er got to plow up a bunch of
ground and plant some darn thing, or else get stock on and pasture it.
They ain't going to over look any bets from now on. I met her back here
on the bench. She was so mad she talked too much and I got next to their
scheme--seems like we've knocked the Syndicate outa quite a bunch of
money, all right. They want this land, and they think they're going to
get it.

"Now my idea is this: We've got to have stock, or we can't graze the
land. And if we take Flying U cattle and throw 'em on here, they'll
contest us for taking fake claims, for the outfit. So what's the matter
with us buying a bunch from the Old Man?"

"I'm broke," began Pink promptly, but Andy stopped him.

"Listen here. We buy a bunch of stock and give him mortgages for the
money, with the cattle for security. We graze 'em till the mortgage runs
out--till we prove up, that means--and then we don't spot up, and
the Old Man takes the stock back, see? We're grazing our own stock,
according to law--but the outfit--"

"Where do we git off at?" demanded Happy Jack suspiciously. "We got to
live--and it takes money to buy grub, these days."

"Well, we'll make out all right. We can have so many head of cattle
named for the mortgage; there'll be increase, and we should get that. By
the time we all prove up we'll have a little bunch of stock of our own'
d' uh see? And we'll have the range--what there is left. These squatters
ain't going to last over winter, if you ask me. And it'll be a long,
cold day when another bunch of greenhorns bites on any colony scheme."

"How do you know the Old Man'll do that, though?" Weary wanted to know.
"He's pretty mad. I rode over to the ranch last week to see Chip, and
the Old Man wouldn't have anything to say to me."

"Well, what's the matter with all of us going? He can't pass up the
whole bunch. We can put it up to him just the way it is, and he'll see
where it's going to be to his interest to let us have the cattle. Why,
darn it, he can't help seeing now why we quit!" Pink looked ready to
start then, while his enthusiasm was fresh.

"Neither can Florence Grace help seeing why we did it," Andy
supplemented dryly. "She can think what she darn pleases--all we got to
do is deliver the goods right up to the handle, on these claims and not
let her prove anything on us."

"It'll take a lot uh fencing," Happy Jack croaked pessimistically. "We
ain't got the money to buy wire and posts, ner the time to bui