to have the wool clipped
near the railroad. In that way we do away with carting it. The fleeces
can be sheared, packed, weighed, and put right on the cars. Beside that,
we get the power to run our plant from Glen City. Our shearing is done
by electricity and not by hand, you know."

"It is mean of me to make you answer questions, Sandy, when you are in
such a hurry," Donald ventured hesitatingly, "but I wish you had time to
explain to me about the shearing."

Sandy was in a hurry--there was no denying that!

He and Donald had driven down from Crescent that morning, and were to
meet Thornton and Mr. Clark as soon as possible at the shed where the
shearing was to be done. Nevertheless, in spite of his haste, Sandy
tried as he went along to answer Donald's question.

"There was a time long ago when all shearing was done by hand. In the
spring bands of traveling shearers came from ranch to ranch and sheared
the flocks for so much a day. Sometimes these men were Mexicans,
sometimes Indians. As they made a business of shearing and nothing else
they became verra skilful with the shears and could turn off many
fleeces a day. It is an art to shear a sheep. Many a try must you have
before you can do it. The smaller ranches still shear by hand, for it
does not pay to run a power plant unless you have large flocks."

"I suppose a power plant does the work quicker," suggested Donald.

"No, I think good shearers can clip the fleeces almost as fast. The
chief advantage in machinery is that it takes the wool off closer, and
you do not need such skilled men to do the work. You just have to
remember not to shear flocks this way in summer, for the wool would be
cut so close that your sheep would be wild with flies and sunburn before
their coats grew long enough to protect them."

They had now reached the plant, where they were to meet Donald's father
and Thornton; they mounted the steps of the low building and went in.
Immediately they were greeted by the whirr of wheels, the chatter of
many herders, and the blatting of sheep.

Mr. Clark came forward.

"Well, Don," he said, "this is quite a sight, isn't it?"

"I should say it was! I had no idea shearing was done this way. It is
just the way they clip horses or cut my hair."

His father smiled.

"Yes, it is done on the same principle. Let us watch this man here. He
is just starting. I thought he would tie the feet of the sheep first,
but he does not seem to be doing it; inste