Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1885-12-03
MONTANA.
A LITTLE ABOUT TINS AND THAT

4 LITTLE AEOIl MS AND 1 HAL
Now you mustn't suppose that be-
cause / have written a dozen or two
letters to eastern papers, that have
begun to get through with Montana.
No, sir! in fact | have only com
menced, and if there is anything out
here to see ! am going to see it, and
the way have been perambulating
around bids fair to enable me. But
alas! it ruins a man for almost any.
thing more steady. How can he
who has grown accustomed to spend
the summer in one part of a wild
country, the winter amid the SHOWS
Of other mountains, and listens to
the spring torrents in another, be
content with ever to come and go to
one place? But then it makes ones
life seem long, not unpleasanty so,
for it is not whled swiftly away by
an endless repetition Of the same
events. But all this has nothing to
do with Montana.
Did you ever herd sheep? / guess
not. Well you don't want to. |
never did, but have seen more or
less Of sheep.herders. 1t is not a
very exciting vocation This is the
way it il; and just happen to men
ton it, because some of my eastern
friends, if have any left, may have
some lingering romantic notions
about following the heecy herds
ever the vast ranges of Montana, at
$40 per month and found, or maybe
follow their own herds A herd of
sheep is COMPOUNDED uncertain
speculation, if you don't understand
the business; your whole Investment
il apt to drop through in n year
Tut about shecpherders:
1t Is very hard for a man who has
once been a sheep-herder to raise
very high III the estimation of the
community If he took to it nm
Willingly, as Pilgrim who doesn't
know much anyhow, why, he may
I've forgiven if he does not stick to
It. But as it is very lazy business,
I am sorry to say many do, and
gradually sink into nonentities, 1t
+, the LATEST, lonliest, most forsaken
employment q man can take to 1t
must be that the old time shepherds,
were in a confined tract of country,
where they saw somebody at least
every day, and could take a spin
around TO see a gentle shepherdess
when he got tired of playing his
flute or lolling around on the cactus
and sage bush smoking his pipe.
tut, let me see. they didn't have
any tobacco in those days, did they?
Well so much the worse for the
shepherd. OF course | am now
speaking only from observation, and
! have had many opportunities rid
ing after cattle; but observation is
much better than experience in this
case, according to my notion. Why,
they put "a sheep.herder of on the
langc fifty miles from nowhere,
leave him q months grub, band of
sheep, and a cabin with a corral
around it, and he doesn't see anyone
again for month, or till someone
brings him something more to eat.
lie drives his sheep off to Craze mt
Lay-brcak, and brings them in at
sight. He does the same thing the
Lext day, the next week, and the
.ext month, till that part Of the
range is eaten up, when he is
dumped down in some other equally
God-forsaken place, till from isola-
ton he gets half demented. and
pretty nearly forgets how to talk,
ust ike poor old Robinson Crusoe.
7 often thought, when a boy. that
would like to be another Robinson
and live on some fal-or island with
nothing to talk to but n dog, cat.
Parrot, aad half dozen tame goats,
tlt after | saw the shecp-hcrders
imagined had wished foolishly-
as we often do when we are boys.
Int, dear me- we men often wish
oolishly, don't we? But let MS get
ack to sheep \ sheep herder will
stay of chat way for about q year.
Lot spending a cent, and ekes out
on one pair of oyeralls, till lie has
four or five hundred dollars, wien
che fine day, or bad day, he happens
lato some little, oui-ofthe-way town;
elbows" It all in in a week, and not
have money enough left to buy
meal. This is a peculiar character
istic Of the sheer hcrder. Although
taey get good pay, and their job is
continuous, you seldom meet one