The Brand: A Tale of the Flathead Reservation

For two days the westbound train had hurried over the prairies as if it understood the heart of the girl and strove to gratify her impatience for a glimpse of the mountains. She...

Bess had donned her fluffy brown tam-o-shanter and stood on the veranda. Shadows of evening were silently gathering in the valley, and yet she could see that beyond the hill the...

The aromatic smell of coffee and bacon filled Bess’ nostrils as she awoke to a glorious morning. At first she looked about in wonderment, trying to think where she was. With the...

Bess could discern in the distance the stage with its little, trailing cloud of dust. “Please let us mount again. I’m quite rested, and want to reach the stream before the stage...

It was nearly one o’clock when the stage reached Polson, at the foot of the Lake. As it drove up in front of the hotel Bess saw that James and Henry West had already arrived. A...

The drive through the cool of the early evening to the ranch, which lay only three miles from the trading post, fully awakened and refreshed Bess. She was longing to ask the ret...

With the twitter of birds outside and glorious sunshine streaming through the opened window, Bess awoke early, feeling that the refreshing sleep had completely restored her ener...

The girl had begun to tidy up the living-room and the pretty library, with its shelves of choice books, when Mrs. West came in to remonstrate. “There are plenty of hands to do t...

Oh! the rarity of that early June morning when a trio of happy beings mounted their eager horses. The dawn was still in the east, where roseate clouds hung soft and low on the c...

“After all, we have not gained much by staying at the Mission over night, for another storm is coming and we better hurry to some place of shelter or we shall all be drenched to...

Dave Davis, the Indian agent, had sent word that he wished to be removed to his quarters at Arlee as soon now as possible. Today, the day after Bess’ return from her interesting...

When Mrs. West returned to the ranch in the evening, she sought Bess in her room to learn of her experience in the culinary department during the day. As she tapped at the door...

The next morning at breakfast, Henry West told his mother that he was going to meet James Fletcher and six of his cowboys, over at the ferry, as they came with a bunch of steers...

position and successfully turned the terrified animals again down the hill. On they rushed, snorting, bellowing, plunging, completely enveloped in a cloud of dust. West and Flet...

“Um, well, let me see! They started about ten days ago. They ought to be through on Sullivan Creek by this time, and then to Dayton Creek and home. Perhaps in four days more.”

The round-up took longer this spring than usual. There were more calves to be branded, and several days of unpropitious weather delayed the men. It was nearly three weeks since...

“It does seem so good to be home again where it is cool and clean and cozy,” said Bess, as she flung herself into an easy porch chair the morning of their return from the County...

West was standing near a tall pine tree, fastening a small square of white paper against it with a pin. James stood near, holding a 38 Smith and Wesson in his hands. Bess stood...

James Fletcher and Henry West, together with the other gentlemen of the party, were waiting at the gate with several extra saddle horses. Mrs. West expected to drive and call fo...

It was a beautiful morning toward the end of August when Bess Fletcher donned her new brown riding skirt, which her deft fingers had just completed, and came out to her waiting...

It was several days after Bess’ thrilling adventure before her nerves were again calm and steady and before her muscles had recovered from their soreness. While she felt relucta...

As soon as Bess heard the breakfast fire cracking she crept out of her bed and hurriedly dressed herself. “Peter Pan” begged her softly, so that the other sleepers might not be...

The “girls” were to remain in camp, while Mr. George and “Uncle Jim” drove the horses to a ranch to have them re-shod. A trip to Sullivan Creek had been planned, and it was nece...

Bess and “Peter Pan,” together with one of the dogs, were left alone in camp while the rest of the party had gone on their last shoot. The little girl was feeling slightly indis...

Mrs. West had been watching the road for nearly an hour, each moment expecting Bess to come. The man had started after the girl early in the morning, and she was impatient for t...

Mrs. West, after the return from Polson, where she and Bess had gone together to meet their visitor, had slipped quietly away that the two young women might be alone during the...

At last the morning dawned. Berenice Morton sprang out of bed and hastened to scan the sky. Roseate beauty, softened by a line of tinted clouds, gladdened all the east. The rugg...

Mauchacho was permitted to choose his own trail and pace. His rider did not notice when he stopped to nibble at some tempting grass, or stretched his neck for a few remaining gr...

Everything was ready for the long drive shortly after midnight. As Bess stepped out-of-doors and beheld the glorious moonlight making everything as bright as gold, she wished sh...

Henry West had been gone upon the round-up for a week before Bess Fletcher and Mrs. White started. The plan was for them to ride to the west shore of the Big Arm of the lake upo...

It was nearly a month before Bess Fletcher fully recovered from the shock she had experienced. She was now ready to go to New York to rejoin her brother. Whenever she thought of...