The town was raw and alive with energy. Men could be heard hammering and pounding. The smell of new lumber cut through the early fall heat to mingle with the odors of horses and humanity. Loren noted with satisfaction the new station for a railroad, the livestock yards behind the station, and men building a new hotel and warehouses. Come spring there would be buyers for his cattle. He strapped the supplies on his horse and prepared to head back to his land, Niels, and the cattle. The WSSI and the Teacher spread their influence far and wide. There were few taverns and he"d heard of no houses inhabited by women in Beltran. He wondered where men went for amusement. There were upwards to eighty to one hundred houses in this community and more were being built, plus there were two hotels and se
