The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1885-09-16
ROMANCE OF A RATA.
How Boston Sophomore Became n Cow
boy and Won "A Bride.

The movements of real cowboy on
Kearny street attracted attention yesterday.
He stood nearly six feet in his boots and
his regular features and dropping blonde
moustache gave his face an aspect of beauty
fully III keeping with his handsome proper
tons. His attire was that of the vaquero,
consisting of buckskin trousers, woollen
shirt fastened at the throat with q carelessly
knotted silk handkerchief, coarse chin
chilla sack coat md broad brmmed felt hat
of the soinbrero pattern. 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, n veal
thy Boston merchant, to enter the theologi-
cal class and fit himself for the ministry
The command came like thunderbolt to
the happy-go-lucky young fellow, who had
always believed himself destined to follow
his father in business when the latter should
be ready to retire. A quarrel with his peae
was the result and the young fellow sud
denly left for the West
At Cheyenne he laid over for short hunt
on the plains. The wild life of the cowboys
caught his fancy. Salary proved little OBJ
ject, and he had little difficulty in attach
ing himself to q big ranch until he had
mastered his new vocation. Finally he
drifted through portions of Montana, Ne
braska, Dakota. Idaho, Nevada, aud finally
into Oregon and California The opening
of the summer found him engaged with
three or four comrades in driving small
band of steers over the Santa Cruz noun
tains. Cattle in the mountains are not
pleasant objects to deal with. Every I'M
ruly steer that broke from the band requir-
ed an hours chasing up and down steep
slopes, over rocks and fallen trees, and
through the spiteful brush.
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 oc-
casionally did an unusually juicy bunch of
grass tempt some hungry one to bolt up the
slope or into the canyon below. It was an
occasion of this sort that sent Willetts ca
reering among the brakes and ferns on the
slope above. A chase of half mile had
seen the truant return to the road, and Will
let's was skirting the edge of the bank some
distance in advance of the drove in search
of safe place to descend, when in the mid
die of the narrow road he saw a.lovely girl.
The drove was laundering 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 q
wall of rock full twenty feet in height, and
below to the bed of the stream was sheer
descent of double that distance. For only
o second was the horseman inactive. Then
with the speed born of long practice he
lifted his trusty rawhide RATA from the
horn of his saddle and thew it. "Put
that under your arms, MISS" was Willetts'
hasty injunction. 1t was obeyed, and not
o moment too soon the girl was lifted above
the heads and horns of the on coming cattle.
When they were well by, Willetts slowly
Stacked down until his CATCH dropped
softly to the earth. Five minutes later,
when he managed to find pathway down
and reached the subject of his daring bit OF
craftsmanship, she was lying in the dust in
q faint. When she recovered he learned
that she too, was from Boston, and with
her father and mother was spending the
summer amid California's most favored
spots. The old gentleman, her father, was
highly delighted when he learned of Will
let's identity, as he soon did. " His daugh-
ter foolishly placed high value on my lit
tie SERVICE" explained Willetts, blushing,
and when saw how she had overestimat-
ed it, meanly demanded the largest re-
ward could think Of The details we're
settled yesterday and came up by the
evening train to fit myself for her society.
She swears that look like an angel in my
woollen shirt and buckskin trousers, but l
will try and get her used to me in civilized
garb, for vaquero's dross is hardly the
thing for aesthetic Boston,"
g Are you going back ?"
Yes, in September. We shall tour
Yosemite as man and wife, and then go
back home. My father-in-law says that my
father has long been anxious to have me
come home, and that he will set me up if
the old gentleman doesn't, SO think had
better go."-San Francisco A.ta.