Banning High School - San Gorgonian Yearbook (Banning, CA)

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As he finished speaking two strangers rode up and dismount- ed. They said they were sent out by the Government to find out the available supply of beef, in case the regulation of the food supply was started. One of them, catching sign of the wireless, clearly outlined against the golden glow of the western sky, re- marked: “You have a pretty fine wireless apparatus here.” “Yes, we have,” said J udd. “It belongs to Mr. Schmidt’s boy. Although I have never seen him use it, Schmidt says his son sends messages to a friend of his across the border,” “Schmidt, did you say?” said the stranger. “German, isn’t he?” “Yes, he’s a German,” returned Judd. “Bought this ranch just after the European war began. But he seems to be loyal enough to the United States. Say, you fellows better put up here for the night. It’s quite a ways to the next place.” They accepted, and Judd took them to the house, while Sandy made his way to the mess house, from which came the rattle of dishes and the laughter of the care-free cow-punchers. The next afternoon Sandy was out looking for stray cattle. As he topped a small rise in the land he saw a man driving some cattle southward, and he wondered why he was going in that di- rection. Then the disappearance of Stone’s cattle in the day time flashed through his mind, and he decided that he had come upon one of the cattle thieves. As he rode nearer, he noticed the man kept looking back over the way he had come, as though to see if any one was following. Sandy approached him so quickly and with so little noise that the supposed thief did not turn until he was about twenty feet from him. For a moment they stared at each other wordless. “Sandy,” cried Cal. And after a silence, during which Sandy stared at him, “My, but you are a sight for sore eyes.” But Sandy didn’t smile. He was pale as death, and he said with a trembling voice, “You, Cal, you a thief?” “No, I’m not a thief! Sandy,” said Cal, growing pale in his turn, “I can’t explain to you now—but——.” “Of course you can’t,” burst out Sandy. “YOU HAVE nothing to explain. It’s as plain as the light of day, what you’re up to.” Then more excitedly, “Get out of my sight, before I do my duty and turn you over to justice.” “But listen, Sandy, you——.” PAGE SIX

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“Yes, I saw some pretty fresh tracks over by the south spring and from the looks of them they must have been headin’ for the border fast,” returned Sandy. “T don’t think those fellows are just plain rustlers. Ordinary thieves couldn’t get rid of as many cattle as they’re running off every week. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if those Germans had something to do with this,” said Judd, voicing his pet theory. Nothing was said for a few minutes, then Judd began: “I saw by this morning’s paper that some submarines had been seen off the coast of Lower California.” “Yes, I saw that,” remarked Sandy, absent-mindedly. And again the conversation lagged. “Say, boss,’ Sandy resumed slow- ly, “If you can give me my pay, I think I’ll leave to-morrow.” Judd looked at him in astonishment. “What! you go tomor- row! Why, you haven’t been here hardly a month. What’s the matter? Don’t you like your job?” : “Yes, the job is all right, but I’—and Sandy’s voice trailed into silence. “Well, is that all?’ said Judd rather heatedly. “If you go leaving the country in this way, it’ll look like you had something to do with the cattle stealing.” “No, that isn’t all,” said Sandy quickly. “I think I’ll tell you about it,” and he began abruptly. “I don’t remember my father, he died when I was a little kid. Mother, my brother Cal, and I lived on a little place we had rented back in Missouri. We had a hard enough time getting along before mother died, but when she left us, things were worse than ever. Both of us were dis- gusted with the place, so we left and came out west. We had always pulled together well up to a few weeks ago, and then we had a fuss. It seems like a little kid’s quarrel now, and I want my brother with me again. So if you’ll give me my pay, I will start tomorrow to find him.” “Tf that’s it, Sandy, all right. We sure hate to lose you. -Bui you had better wait until next week before you leave. There’s only Saturday and Sunday left of this week, and then get a good start Monday morning,” suggested Judd. After thinking it over Sandy replied that he would do as Judd suggested. PAGE FIVE +

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“JT said go,” thundered Sandy. And Cal went. Before Sandy had recovered from the shock of his meeting with Cal, he was roughly commanded from behind to put up his hands. He turned as he did so, and looked into the eyes of the sheriff. “T guess I got one of you this time, but I thought I saw an- other one,” said the sheriff. Sandy growled, “I’m the only one.” The sheriff after tying his hands behind him, headed Sandy in the direction of Casa Grande, and followed close behind him. When they arrived in town the sheriff said to the crowd of angry men about them, “I caught him with the goods, standin’ with the steers all around him.” “Lynch him,” cried a wrathful voice in the crowd. “We’ve had enough of this cattle stealing.” This cry was taken up as the mob surged forward and pulled Sandy from his horse. The sheriff put in a protest that Sandy was his prisoner, but they quickly disposed of him. On the edge of town was a large tree, and here they made rapid preparation for the hanging. Judd Pierce stormed around about hanging an innocent man, but it moved them not a bit. Mr. Schmidt consult- ed with Judd, but they didn’t seem to agree, and he turned to the crowd and said, that it was hard to hang a man, but that they must do their duty. The noose was slipped over Sandy’s head. Then, in the tense silence that followed, while nothing could be heard but the mut- terings of Judd, and the strained breathing of the executioners, three men came riding from the town at a hard gallop. One of them shouted, as he rode, “Stop! stop! wait!” The riders hurled themselves from their horses and came running up. They were Cal and the two strangers. One of them said, showing his Secret Service badge, “Turn that man loose. He is innocent. And I ar- rest that man,” pointing to Mr. Schmidt, “as an alien enemy for aiding the Germans in the present war against the United States of America.” As he said this the other man slipped a pair of handcuffs on Mr. Schmidt, and turning to the crowd, said: “We have just un-. PAGE SEVEN «?