; tiie vision catches on y
tiie higher levels, and one may gallop
to the verge of a precipice before be
coming aware of its existence. U was
to this that Zen iiad referred in speak
ing of Transley’s precipitoteness.
Drazk followed the gully up into
Hie hills, letting his horse drop hack to
a walk .’n the hard going along the
dry bed of a stream which flowed #nly
THE DANtELSVILLE MONITOR, DANIELSVILLE, GEORGIA.
In the spring rreshets. t-ete nau iu
pick his wny over bowlders and across
stretches of sand and boggy patches
of black mud formed by little springs
leaking out under clumps of willows.
Here and there the white ribs of a
steer’s skeleton peered through the
brush; once or twice an overpowering
stench gave notice of a carcass not
wholly decomposed.
It wns not a pleasant environment,
but in an hour Drazk was out again
on the brow of the brown hills, where
the sunshine flooded about and a fresh
breeze beat up against Ills face. After
ail ‘ liis winding in the gully he was
not more tliun a mile from the cut
bank.
~ “I reckon I could get n great view
from that cutbrtnk of what Landson is
doin’,” he suddenly .remarked to him
self. He took off liis hat and scratched
ltis tousled head in reflection. "Linder
said to beat it,” he ruminated, “but I
can’t get back" touigiit anyway, an’ it
might be worth while ’to do a little
scoutin’. Here goes!”
:He struck a smart gallop to the
southward, and brought ills horse up,
spectacularly, a yard froip the edge
of the precipice. The view which his
position commanded wns superb. Up"
the valley iny the white tents of Trans
it’s outfit, almost hidden in green
ft)!iage; the ford across the river wup
distinctly visible, and stretching south
from it lay, like a great curving snake,
the trail which wound across the vnl
ley and lost itself in the foothills far
to the south; across the western hori
zon hung the purple curtain of the
mountains, soft and vague in their
noonday mists, hut touched with set
tings of ivory where the snow fields
beat back the blazing' sunshine; far’
down the valley was the gleam of
Landson’s whitewashed buildings, and
nearer at hand Hie greenish-brown of
the upland meadows which his hay
makers had already cleared of their
crop of prairie wool. This was now
arising in enormous stacks; it must
have been three miles to where they
lay, but Drazk’s keen eyes could dis
tinguish ten completed stacks and two
others in course of building. He could
even see the sweeps hauling the new
hay, after only n few hours of sun
drying, and sliding It up the Inclined
■platforms which dumped it Into the
form of stacks. The foothill rancher
makes hay by horse power, and almost
without the uid of a pitchfork. Even
as JDrnzk watched he saw a load skid
ded up; saw its apparent momentary
poise in air; saw the well-trained
horses stop and turn and start back to
the meadow with their sweep. And
up the valley Transley’s outfit was at
a standstill.
Drazk employed his limited but ex
pressive vocabulary. It wns against
all human nature to look on such a
scene unmoved. He recalled Y.D.’s
linlf-spoken wish about n random
cigar. Then suddenly George Drazk’s
mouth dropped open nnd his eyes
rounded with a great Idea.
Of course it was against all tiie
rules of the range—it was outlaw
business—but what about driving iron
stakes In a hay meadow? Drazk’s
philosophy was that the end justifies
the. means. And If the end would win
tiie approval of Y.D. —and of Y.D.’s
daughter—then any means was Justi
fied. Had not Linder said, “Bum the
grass on the road?” Drazk knew well
enough that Linder’s remark wns a
figure, of speech, but his eccentric
mind fpund no trouble in converting it
into literal Instructions.
Drazk sniffed the air and looked at
the sun. A soft breeze was moving
slowly .up the .valley; lire sun was Just
pagt noon. There was every reason
t<> expect that as the lowland prairies
grew hot with the afternoon sunshine
a breeze would come down out of the
mountains to occupy the area of great
atmospheric expansion. Drazk knew
nothing about the theory of tiie thing;
all-that concerned him-was the fact
that by* mid-ufternoon the.wind would
probably change to the .west. . • >
Two miles down the valley he found
a gully which gave access to the wa
ter’s eflge. He descended, located a
ford, and crossed. There were' ctfttle
trails through the cottonwoods; he
might have followed them, bht he
feared the telltale shoe-prints. He
elected the more difficult route down
the stream Itself. The South Y.D. ran
mostly, on a wide gravel bottom; It
was possible to pick out a course
which kept Pete In water seldom
higher than his knees. An hour of
'this, ahd Drazk, peering through the
trCes, could see the nearest of Land
son’s stacks not half a mile away.
The Landson gang were working far
ther dowr the valley, and the stack
itself covered approach from the river.
Drazk slipped from the saddle and
stole quietly into the open. The
breeze was now coming down the
vail :y.
CHAPTER V
Transley’s men had repaired such
machines as they could and returned
to work. The clatter of mowing ma
chines filled the valley; the norses
were speeded up to recover lost time.
Transley and Y.D. rode about, care
fully scrutinizing the short grpss for
Iron stakes, and keeping a general eye
on operations.
Suddenly Transley sat bolt-still on
his horse. Then; In a low voice;
"i.u. i" lie sula
The rancher turned nnd followed
the line of Transley’s vision. Tho
nearest of Landson’s stacks was
ablaze, and a great pillar of smoke
was rolling skyward. Even as they
watched, the base of the tire seemed
to spread; then, in a moment, tongues
of Ilame were seen leaping from a
stack farther on.
“Looks like your prayers were an
swered, Y.D.,” said Transley. “I bet
they, haven’t a plow nearer than the
ranch.”
Y.D. seemed fnseinnted by the sight,
lie could not take liis eyes off It. He
drew a cigar from liis pocket and
thrust It far into his mouth, chewing
it savagely and rolling it in ills lips,
but, according to the law of the hay
field, refraining from lighting it.. At
flnt there was a gleam of vengeance
in liis, eyes, but presently.-that gave,
way to a syrt. of horror. Every hon
orable tradition of the range demand
ed that he enlist ids force against the
common enemy.
“H—l, Transley!” he ejaculated,
“we can’t sit and look at that I Order
the men out I Wliut have we got to
fight, with?".
For answer Transley swing round
in liis saddle and struck ills jtalm Into
Y.D.’s.
“Good hoy; -Y.D.!” he said. “I did
you an injustice—l mean, about your
prayers being answered. Wo bnvep’t
as much as a plow, either, but we enn
gallop down with some barrels in a
wagon nnd put a sack brigade" to work.
I’m afraid it wbn't save Lundfeon’s tray,
hut it will - show where . our hearts
are.” ••.■*;
Transley and Y.D. galloped off to
round up the men, some of whom had
already noticed' the fire. Transley
dispatched font* men nnd two teams
to take barrels, . sacks nnd horse
blankets to the Landson mendows.
The others lie sent off at once on
horseback to tflvo what help they
could.
Zen rode up just as they left, and
her fine horse seemed to realize the
tension In the nir. His keen, hard
sflrung muscles quivered us site
brought his gallop to a stop.
“How did It start, Dad?" she de
manded.
“How do I know?” he returned,
shortly. “D’ye think I fired It?”
“No. but I just asked the question
that Landson will ask, so you better
have your answer linndy. I’m going
to gallop down to their ranch; per
haps I can help Mrs. Landson.’”
“The ranch buildings are safe
enough, I think," said Transley. “The
grass there Is close cropped, nnd there
is some plowing.”
For a moment the three sat, watch
ing the spread of the flnmes. By
this time the whole lower valley was
blanketed In sinoke. Clouds of blue
nnd mauve and creamy yellow rolled
from the mendows nnd stacks. Tho
fire was whipping the light breeze of
the afternoon to a gale, und was al
ready running wildly over the flanks
of the foothills.
“Weil, I’m off," said Zen. “Good
bye I”
“Be careful, Zen I” her father shout
ed. “Fire is- fire.” But ulready her
horse wns stretching low and straight
in n hnrd gallop down the valley.
“I’ll ride In to camp and tell Tomp
kins to make up a double supply of
sandwiches and cofTee,” said Trans
ley. “I guess there’ll be no cooking
in Landson’s outfit this afternoon.
After thnt we can. both run down and
lend a hand, If .that suits you."
As they rode to camp together Y.D.
drew up close to the contractor.
“Transley,’’ he- saM. “how do you,
reckon thnt fire started?”
“I don’t know,” said Transley, “ally
more than you do/’
“I ‘didn’t ask you‘tvhnt you knew.
I asked you what you-reckoned.”
Transley; rode for some minutes in
silence. Then at tost he spoke: • ‘
“A man Isn’t supposed to reckon in
tilings of this kind. He should know,
or keep his mouth shut. But I al
ldw mysHf Just one ’guess. Drazk.’’
"Why Drazk?” Y.D. demanded, “ne
has nothin’ to gain, and {ids prank
may put him In the cooler.”
“Drazk would do anything to he
spectacular,” Transley explained, “ne
probably will boast openly about It.
You know, lie’s trying to make nn Im
pression on Zen.”
“Nonsense!”
“Of course It’s nonsense, hut Drazk
doesn’t see it thnt way."
“I’d string him to the nearest cob
tonwood if I thought lie —’’
“Now don’t do him an Injustice,
Y.D. Drazk doesn’t realize fhnt he is
no mate for Zen. He doesn’t know
of any reason why Zen shouldn’t look
on him with favor; Indeed, with pride.
It’s ridiculous. I know, but Drazk l>
built that way.”
Zen has a desperate encounter
with Drazk. How do you think
' it came out?
(TO UB CONTINUED.)
Virtue of Fishermen
;v Sorely *the gfehtest virtue of fisher
men is tlielr hopefulness.—Zane Grey.
I ROAD ,
IjgngHgl
HIGHWAYS CAN LIMIT
USE OF AUTOMOBILES
o •
(By k6y n. fcHAFIN, Chairman High
ways Committee, National Automo
bile Chamber of Commeree.
The average American is a restless
individual. Never quite content with
lyings a£ they arc, lie Is always search-’
ing for some-means tt> widen ills range"
of activity and new methods of mak
ing both family and business life..more
worth while.
Hence it'is not surprising that when
the motor vehicle was first announced
h$ a practical means of transportation,
immediately lie began to Study its pos-> •'
slbllitles und finally tp develop 41 s use.
The story of how quickly lie did It is,
one of tiie most amazing chapters in
the. whole story of the world’s Indus
trial progress. From 1895 to the cfose
of 1923 the motor ear manufacturers of
America have been called upon to pro
duce something more than 20,000,000
vehicles, of, which it is conservative to .;
say 13,500,000 are now 111 operation on
American highways and owned
erated by Atncricans." Ffactlhally all
of this production lfns been in‘the Hist
eight years, and as we came to the
close of 1923 we found, that the output
for 1 the last year wns'the greatest In
the ; history of the ‘lndiistry.'
What, (lien, are tlie limiting factors
.which must lie taken in'fo considera
tion when we try to gauge the future
use of-the car?
Certainly, "there is no reason to be
lieve that there will lie any decrease
in the desire "for personal, individual
transportation. That characteristic Is
so deeply embedded In all of us that
we may reasonably assert thnt the
only limitations are ability to buy nnd
ability to use.
Each of these themes Is a text in
Itself, and since the purpose of tills
article is to deal with the second, we
can dismiss the first with the reflec
tion thnt In all of the period during
which the American public lias been
buying motor cars in mass quantities
savings deposits have continued to
grow steadily, and. everywhere there
is abundant proof t.hnt the manufac
ture and use of tho car have only
broadened the productive and purchas
ing power of the public.
The second question provides us
with a definite physical problem which
can only lie answered in terms of miles
of highways.
It is pertinent, then, to examine our
present road facilities and to see wlmt
is planned for the future. Prelimi
nary estimates of the total rural high
way mileage of the United Slates, ns
reported to the United States bureau
of public roads, show thnt there were
2,041,294 miles of road of all types in
the Country on January 1, 1922. OP
this there were some thousands of
miles which were roads only in the
legal sense that, section lines had been
so designated.
Perhaps the most valuable figures
nre those which show that at the end
of 192:1 tlibre were abbnt 430,000 miles
of all iypVs of surfaced highways,"’be
ginning with sand-clay and ending
with the highest types of heavy-lyty
run face, which perhaps constitute 35,-
000 miles all told.
In other words, if tve ellihlnafe city "
streets there are thirty-one motor ve
hicles to every mile of Improved high
way in the United States, and when
vve consider that 55 per cent of all the
cars of flic country arc dsed ln'’com
munities of 5,000 or less, we can ob
tain some .Idea of the problem-which
is facing the road builders of t)ic,coun
try If they are to keep pace with the
production and use of the car.
Fortunately, there is plenty of evi
dence on al) sides that the general '
public, the legislators and the builders,
who represent ttyein nJI appreciate the
need for more roads and all arc Jolri
!ng In making them possible.
For example, there is the federal
highway act, passed In 1910, and made
nn effective instrument for I tie organ
ization of main state systems through
tin* amendments of 1921.
Under Its provisions each slate lias
set irp a highways department, and a
two-year Job of designating the 7 per
cent of the total rural mileage which
comprises the federal aid program in
each state has been completed, so that
we now have an actual visualization
of tiie program ahead.
Improved Highway Will
Reduce Delivery Cost
Lower cost of production and of
marketing will he worked out by the
man who uses modem scientific and
practical methods, who mixes brains
with Ids brawn, who knows where ids
products can he distributed to tiie best
advantage and who Is situated so he
has the ability to make use of good
highway transportation. On a good
highway his cost of delivery Is less
med and his profits therefore larger.