We Were There at the Oklahoma Land Run, Page 8

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  _Alec_

  Alec never acted without first planning, and the action he took dependedon whatever his plan called for. Right now, he decided, he'd have tomove swiftly if he hoped to catch Cindy before she was out of sight. Hebridled Pete's sorrel pony, whose name was Carrots, and leaped astridehim. Then he shouted his intentions to his mother and whirled Carrotstoward Oklahoma.

  At once, though it had taken less than a minute to reach and bridle thepony, he knew that he was too late. He'd noticed the running men anddepended upon them to delay Cindy. But he had not counted on hissister's skill as a rider. Cindy was nowhere to be seen.

  Immediately Alec formed another plan. As soon as he did so, he put itinto effect. Riding cautiously so as to hit none of the running men, hecrossed the border into Oklahoma. After he'd passed most of the men, helet Carrots canter and drew farther ahead. Safely in advance of thecrowd, Alec slowed his mount.

  It would be exciting to fly over the grasslands as fast as Carrots couldrun. But it would not be sensible, and it would not help find Cindy. Thesituation, in Alec's opinion, called for clear thinking.

  He knew that Pete Brent had in mind definite claims to which he wastaking Mr. Simpson. But Alec hadn't the faintest idea how to find thoseclaims. However, there was certain logic which could not fail to guidehim correctly.

  North lay the Cherokee Strip, in which no lands were open, so surelyPete would not go north. It stood to reason that, knowing of claims hewanted to stake, Pete would have camped as near to them as possible.However, it did not necessarily follow that the claims lay due south.Pete might travel southeast or southwest. But since time was soimportant, he would not go very far to the east or west.

  Alec decided that, if he rode an estimated quarter of a mile east, thenturned Carrots and rode the same distance west, and kept working south,he would be sure to find Cindy. And find her he would if it took him sixmonths and he had to cover all of Oklahoma.

  He did not hurry, for the time for hurrying was past. Carrots might havea very long trip ahead of him, and it was well to save his strength.Letting the pony choose his own pace, Alec tried to see everything.

  He passed a wagon with a broken wheel. There were no horses or muleshitched to it and nobody around. Evidently, when the wagon broke down,whoever owned it had cut his team loose and ridden on into Oklahoma.Alec guided Carrots around a homesteader who had marked his claim with ahuge white sheet. The homesteader was looking frantically for thecorners.

  Most of Oklahoma seemed to be very good land. But Alec had a farmer'seye, and he was glad his father had gone on. In a year of abundantrainfall, any fertile land would grow good crops. In a year of drought,water would be necessary. Alec hoped his father would find a claim neara stream.

  As soon as he had traveled what he thought was a sufficient distance,Alec turned Carrots and started in the other direction. Carrots flickedhis ears forward and snorted softly. Alec looked with interest at alittle grove of trees that rose above the grass. He swung Carrots towardthem. As soon as he was near, he heard two men arguing.

  One, stripped to the waist and sweating, had been digging in a hugehole. Over the hole, Alec understood, he would build a dugout to serveas a dwelling place until he could erect a house. The other man, mountedon a sweating horse, must have started from the border and ridden in theRun.

  "You got out here and dug that big a hole since noon?" asked the man whowas astride the horse.

  _"You dug that big a hole since noon?" asked the man onthe horse_]

  "Yup," said the other man.

  "You couldn't have!" the horseman flared. "You're a Sooner!"

  "Prove it," the other said.

  "I'll do better than that!" the horseman exclaimed. "I'll bring soldiersand let them see what you've done! If they think you're a Sooner, thenyou're out and this is my claim!"

  The horseman wheeled and rode back toward the border to find soldiers.The man who had been digging the hole looked worriedly after him.

  Wanting no part of this or any other trouble, Alec rode on. But he sawwhy the disputed claim was valuable, for the trees surrounded asparkling water hole. In a dry year, when wells might fail, whoeverowned such a water hole could easily have every neighbor at his mercy.

  All about were men who had staked claims, and they were busy hunting thecorners or building up those they had found. One white-haired man had alittle mountain of rock and was feverishly making it higher. Alec formedhis own opinions. Some of the people who had staked here thought thatall they had to do to be well settled was to claim a homestead. Theyknew nothing of better lands farther on. Others, who did know, had beenunable to keep up with the Run. Instead of getting what they wanted,they were taking what they could get. There were some choice claims,such as the one with the water hole.

  "Boy! Hey, boy!"

  Alec stopped Carrots. He waited for a lanky, excited man who was shakinghis fist and talking to himself.

  "Do you know what I aim to do, boy?" the man called.

  "No," said Alec.

  "Goin' to law," the man said. "Goin' to law soon's I can find me alawyer. Claim jumpers run me off my claim!"

  Still shaking his fist and talking to himself, the man walked on. Alecslacked Carrots' reins. He shivered. Gramps had said that the settlementof Oklahoma was a fine and wonderful thing, and it was. But it hadalready given rise to quarrels. Alec rode on. He wondered what otherways would be used to settle the question when two or more people stakeda claim. Already he had seen a man who intended to challenge a Sooner,and another who was going to court. Alec thought that some of thearguments might not be settled for months, or even years.

  He reined Carrots toward someone he knew. It was the old man with thesorry-looking mule, which now stood with drooping head and switchingtail. The old man looked up.

  "Hello, boy," he said happily.

  "Hello," Alec replied.

  The old man said proudly, "Got me a claim."

  "I'm glad," said Alec. "Have you seen my sister?"

  "Sister?" the old man asked. Then, "Oh! That purty leetle gal what used'ter walk with ye on the border? Nope. Haven't seen hide nor hair ofher."

  "Thanks," said Alec.

  His hopes dashed, but without even a thought of giving up, Alec rodegrimly on. It would be nice to find someone who had seen and recognizedCindy, and who could tell him the direction in which she had gone. Buteven if nobody could tell him about his sister, Alec would find her. Itwas his job.

  Alec saw a man with a cocked rifle in his hands. He was pointing theweapon at the mid-section of another man, and both were still asstatues. Then the threatened man turned angrily and started walkingaway. The man with the rifle called, "Next time, I pull the trigger!I'll shoot you or any other claim jumper!"

  Farther on Alec found a big man and a lean one with linked arms. Eachman had two black eyes. Both were spattered with blood. Their shirtswere in ribbons, and bruised flesh showed through. They were the samemen Cindy had passed; the lean one had thrown his pack away andchallenged the big one for his claim.

  The lean man said admiringly, "Nothin' like a little fight to clear theair, Jud boy!"

  _"Nothin' like a little fight to clear the air, Judboy!"_]

  "Sure ain't, Al boy!" the big man said. "Sure glad we met!"

  "Me too!" the lean man said. "You'n me, we'll make this the best darn'farm in Oklahoma, Jud boy!"

  "Al boy, you're sure 'nough right!" the big man said.

  Carrots broke into a trot, and Alec let him go. He hadn't the least ideaof where he would sleep tonight or what he would eat, but he was notgoing back to the wagon without finding Cindy. His mother would worry ifhe did not return. But she would worry just as much if Cindy stayedlost. Working southward, Alec swung back and forth.

  Evening shadows were long when he saw someone else he knew. It was thebearded man with the race horse. Alec rode straight toward him. Thebearded man was always unfriendly. But if he had news of Cindy, Alecmust have it. However, now that he had
his land and no longer had toworry about getting some, the man was not unfriendly any more.

  "Hello," he said.

  "Hello," Alec replied. "Have you seen my sister?"

  "Sure have!" the bearded man said cheerfully. "She caught up with yourdad an' the man from the wagon next to yours right here on my claim. Shewas ridin' a roan pony, an' so was t'other man. Your dad had hispalomino mare. They said they was goin' on."

  "You're sure?" Alec inquired.

  "Dead sure. Saw 'em with my own eyes," the bearded man said.

  "Thanks," said Alec.

  Even as he spoke, he was turning Carrots and galloping full speed backto the Simpson wagon. When he reached it, not taking time to dismount,he shouted his happy news from the pony's back. "It's all right, Mother!Cindy's with Dad!"