When ther carpenter
come they put a roof on ther tree an' made a door at ther bottom, an'
let ther coons out one at a time. By this means they got every dodgasted
coon in them woods, an' Unc' Fletch's bounties was enough ter enable him
ter lift ther mortgage on ther farm."
"I guess that will do for to-night," said Ted, laughing. "I'm going to
hit the blankets, for it's up at daylight for all of us. I only hope
your pet coon does not attract so many others as to turn this sign camp
into a coon hotel."
CHAPTER V.
THE PHANTOM LINE RIDER.
For several days the weather remained fine, and the cattle were able to
get accustomed to their new range and become hardened.
The boys at the sign camps took things easy. In each sign camp were two
boys, one of whom rode days, and the other nights, when it was necessary
in bad weather to hold the cattle from drifting.
In order to keep in touch with one another the riders started from their
camps and met midway between, in order to exchange notes as to the
condition of the cattle and other things necessary to the welfare of the
whole herd.
There was another reason for this constant interchange of communication
between the camps.
Ted had received a warning from the town of Bubbly Creek, a small cattle
station, about twenty miles from the Long Tom Ranch, where there was a
cattleman's hotel, a few saloons, and an outfitting store, to look out
for the Whipple gang, which had its rendezvous in the Sweet Grass
Mountains.
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