The National tribune., 1883-09-20

mountain SneeD, ne rOaTnS nerds, IGlt0WiuG
the steps of a trusted leader. In the winter he
subsists almost entirely on the soap plant,
tough, fbrous growth, growing IN single tufts,
with short, swOrd-liRe blades that cut like
knives if you pluck root earelessly. He IS
very docile upon approach, and submits to any
hardships, provided, always, it IS in the line of
his tastes. To introduce an innovation into his
mode of life or thought is to do so at your
peril. When you see him quietly stand while
a brawny cattle man tightens the girths until
they almost cut through his slim body to the
supporting veYtebr9, You think here is a
creature that you can bend and break to every
whim of fancy. 1t is not until yOu have grasp
ed the reins that your real respect for the Won
derful being begins to develop itself. Your
experience usually comes early in your ae-
quaintance, and it is of character you viii
probably remember. You are accustomed to
horseback riding, and you provide yourself with
| a little switch, or jaunty riding whip and
gaily give the little animal cut across the
shoulder. Ten to one he viii come up standing
on his two fore legs and land you sprawling az
his feet. Then he will stand quietly looking
| at you askance with his almOnd-eyes, as much
as to say:
For ways that are dark and tricks that are vain,
| The mountain burro is peculiar.
A BURRo PARTY.
| 1t may be said, by way of explanation, that
the Grand Army party that left the Manitou
| House ON a string of burrOs of all sizes, great
and small, that showery August morning, had
never before had the pleasure of making the
/ acquaintance of this iIlustFioUs animal. Before
| they returned they had added very materially
| to their stock of information particularly the
| one hundred and seventy FOUNDER who rode the
| one hundred and eleven-pOund burro cot. tie
| had the extreme pleasure of enjoying two sitz
/ baths that morning, and no extra charge either.
Each time the burro tossed him playfuliy over,
| it was into the red sand, moist from the re-
| cent rains. The accommodating creature prob
/ ably knew he was q newspaper correspondent
| in search of new experiences, and, therefore,
| gave him a free benefit as a courtesy to the
| press.
| General Beath's newly appointed Ohio aid,
| who always likes to have things done d brown"
| was favored with a similar experience. The
| colonel had, by vigorous application of the
| cudgel, advanced beyond the jogging PAGES of
his party, and not knowing that the habit Of
| the burro is to lie down and rest at every stop
| ping-place he stopped on grassy knoll to
survey the unfolding scenes OF the Garden of
| the Gods, which we were just entering. Both
pride and patriotism had an ignoble fall when
the little animal folded up his legs and cUrled
up like a good-sized watch dog leaving the
colonel like huge colossus above him.
| The party in question was notable one for
more reasons than one, not only because the
| proprietor Of THE NATIONAL TRIBUNE-a pic
| turesque study in browns though his name sag
gests different eolor-was mounted on the large
brown and white broncho, which turned ont
to be the leader of the drove, all of which made
vigorous protests against advancing if he made
q detour to the right or left I; but in that party
were two men of national reputation, each of
| whom had left leg on the field of battle-Past
Department Commander S. A. Houghton, of
/ New Jersey, and Past Department Commander
John S. KOuntz, of Ohio.
THROUGH THE GARDEN OF THE GODS.
| Advancing along the winding, undulating
roadway that traverses the Garden OF the Gods,
we passed numerous parties of our felloY-trag-
elers, who were inspecting the grounds in car
riages.
Throw up your hands, our leader would
call out, and all hands would go up.
Whose cavalry are yOu?' would be an
swered with Sheridan's," or 'Custer's' and
with good-natured raillery at our motley, de-
moralized company our friends woUld pass on.
The burro will submit to no discipline like
the horse, or go two and two in military files
with head erect and the steady tramp Of yeter-
ans He is like the Scotshman " gangs his ain
gait and either loafs along with head to tlsa
ground and with creeping PAGES, or starts OF IN
a break-neck lOpe, generally q pounding trot,
in the most lawless and gypsy-hke fashion i'm
aginable.
And yet there is something strangeIyin keep
ing between burro party and the Garden Of
the Gods itself. Both are violation OF ali our
ideas of the eternal fitness of things. Both are
archaic and bewildering The Garden of the
Gods cannot be described; it is too weird and
perplexing, with its mammoth red sandstone
rocks, washed by centuries into strange shapes
of Titan forms, giant causeways, towers and
| gateways, and broken lodges. One there has
the same feeling as when standing before the
broken and defaced figures of ''Theseus" and
| 4" The Fates, or the exhumed wonders of pre-
historic Egypt and ancient Greece.
At the mammoth gateway we were overtaken
by q pair of bearded cattle men, the only speci-
mems of the kind we had seen who approached
the ideal as sung by Joaquin Miller. Tall,
| brown, vermilion- checked, bright-eyed, supple
men they were, mounted upon a pair of superb
bays, and tric1ed out with all the leather trap
pings of the frontiersman of the romantic stage.
! They were an Obliging pair, although they
laughed good-naturedly showing very hand
some white teeth, at the perplexity of a few of
| us who wanted to turn our bJirros back, before
the mule-whacker," who had accompanied
our party to keep the beasts in motion, had
come up. eve will give you send of" they
said and their long whips came down upon the
flanks of our obdurate animals in a way that
made them feel that even they had found their
match, and set them jolting along toward
Manitou.
Just then little cowboy rode up. "Better
| look out for Old Nose" he said to your CORE
spondent; hes the meanest of the lot. Just
hit him on the shoulder once if you want to
see him buck. He'll land you quiCker'n
lightnin'." Having no desire to be landed Just
then and there, or in any such double-quick
fashion, / became suddenly very eonsiderate of
the amiable Moses who, after vain attempts to
brush me off by rubbing against the other bur-
ros and the bushes, suddenly left the road and
| planted himself inyincibly under fir tree,
| from which position no amount Of coaxing or
| beating would bulge him an inch. We would
probably be there until this day had not the
leader advanced and led the obdurate Moses
away. 1t is now very plain TO me how Absa-
lom's hair was caught in the oak tree.
In conclusion, would say that if you are
suffering from unequal circulation, or from an
attack of ennsi, which no ordinary experience
will dispel, go to the Garden of the Gods-and
| go on burro. KATE B. SHERWOOD.
THE LOYAL LEGION.