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25.
esteemed him because he was a good man. He was an allaround fellow and hard to beat any place he was put with the cattle. Often we could see him come over the prairies and knew him as far as the eye could see a dim form on account of the way he rode. He was a splendid horseman and a hale and hearty fellow well met with it all. 

Back on the ranch in 1895 and 1896 at the old ranch. One day when I was at work feeding the cattle, the old man, that's [[strikethrough]]Jerry Burnett [[strikethrough]] S. B. Burnett, came to me and says, "Hec, how are you?". I replied pretty well. "How's your feed and how's the grass?" Grass good, sir, I said. I can keep the cattle alright until the grass gets alright. He then told me to give the cattle plenty to eat and I told him that his orders were law with me and that he should be obeyed. This is told to illustrate the spirt and the kind of a man the old fellow was. He had a heart that was big enough for proper treatment to man or beast.
 
In 1896 I went from the ranch to the Creek nation. I was peddling horses as the country was dry and there were more than they could use on the ranch. I had orders to sell or trade all the horses that I could. I had fair success in disposing of most of the horses. When I went back to the ranch later in the winter after being away almost all fall, I had a few ponies left and a little money. Tom Burnett had told me before leaving that I would make a bad thing of the trip. When I returned and reported what I had done. He was well pleased with the trip and the way that I had handled it. He had told me not to go and said that I would make a bad deal of the whole thing. When I came back and told him just how I had done the nusiness he was well pleased. Back on the ranch again and at work for the old man. I stayed on the ranch a long time. One day the old man took a notion that he would like to see his son Tommy. He said that he would go over for a few days and then come back and have the herd inspected. He told me while he was gone to keep on feeding as he had commenced. I did so. Old Jimmie Hammons was the foreman on the ranch. Some feed was raised on the place. I was careful to feed the cattle all that was necessary to keep them in fine shape and that was what pleased the old man best of all.