Cowboy Dave; Or, The Round-up at Rolling River Part 32

"His brother?" Mr. Carson looked from one to the other, as if doubting whether he had heard aright.

Slowly the cattleman again produced the old relic. At the first sight of it Mr. Bellmore exclaimed:

"Yes! That's it! I'd know it anywhere! Dave, there's no doubt but that you are my brother! Shake!"

"But are you sure?" asked Mr. Carson.

"Positive!" exclaimed the young engineer. "See, I can point out a dozen little points about this belt that makes me certain it is mine," and he did. He even recalled where he got certain oddly-shaped corks from the neighbors.

Then he related his story--how he had lived as a boy in the town where, later, the flood came and swept away the Bellmore home, taking Dave with it. The future engineer was away at the time of the disaster, and he knew nothing of the particulars of the rush of the waters, save what relatives told him afterward.

"But they said my whole family was drowned, including my little brother,"

he went on. "His name wasn't Dave, by the way, but Charles."

"I named him Dave," said Mr. Carson.

"And I'm going to keep it," Dave said.

"It's just as well," decided Mr. Bellmore. "But, as I said, all I know is what I was told. I was only about ten years old at the time, and you must have been about two, Dave. How it happened we can only guess, but mother or father must have put my odd cork life-preserver on you when they saw the waters rising, and it probably saved your life when the house was carried away. What a strange coincidence!"

"Isn't it?" agreed Mr. Carson. He could add little to the story, for all he knew was the finding of the baby. His inquiries had come to naught, so it was a.s.sumed that all the rest of the Bellmore family had perished in the high waters.

"And what did you do when you heard you had no folks left?" asked Dave of his brother.

"Well, I was too young at the time to realize all that it meant. My Eastern relatives came to Missouri with me in the hope of finding some of our folks, but we never did. Then they took charge of me until I grew up, and entered upon my profession.

"And all these years I've been thinking I had not a near living relative, when, all the while I had a brother!" and he looked fondly at Dave.

"And to think I believed myself a nameless n.o.body!" Dave returned.

"Well, you're Dave Bellmore, from now on."

"Dave _Carson_ Bellmore," corrected the other softly.

"Oh, I see!" Mr. Bellmore exclaimed. "Of course."

And so it was arranged. The story created no end of wonder at Bar U ranch, and Dave and his brother were congratulated on all sides. The Eastern relatives were communicated with, and one sent a letter mentioning a certain birthmark on Dave's arm, which would be there if he was really the Bellmore baby. The mark was found, and thus the matter was fully proved.

"Well, now that you've found your brother, I suppose you'll shake Bar U ranch--and me," said Mr. Carson some time later.

"Not much!" cried Dave with s.h.i.+ning eyes, as his arm went around Benjamin.

"I'm a cattleman first, last and always. If you haven't any room for me here I'll have to start out and work for some one else, I guess."

"Not while I've got a horse to ride," said the ranchman significantly.

A few days later the matter of trying the various lawsuits came up. It was a tedious proceeding, with which I will not burden you, but to be brief I will say that Mr. Carson won nearly everything.

It was settled beyond dispute that the Molick ranch had no right to build the dam and shut off the water from the fine pasture. So that was saved to Mr. Carson. And not only that, but certain other water rights that Mr.

Molick had claimed, were taken from him, and restored to Bar U.

"That means I can go into the cattle-raising business on a larger scale than ever," declared the ranchman.

Mr. Molick was allowed to retain enough of the water for his own stock, so that his ranch was as valuable as ever. He recognized when he was defeated, and when the court business was over he approached Mr. Bellmore, rather shamefacedly, it is true, and requested that he be allowed to come into the general water and irrigation scheme.

"No, sir!" exclaimed the engineer. "You had your chance and would not take it. It's too late now. All our plans are made and your ranch isn't included."

"Then if you won't take me in I'll sue you and make you."

"Go ahead," was the cool response. "You had your chance and turned it down. We aren't depriving you of any water. You'll have all you need, but you won't have any over, as the rest of the ranchmen will. Go ahead and sue."

Molick did, but he was defeated, and then, as his son Len dared not return to the vicinity on account of the fire indictment, there came an unexpected turn to affairs.

"I hear Molick wants to sell out," said Pocus Pete, coming to the Bar U ranch house a few days after the defeat of the bully's father. "And he'll sell out cheap, too."

"Will he?" asked Mr. Bellmore. "Then I know some one who will buy."

"Who?"

"I will! Dave, I've been thinking for a long time of going into the cattle business. I think it will pay better than water engineering. I've been hoping for a chance to get a good ranch, and now that Molick's is on the market, I'm going to take it."

"Good!" cried Mr. Carson. "I'll have decent neighbors all around me then.

And if you want any money, Mr. Bellmore--you and Dave--"

"Thanks, but I'm pretty well off. I've saved a bit. I think I'll invest it in Centre O, but I'm going to change the name, with your permission."

"What are you going to call it?" asked Dave. "Bar U-2. How does that strike you?"

"Fine!" Dave exclaimed.

"Couldn't be better!" declared Mr. Carson. "We'll combine the two ranches into a new one, and with the water supply we'll have there won't be a place in this country that can hold a candle to us. Shake!"

"Do you really mean it?" cried our hero, his eyes s.h.i.+ning with delight.

"Sure I mean it," answered the man who had been a father to him, with much feeling.

"It's a fine thing to propose," put in our hero's newly-found brother. "A fine thing indeed."

"I've got to do it--to keep Dave by me," answered Mr. Carson.

"I'll stay--don't worry," answered the boy, with a happy grin.

And so it was arranged. The Bellmore brothers, as they were now called--Dave and Benjamin--purchased the Molick ranch and it was added to the Carson holdings under a general partners.h.i.+p agreement. More cattle were purchased, and to-day the Bar U-2 is one of the finest ranches in the West. The water irrigation scheme, planned by Mr. Bellmore was a complete success, though when he took up ranching with Dave, another irrigation engineer succeeded to the managers.h.i.+p. The Molicks--father and son--disappeared, but most of the cowboys, with the exception of Whitey Wa.s.son, were hired by Dave and his brother.

"Though if it hadn't been for Len and Whitey I might never have found you, Ben," said Dave, with s.h.i.+ning eyes.

And that is the story of Cowboy Dave--a "nameless n.o.body" no longer--but an honored and respected member of the community. And Mr. Carson, who had no near kith or kin, has promised to make the Bellmore brothers his heirs.

THE END