Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1883-09-07
AMONG THE COWBOYS.
Il. Nlrps His Nibsl OF Arkansas in West
ern Texas.
fArkansaw Traveller

ern Texas.
(Arkansaw Traveler.l
Tired of ny quiet, uneventful life in
the humdrum East, | abandoned my
ancestral cabin few months since and
came to Texas III eager quest OF adVen-
lures strange and starting--and found
them OF my scores OF applications for
employment, not one was successful
From burgh to burgh | wandered, un-
til, at last vacancy appeared-in my
mock book. and then. after "a short
but animated colloquy with my land
lord. shuuldered my griL-sack early
one morning, and boldly moved upon
the homes of the graDgers. l walked
rapidly. aud soon left the town aud
suburbs far behind me. All day long
| trudged on, weary and worn. AS the
day waued | found myself in an un-
habited region. | was the sole occu-
paut. The sun set; the light died OUT
and night, leaving her stars behind
her, enveloped the world and me in
utter darkness. / strayed from the
road. ran blindly into thorny. chap
arrals and prickly pears, and adorned
them with patches of my pantaloons
and pieces of my skin. l fell head,
long into muddy gulleys. | stumbled
for help. And the coyotes howled,
the prairie dogs barked, the owls
booted, and the winds moaned as they
swept by. l sat down, tired, scared
and hopeless, and thought-o my sins.
! regretted them, repented of them,
and sincerely resolved, If We're spared
to devote the rest of my days to the
good of fellow-men, and women, too.
Memory carried me back to other days
and scenes; and grieving that / had
ever flown from my home nest, /
thought lovingly of mother and the
girls, and longingly of my cozy, com
Portable bedroom, where bugs and
snakes did not abound. And / again
saw the sage shaking of my venerable
fathers hoary head, rs he combatted
my desire TO wandeA far away, and
bade me be content with the many
good things he provided for me: and
with shame and sorrow did | remem-
Der that had laughed lightly at his
counsel, and had regarded his predic-
tions as the childish prattle of an old
man in his dotage. And next, with q
heart whose throbbing | would hear,
l thought of Agnes Hurst of our last
interview, of the hopes and fears that
agitated me, of my eager, hurried out
OttTSIS Oh love, III tuS
that followed, to be broken by the
timid, tremulous, gladstone yes
that transformed this weary,
liwork-a-day world into very
heaven of hope and happiness. Then,
taking her with me into dream-land, l
fell asleep, and when | awoke the
bright sun had returned again. In
vigorated by my long rest, / tramped
on, hopeful, but hungry, very, very
hungry. About 8 o'clock came to u
large, old-fashioned Lighthouse, the in
mates OF which kindly gave me mos!
welcome aud substantial meal. May
their table ever be loaded with tn,
toothsome things of this world, anC
may their appetites never fail them.
-tramp--tramp. For foul
days longer hObbled ON, pitied anc
cared for by the gentle women, sus
pected ofunknown and heinous crimes
by the heartless men, and barked a
and frightened by the dlsrespectfu
dogs. And then, pennies and iflend
less, u thoroughly subdued stranger
in a land strange indeed To one Wit
had believed every word so impress
lively spoken by the voluble enigra
ton agent; with sleevc-buttons, shirt.
studs, and all spare clothing entrusted
for perpetual safe keeping TO an accom-,
modating gentleman whose baptisma'
name was Isaac and surname Sulz
bacher, aud terrified by threatened
starvation and the stringent laws
'gainst vagrancy. /, the victim OF
newspapers and my own credu'
lily, was compelled to do what
even lazler men sometimes do :
work. became a cowboy, and as the
annual spring roundup OF all cattle
on the range had just commenced, my
duties and snfferings began immediate
iy and simultaneously. There were
twelve OF Us. Our boss, Caddo Henry
was about twenty-four or twenty-ii' {
years old, and, despite his youth was
promising, even representative mem
Der of the famous cow-fraternity o
COW punchers. lie was industrious
when paid well to be; honest, wher
honesty was thesafest policy; generous
unto prodigality; brave unto reckless
ness; faithful to his pards, and careles:
of the blood and lives of Others ano