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The Outlet by Andy Adams
page 9 of 303 (02%)
three herds or ten thousand cattle to fill it. I was anxious to
give those Buford beeves an early start, and that was the main
reason in my consenting to this conference. I have three other
earlier deliveries at Indian agencies, but they are not as far
north by several hundred miles, and it's immaterial whether we
ship or not. But the Buford contract sets the day of delivery for
September 15, and it's going to take close figuring to make a
cent. The main contractors are all right, but I'm the one that's
got to scratch his head and figure close and see that there's no
leakages. Your freight bill alone would be a nice profit. It may
cost us a little for water getting out of Texas, but with the
present outlet for cattle, it's bad policy to harass the herds.
Water is about the best crop some of those settlers along the
trail have to sell, and they ought to treat us right."

After the conference was over, we scattered about the city, on
various errands, expecting to take the night train home. It was
then the middle of February, and five of the six herds were
already purchased. In spite of the large numbers of cattle which
the trail had absorbed in previous years, there was still an
abundance of all ages, anxious for a market. The demand in the
North had constantly been for young cattle, leaving the matured
steers at home. Had Mr. Lovell's contracts that year called for
forty thousand five and six year old beeves, instead of twenty,
there would have been the same inexhaustible supply from which to
pick and choose. But with only one herd yet to secure, and ample
offerings on every hand, there was no necessity for a hurry. Many
of the herds driven the year before found no sale, and were
compelled to winter in the North at the drover's risk. In the
early spring of '84, there was a decided lull over the enthusiasm
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