, 1884-12-21

mind MN. Dut 4 VIII see II VIC can MAKE
an exception in your favor"
While | was enjoying an awkward half;
minute, and before | had settled in my
own mind the proper thing to say or do,
the clerk had struck the bell, a boy in
neat livery had promptly responded, the
clerk had said: John. show the gentle
man to No. 60" and l was meekly on
my way upstairs
When l found myself in an elegantly
furnished apartment with electric lights
and all modern convenience, l felt>a weak
inclination to resume my normal clothes
and character. Then l recalled the article
which had induced me to become = COW
boy. | was now in the home Of the cow
boy. That settled it. There could be no
going back, no unmanly concession to a
temporary hankerinE after the methods
and manners Of civilization.
In the dining room the menu was sub
stantial and the service was good. l felt
a natural pride that l appeared to attract
more attention from the table girls than
all the other patrons combined. But the
latter were evidently and palpably tender
feet. 1t did seem a little strange, how
ever, that | should be the only cowboy in
the principal hotel of the largest town OF
Wyoming.
My surprise was intensified, after an
hour spent in strolling about town, to
find well paved streets, as elaborate and
tasteful private residences as one sees at
Newport, and large handsome stores-but
no cowboys. One OF the finest and most
extensive shops was an Quitting estab-
lishment, - and there | discovered how in
complete was the outfit | had collected in
New York, Chicago and Omaha l pro-
ceeded to rectify my deficiencies at once
by investing in a pair of chaps-which are
leather brooches with fringcd sides--a fancy
shirt, an Ornamental leather band for my
sombrero that fastened on with a big metal
buckle, a quirt-which is the Mexican
name for a riding whip-a pair of highly
ornamental gauntlets, a flaming red silk
handkerchief to tie around my neck, a re-
peating rifle and a pair of clanking spurs.
With as little delay as possible, and
with the friendly assistance of the shop
~keeper-who said he used to do business
on Duane street, got my new posses
sions disposed about my person, and then
went to call on the president of a bank
with whom | had business.
well, pard, how'sthe bullion racket"
1 said, by way of introduction, handing
him letters from their Eastern correspond
ents as | spoke.
He was dressed in better clothes than 1
could ever afford to wear when at home.
He bowed politely, but without much
warmth or effusion. When he had read
the letters, he glanced at me curiously and
asked me to be seated. In response l said
| was ''dly," and asked him to steer me
to the nearest gin-mill." He gently de-
clined, but invited me to dine with him
that evening at the club
Here's one of the places where they
play for big stakes. and put daylight
through tenderfeet who object to leaving
on deposit what money they have with
them" | thought to myself. But | nc
cepted the invitation after he told me |
would meet there a lot ofthe richest cow
boys in the Territory.
At home an invitation to dine at a club
would have implied a full dress suit.
Here | went in my latest and most gor-
geous outfit The club house was a spac-
ious building. as luxurious and artistic in
its appointments as any in New York.
There were paintings and aesthetic deco
ntions, portieres, Turkish and Persian
rugs, and the same air of perfect breed
ing and refinement one finds in
the clubs of the European
capitals. The chef was from Del
monico's, and the bill of fare could not
have been surpassed at any club in Goth
am. Gentlemen lounged about in dress
suits, and talked of the chances of PATHS
singing in New York another season, and
gOssiped Of the latest club scandals of
London and Paris. There was some
French spoken, considerable German, and
a little S~panish-just as one might hear
other languages than English spoken in
any cosmopolitan gathering of gentlemen.
The wines were as good as one can obtain
at the Union Club in New York-some Of
them richer and of rarer ~vintages.
And every one of these gentlemen were
heavy cattle owners-boss cowboys. Sew
eral of them invited me to visit them on
their ranches up-country.
That evening l decided that if l would
see the cowboy, pure and simple, l must
go farther west than Cheyenne. Cow
boys with swallow-tailed coats, patent
leather shoes and kid gloves were not the
genuine article, that was evident
The gentlemen at the club treated me
politely, because they did not know how
to treat any one in any other way; but be-
fore / got away l iancied they regarded
me very much as the English Court did
King Cetewayo.
From Cheyenne l made a trip of sev-
eral hundred miles into the Rockies.
Like the shipwrecked sailor looking for a
sail, | was on the constant lookout for
cowboys that l never saw.
l met plenty of Harvard and Yale and
other college men, and ex-business men