Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1885-09-09
THE COWBOYS ROMANCE.
Saving q Boston Girl's Life
With His LaSso.
And Then Himself Becoming Entangled
in Matrimonial Moose.

And Then Himself Becoming Entangled
in q Matrimonial Moose,
In "a late number of the San Fran
cisco alta we find the following exter-
tanning story of cowboys romance:
The movements of real cowboy on
Kearney street attracted attention yes
terday. lie stood nearly six feet in
his boots, and his regular features and
dropping blond moustache gave his
face an aspect of beauty fully in keep
ing with his handsome proportions.
His attire was that OF the vaquero,
consisting of buckskin trousers,
woolen shirt fastened at the throat
with a carelessly knotted silk handler
chief, a coarse chinchilla sack coat,
and broad -brimmed hat of the sombre-
ropattern. An alta reporter learned
his name and his history. His name was
Edward N. Willetts, and six years ago
he was at college, when he received
peremptory orders from his father, a
wealthy Boston merchant, to enter the
theological class and fit himself for the
ministry. The command came like a
thunderbolt TO the happy-go-lucky tel-
low, who had always believed himself
destined to follow his father in business
when the latter should be ready to re-
tire. A quarrel with his pere was the
result, and the young fellow suddenly
left.
The wild life of the cowboy caught
his fancy. Salary proved little object,
and he had little difficulty in attaching
himself to big ranch until he had
mastered his new vocation. The open
ing of the summer found him engaged
with three or four comrades in driving
a small band of steers over the Santa
Cruz mountains. Toward the end Of
the drive the steep bluffs that line the
road on either hand kept the steers in
fairly good order, and only occasional
ly did an unusually juicy bunch of
grass tempt some hungry one to bolt
up the slope or into the canon below.
1t was an occasion of this sort that
sent Willetts careering among the
brakes and ferns on the slope above.
A chase oG half a mile had seen the
truant return to the road, and Willetts
was skirting the edge of the bank
some distance in front of the drove in
search of safe place to descend, when
in the middle of marrow road he saw
a lovely girl. The drove was thun-
dering down on her, and promising to
soon crush her young life out beneath
their ponderous weight Escape for
the girl seemed impossible. From
the road to where Willett's horse
stood was a wall of rock full twenty
feet in height, and below to the bed
of the stream was q sheer descent Of
double that distance. For only sec
Ond was the horseman inactive. Then
with the speed born of long practice
he lifted his trusty rawhide ridto
from the horn of his saddle and threw
it. "Put that under your arms, miss,
was Willett's hasty injunction. II
was Obeycd, and not Il moment toe
soon the girl was lifted above the
heads and horns of the oncoming cat
tie.
When they were well by Willetts
slowly Stacked down until his "catch
dropped softly to the earth. Five
minutes later. when he managed tC
find pathway down and reached the
subject of his daring bit of hOrseman-
ship, she was lying in the dust in a
faint. When she recovered he learned
that she, too, was from Boston, and
with her father and mother was
spending the summer amid Califor-
MAS most favored spots. The old
gentleman, her father, was highly de-
lighted when he learned of Willett's
identity, as he soon did. "llis daugh
ter foolishly placed high value OF
my little service explained Willetts
blushing, "and when saw how she
had over estimated it, | meanly de
manded the largest reward l coul'
think Of The details were settlet
yesterday, and ! came up 10y the even
ing train to fit myself for her society
She swears that | look like an angel II
my wooden shirt and buckSkin trOus
ers, but ! will try and get used tt
civilized garb, for yaquero's dress is
hardly the thing for aesthetic Boston,
"Are you going back?"
"Ycs. We shall tour Yosemite a.
man and wife, and then go bach
home. My fatherin-law says thai
my father has long been anxious tt
have me come home, and that he viii
set me up if the old gentleman doesn't
so think | had better 60"
Grant and the Boys.