Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1884-08-14
Montana as 1t Is.
A GRAPHIC LETTER FROM THE FERTILE
PEN OF l.. \. OSBORNE.
MEAauen Co, Montana Ter. Aug. / "a

log CaDln OF the WlluerneSS, deep IN
this mountain valley, so that l can
neither hunt, fish or drive cattle
without discomfort. | have read
everything available, don't feel
sleepy, and my "pards" have lost the
"greasy deck" on the range, SO |
guess I'll write.
There's "Dog-esting Jack" and
"Kyoose jim" over in the corner
snoring in concert with the wind,
lying on their buffalo hides and
blankets, minus for the present Of
leather breeches, high-top boots, and
large slouch hat. "Dog-eating Jack? ?"
\ NeS, that's what they call him. Every
body o. the range has his peculiar
cognomen, which is anything but
his christian name. Being small
and comparatively beardless, with
out any special request, the outfit
call me "Kid," and only the captain
knows my name starts with an O.
But to return to Dog-eating Jack.
Being once lost on the range in a
snow storm, far from the settlements,
he killed his faithful dog and ate him
to preserve his own life. After.
wards, so il is said, he erected q pine
slab on the spot, "Dedicated TO the
faithful dog of John Johnson, who
to save his masters life, gladly
yielded up his own;" thereby giving
the impression that the dog took his
own life, maybe cut his own throat,
or shot his own brains out, or maybe,
like Baalam's ass, he was allowed
the privilege of speech, and made
the uneXampled request for his mas
ter TO slay him. But anyhow, john
Johnson became "Dog-eating Jack
from that time forth. "kyoose JIM
came by his sobriquet from riding
more horses to earth than any other
man on the range, and so on dd IN
.fRitun', every one gets his name.
My horse Phoenix has been paving
at the rear door for the last few min
utes asking TO be taken in out o. the
storm. But it wouldn't work any
way. He'd walk all over those feI-
lows in the corner, kick over the tin
stove, and raise cain generally. You
cant trust those kyooses rs far -
well, as far as you can see of a dark
night. A wild kyoose is a cheap af
fair. Very cheap at first sight--ex
ceedingly so to the unsophisticated
tenderfoot. That's a fine sorrel nag
outside-him that's paving now.
Knows as much as a mule, two half
breeds and a Chinaman, and his orig
inal price was-guess? l45 hands
high, sound in wind and limb, able
TO run over the mountains all day
well $50. Being a tenderfoot
thought he was dirt cheap, but | did
not reckon ON the after cost Bought
on the range be was wild as deer,
so paid IS for a half-breed Indian
to lasso and bring him in, then $40
more for broncho rider TO break
him, and then when | thought him
broke aud ! got on him for the first
time he "bucked" me higher than
Gilderoy's kite, ran over the rocks,
through gulleys, aud under pine
branches till he got rid of the S45
saddle | had borrowed for the occa-
sion. After | picked up the rem
nants it cost me $l5 TO have it fixed
up, and paid S5 more to have him
brought in again--that made, let me
see, $65 for the horse, phoenix, go
away from that door but he's gen
tie as a dog now, and would follow
me TO Jerusalem. Many a hard days
ride we have had driving the "cattle
on a thousand hills Driving cattle!
of course-cattle is what | meant TO
talk about When an eastern man
thinks of Montana, bis thoughts will
turn naturally to cattle and sheep.
He has dim notion Of going out
there some day, buying few head,
branding them, and then letting
them take care Of themselves for a
few years while they wax lat ana IN
crease exceedingly -repleuish the
in the meantime his
Castles in the air, my
friendl Castles in the air It's plain
you are not familiar with the cattle
business Of the west. / do not pre-
sumo to know much about it. can
only state what | have seen after
having left civilization, as it were,
and gone right among the cowboys.
That fellow over there in the cor
ne (dog-eating jack, the chap with
the red shirt and blue oycr-alls,
bought 50 head and turned them on
the range years ago! lie has
rounded up times since then, and
sold this spring, but didn't deliver
many more than he put in. They
were states cattle and couldn't stand
the exposure. Al he has made is
the increase on the prices Cattle
happen to be away up now.
Then there's an old German out
there in tent. lie got l25 out of
an anticipated 200. The rest are