Boy's Cinema (1930-31)

Record Details:

Something wrong or inaccurate about this page? Let us Know!

Thanks for helping us continually improve the quality of the Lantern search engine for all of our users! We have millions of scanned pages, so user reports are incredibly helpful for us to identify places where we can improve and update the metadata.

Please describe the issue below, and click "Submit" to send your comments to our team! If you'd prefer, you can also send us an email to mhdl@commarts.wisc.edu with your comments.




We use Optical Character Recognition (OCR) during our scanning and processing workflow to make the content of each page searchable. You can view the automatically generated text below as well as copy and paste individual pieces of text to quote in your own work.

Text recognition is never 100% accurate. Many parts of the scanned page may not be reflected in the OCR text output, including: images, page layout, certain fonts or handwriting.

Every Tuesday and Ills guests, then, tugging at liis clipped moustaclic, lie «ii<l diffi<lcntly: ''Couldn't use an cstra cowhand, could you ? I'm lookiug for a jol>, added to which.I've got an old score to .settle with tliat hombre Joe Moore myself." Tom considered the .suggestion. "Well." he said finally, "I don't know al)Out Moore,' but I think I might be able to use a good cowhand." The moon by this time had climbed hiajh into the heavens, and it was almost like day by the river bank; bi^ peace enfolded the world, and there ^was no sound of hoofs to disturb the silence of the night. The three curled up on the turf in their blankets and slept till da.\- break. Tom declaring that Silver would give them warning of the approach of any unwanted strangers. There was just enough footl to go round for breakfast, and afterwards they cantered together, climbing the ridge and descendi/ig to the road outside tho town of A\'estonville. Starrett, who knew the way, took them by the shortest possible route, and Tom's liking for him increased, though his expert eyes were not at all convinced about the alleged gopher-hole. "That fellow," he said to him.self. "has been shot in the foot or I'm a Dutchman; but it's no business of mine." Westonville proved to be a town of considerable size, though mainlj' com- posed of wooden frame buildings and log cabins. Starrett directe<l Tom to the office of Jacob Hines, attorney-at- ^IjlV''. and Torn, tethering Silver, told 'Olaf to take the new cowhand to a doctor to have his foot tended. He himself entered the building, which was on a corner, and climbed some rickety stairs to a door on the first floor. In res])onse to the banging of his knuckles on the panels, a voice bade him enter, and he found liimself in the presence of a lean-faced, whitc- BOY'S CINEMA haired man, who looked vp at hijn from a desk strewn with papers. "My nanrio's Dale," said Tom diffi- dently. "I've come about a piece of land I've fell heir to.'" "Oh," said Mr. Hines pleasantly. "So you're t'uthbert C'hauncey Dale, eh? Sit down! D'you know I've had a hard time finding you, my lad ?"' "It hasn't been half as hard as the time I've had finding you," chuckled Tom, seating himself in a chair beside the desk. ''Of course," said the lawyer cautiously, "you're able to establish your identity ?" "Sure," responded Tom, groping in his pocket.s. " I did a stretch in the Service. I've got a discharge here." He held out an Army piiper. "That ought to prove something." Mr. Hines ran his eyes over the docu- ment and nodded. "C'uthbert Chauncej' Dale," he .said, returning the paper and opening a drawer. "Quite a name, eh?" "You can have it," declared Tom, with a grimace. "Not at all. Mr. Dale—not at all!" "That's tlie same way I feel about it." said Tom bitterly. Mr. Hines produced a bundle of paper.; from the drawer, tied about with pink tape. "Here are all the Dale ranch papers," he said l>enevolcntly. "You might look them over." Tom took the papers and removed the tape. For the better part of ten minutes h.) was busy studying them. Then: "Say," he exclaimed, with a frown. "what'.s this thing here about latid rights?" Mr. Hines explained that when Mr. Thomas Dale was alive he had leased a strip of land to the Preston family, who had the biggest cattle outfit in the country, but the lease had jimt run out. "Y'ou can get a good price for that strip," he said. "Yeah?" wondered Tom. "Why?" Tlic lawyer clasped his hands together and pointed his two forefingers at Tom. " Well, you sec," he said gravely, " the best grazing lands in this county ar? .some little valleys that lie back of your land, and the only way into those valleya is through a narrow canyon located on your property." "You mean," said Tom, "that I could fence o£f that canvon and cut 'em cle.n off, eh?" "Exactly!" nodded the lawyer. "And since they need this land they'll pay plenty for your strip that gives them right of access." "H'm!" mused Tom, jaushing bade his hat and knitting his level brow^. "Say, just where is this Preston outfi; located ?" " A little way up the valley beyond tlie range that is now yours." " Oh ! Then I guess when you've don* with me my first job is to go out and talk turkej- to the Prestons." The lawyer smiled non-committally. and certain legal formalities followed. Ten minutes later Tom went down ths rickety stairs into the morning sunlight and found Olaf standing between hi* brown horse and Silver. "What did you do with that guy Starrett?" he inquired. "Take him to a do<tor like I told you?" "Well.'' said Olaf, with an ingratiating grin, 'T couldn't find no doctor, .so [ took him into the saloon—and when I left him he was perfectly happy." "Oh!" grunted Tom. "Well, we'll t^o out and take a look at the ranch—wo can pick him up later." The Building of a Fence. THE Dale ranch was situated about three miles from the town of Westonville, and the ranch-house iteelf was at the end of a lane fringed with hickory, ash. and maple trees. It looked little more than a bunk-hou.'se, built of logs. «-ith a narrow \erand;« in front of it. reached by four steps. "Signs don't mean anything to the law. Dale," declared the sheriff. " I'm here to arrest you for cattle •ustling." Docemticr 26Ui, 1!I3I.