The Bad Lands cow boy. [volume] (Little Missouri, Dakota [i.e. N.D.]) 1884-1886, 1885-05-21
TANNING TIE TEXAS ! d U, STEER.

TANNING TIE TEXAS sTEI 81
Il have Just had q talk with % lady,
said q western gentleman to q daily News
reporter. She Is a very; well led ducated
lady, and comes Of one Of the Oldest fam
lilies of the east. When 4 met her she
had just returned from Europe, and was
on her way to the west to do some travel
ing among its features Of Interest
Learning that / had some sllght
acquaintance in that country she engag-i
ed me in conversation, and we discussed
at some length the peculiar customs in
vogue there, especially among tile cattle
men. 3;] 3S4 5544s 4:
And did You ever see any OF those
dear, sweet cowboys?s r asked she.
4 remarked that the distinguished
honor had been mine. II.
Sand did you ever hear them singing
to the cattle?' ?' 5:552 5555i q
Now it occurred to me at this time
that I had occasionally heard a cowboy
singing to an animal, although i had
never heard it called by that name; so;
somewhat surprised BY the gravity with
which the euphemisn was made, q
smiled, and said Ihad.n 2 jzs5:ss
"It must be lovely, in the middle of the;
starry night, to hear those manly voices
swelling in harmonious cllorusI''' Il
s. 5AAos t. f2,,,o -.
voices swelling in chorus Of starry
night, thought it was all right, and
replied: 1t is veryl It is about the
loyeliest thing I know! Of, with some:
few exceptions. !" i;
"And does it quiet the poor, tlear; cat
tie 2'''7 ~ VI
Il beg pardon" Z 4
Does it really soothe theirrestlessness
and prevent their wandering away from
homep .ssl =s:s, 55sSs !ss
'1-wha Great CmsarI'
"Why, you seem surprised Can it be
really possible that you have ever been
upon cattle ranch and have not heard
the cowboys singing to their cattle to
Keep them from becoming restless and
straying away ?" - ..3.5 !7!l52
with some difficulty I smiled a small
smile, told her that L was subject to 4
spaslnOslic catching of the breath, and
said: Why, certainly, madam; but who
told you of the custom P " j,,,% .
"Oh! a friend of mine Just returned
from New Mexico. lie told me that the
first question asked of cowboy was
whether he could sing or play some
musical instrument. If he could do
neither he could never obtain position.
Yon know at about 2 O'clock in the morn
ing the cattle begin to get uneasy, and
will walk their flesh off q believe thew
call it) if there is not music to sootfe
them. The cowboys take turns, you
know, and have regular watches,
although sometimes. if a very dark or
stormy night, it requires the efforts Of
all united to quiet them. "A hard life,
that of a cowboy, the poor dear, romantic
feIlowP" 53..,.se7,55S :, s S>i 55l.E3 .3.II.
''Very, madam, veryp' said, growing
faint with Suppressed emotion. 81 never
before had heard anything lust like this.
My friend said that fine tenor voice
was especially valued, but that the music
of the piano, flute, and either was also
priced. Those who could obtain nj,
music but that of the accordion or that
made by beating upon tin pans often lost
their entire herds. Is it not beautiful
picture? It quite reminds one of old
Pan piping to his fiocksl I never heard
of so fine an illustration Of the saying
that music hath power to soothe the saT-
age breast =
MADAM" said 1, Z am not quite sure
that YOU have quoted that eXactly FiQhts
but am ready to admit thar il music
hath power to soOthe the breast OF a
Texas steer, she'll soothe almost any-
thing. ;3 IS a; 57ls
"But is it possible you have never seen
this done? 81!
"With a great effort / retained nv "
presence of mind. It is, indeed. yery
general custom now I said. AT first it
was found somawhat difficult for half a
dozen small cowboys to sing to q whole
herd of steers, when they were scattered
over forty miles or SO Of sage-brJsh.
especially of a dark or stormy night; but
under the system which has Tecently
been adopted, Of driving them an eyerv
night 10 be milked. and not turning
them out OF the pasture until morning
the custom to which you allude has
become common SO common, In fact
that 1t had quite slipped my memory, and
may the Lord have mercy on my sinful
soul r l95
Il beg bardon i did not quite catch
you in full. 2 m sj5s332
Yes the cowboys sit around on $tht
fence, and play and sing all night. Itis
/ mistake to think they take t,irns--t
hard life indeed is the cowboys. The,
wheel the plano out TO the pasture bar
i and prop it up with d branding iron, ami
while one plays the other joins In, and
4 with yi0l and lutte and light guitar, the,
make the .welkin ring-tfle dear, roman
A tic fellows. That's where the opera sing
!. ers go, That's where Emma Abbot AMI
4 Patti and Scalchi and an the rest q
q them are going: they u ALL Join the innu
fmerable caravan. z d.
j Here I paused and looked her nteadii,
i in the eye. She believed every word
She is q good example of the higher enl
I ture; but somebody has been fooiinj
with her about that soothing business. ].
/. Eek,